Hi,

I have a problem with fonts in my Android cellular phone (A Motorola
G6+, running Android 9). It started one night, some weeks ago, without
me doing anything. I did not change any configuration, I did not install
or remove anything. Suddenly, some texts in many applications changed to
a hollow font that I find very disturbing.

See the screenshots:

https://paste.opensuse.org/33035071 (Notifications)
https://paste.opensuse.org/47597218 (Whatsapp)

How can I restore the original fonts?

I googled but did not find anything helpful.

No, the phone is not rooted.
All apps are official from Google Play place.

--
Cheers, Carlos.

"Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> wrote:

> I have a problem with fonts in my Android cellular phone (A Motorola
> G6+, running Android 9). It started one night, some weeks ago, without
> me doing anything. I did not change any configuration, I did not install
> or remove anything. Suddenly, some texts in many applications changed to
> a hollow font that I find very disturbing.
>
> See the screenshots:
>
> https://paste.opensuse.org/33035071 (Notifications)
> https://paste.opensuse.org/47597218 (Whatsapp)
>
> How can I restore the original fonts?
>
> I googled but did not find anything helpful.
>
> No, the phone is not rooted.
> All apps are official from Google Play place.

Only 3 fonts are included in Android: normal (Droid Sans), serif (Droid
serif), and monospace (Droid Mono). When phone makers customize Android
to what they want, they can add fonts. I've seen some programmer types
say an app can install more TrueType fonts, but they are only usable by
that app. This is supported by the following dev guide:

https://developer.android.com/guide/topics/resources/font-resource

says:

A font resource defines a custom font that you can use in your app.

and:

You can bundle fonts as resources in an app. Fonts are compiled in R
file and are automatically available in the system as a resource. You
can then access these fonts with the help of the font resource type.

Instead in bundling font files within an app as a static resources,
fonts can be downloadable, and shared by multiple apps. This could
result in a font getting changed for use by multiple apps.

https://developer.android.com/guide/topics/ui/look-and-feel/downloadable-fonts
https://medium.com/material-design-in-action/downloadable-fonts-developers-guide-91b522e4d69e

There are font managers, like iFont, but the ones I looked at either
worked with a limited set of phone brands, or required rooting.

From your screenshots, one app is AEMET weather. I couldn't tell what
was the chat app you showed. If the app authors are wholly unreleated
to each other, I'm guessing the problem stems from downloadable fonts
which could mean the cached version got changed, or the source for the
font changed the font (i.e., the font provider changed the font).
Without digging into the apks, I don't know how you can determine who is
the font provider.

You're probably stuck contacting the app author to ask about the hollow
font showing up (http://www.aemet.es/es/portada, or tuopinion@aemet.es)
as they might know just how they are obtaining the font. They may
selected the wrong one, or the provider changed it.

https://proandroiddev.com/retrieve-available-downloadable-font-list-for-android-downloadable-font-list-library-731f8d6a7281

That mentions how app devs can select a font based on the attributes
they want. Maybe the app ends up picking the wrong one. Presumably the
AEMET weather and other app don't give you a choice of which font to use
with their app. AEMET weather hasn't been updated in over a year, so
its author may not be responsive. I didn't see a link to a forums page,
but they have a Facebook account.

VanguardLH wrote:

> I've seen some programmer types
> say an app can install more TrueType fonts, but they are only usable by
> that app.

That fits with the general way that each app is installed within its own
sandbox, which last time I looked mounted a filesystem per app.

"Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> writes:

> Hi,
>
> I have a problem with fonts in my Android cellular phone (A Motorola
> G6+, running Android 9). It started one night, some weeks ago, without
> me doing anything. I did not change any configuration, I did not
> install or remove anything. Suddenly, some texts in many applications
> changed to a hollow font that I find very disturbing.

Vanilla Android doesn't usually have a way for users or apps to affect
system fonts. The two font settings things I have in my vanilla Nokia
7.2 are font size but there's also an option in developer settings
called Headline / Body font. This is supposed to affect notification and
settings fonts and I can see the difference. Not the hollow font you
showed though.

For the cause in your case I'd guess corruption or malware. Both could
be fixed by flashing a factory image on the phone, if that's possible on
your device.

On 25/08/2021 06.56, VanguardLH wrote:
> "Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> wrote:
>
>> I have a problem with fonts in my Android cellular phone (A Motorola
>> G6+, running Android 9). It started one night, some weeks ago, without
>> me doing anything. I did not change any configuration, I did not install
>> or remove anything. Suddenly, some texts in many applications changed to
>> a hollow font that I find very disturbing.
>>
>> See the screenshots:
>>
>> https://paste.opensuse.org/33035071 (Notifications)
>> https://paste.opensuse.org/47597218 (Whatsapp)
>>
>> How can I restore the original fonts?
>>
>> I googled but did not find anything helpful.
>>
>> No, the phone is not rooted.
>> All apps are official from Google Play place.
>
> Only 3 fonts are included in Android: normal (Droid Sans), serif (Droid
> serif), and monospace (Droid Mono). When phone makers customize Android
> to what they want, they can add fonts. I've seen some programmer types
> say an app can install more TrueType fonts, but they are only usable by
> that app. This is supported by the following dev guide:
>
> https://developer.android.com/guide/topics/resources/font-resource
>
> says:
>
> A font resource defines a custom font that you can use in your app.
>
> and:
>
> You can bundle fonts as resources in an app. Fonts are compiled in R
> file and are automatically available in the system as a resource. You
> can then access these fonts with the help of the font resource type.
>
> Instead in bundling font files within an app as a static resources,
> fonts can be downloadable, and shared by multiple apps. This could
> result in a font getting changed for use by multiple apps.
>
> https://developer.android.com/guide/topics/ui/look-and-feel/downloadable-fonts
> https://medium.com/material-design-in-action/downloadable-fonts-developers-guide-91b522e4d69e
>
> There are font managers, like iFont, but the ones I looked at either
> worked with a limited set of phone brands, or required rooting.
>
> From your screenshots, one app is AEMET weather. I couldn't tell what
> was the chat app you showed.

Whatsapp.

> If the app authors are wholly unreleated
> to each other,

Totally.

> I'm guessing the problem stems from downloadable fonts
> which could mean the cached version got changed, or the source for the
> font changed the font (i.e., the font provider changed the font).
> Without digging into the apks, I don't know how you can determine who is
> the font provider.
>
> You're probably stuck contacting the app author to ask about the hollow
> font showing up (http://www.aemet.es/es/portada, or tuopinion@aemet.es)
> as they might know just how they are obtaining the font. They may
> selected the wrong one, or the provider changed it.

Those are the apps I took the screen shot, but that weird font is
affecting almost every app.

>
> https://proandroiddev.com/retrieve-available-downloadable-font-list-for-android-downloadable-font-list-library-731f8d6a7281
>
> That mentions how app devs can select a font based on the attributes
> they want. Maybe the app ends up picking the wrong one. Presumably the
> AEMET weather and other app don't give you a choice of which font to use
> with their app. AEMET weather hasn't been updated in over a year, so
> its author may not be responsive. I didn't see a link to a forums page,
> but they have a Facebook account.

I don't remember seeing a font choice in whatsapp, which is the only one
that could be guilty of doing such a change, not the weather app
("AEMET" is a government agency for weather, and they wrote an app that
gives the official weather info)

Whatsapp has a setting to choose font size. I just tried, size changes
but not the font type.

The aemet app has no settings menu, aside from choosing sites to display
the weather.

I could try removing the aemet app and see if something changes... On
another older phone (motorola X-play) that doesn't have it but has
whatsapp fonts are normal. [...] Removed it, no change. Rebooting. [...]
No change.

Removing whatsapp would be a great chore.

--
Cheers, Carlos.

On 25/08/2021 10.39, Anssi Saari wrote:
> "Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> writes:
>
>> Hi,
>>
>> I have a problem with fonts in my Android cellular phone (A Motorola
>> G6+, running Android 9). It started one night, some weeks ago, without
>> me doing anything. I did not change any configuration, I did not
>> install or remove anything. Suddenly, some texts in many applications
>> changed to a hollow font that I find very disturbing.
>
> Vanilla Android doesn't usually have a way for users or apps to affect
> system fonts. The two font settings things I have in my vanilla Nokia
> 7.2 are font size but there's also an option in developer settings
> called Headline / Body font. This is supposed to affect notification and
> settings fonts and I can see the difference. Not the hollow font you
> showed though.
>
> For the cause in your case I'd guess corruption or malware. Both could
> be fixed by flashing a factory image on the phone, if that's possible on
> your device.

malware in this phone would be very unlikely. And as I said, I was doing
nothing with the phone when it happened. Certainly I had installed nothing.

I enabled developer settings, but I see nothing related to font, not
even when searching. Only in screen settings, about the size.

Install unknown apps is disabled for every app.

FOUND IT!

High contrast text, in accessibility settings! It is labelled as
"experimental".

BUFFF...!

--
Cheers, Carlos.

On 08/25/2021 03:37 AM, Carlos E.R. wrote:
> On 25/08/2021 10.39, Anssi Saari wrote:
>> "Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> writes:
>>
>>> Hi,
>>>
>>> I have a problem with fonts in my Android cellular phone (A Motorola
>>> G6+, running Android 9). It started one night, some weeks ago, without
>>> me doing anything. I did not change any configuration, I did not
>>> install or remove anything. Suddenly, some texts in many applications
>>> changed to a hollow font that I find very disturbing.
>>
>> Vanilla Android doesn't usually have a way for users or apps to affect
>> system fonts. The two font settings things I have in my vanilla Nokia
>> 7.2 are font size but there's also an option in developer settings
>> called Headline / Body font. This is supposed to affect notification and
>> settings fonts and I can see the difference. Not the hollow font you
>> showed though.
>>
>> For the cause in your case I'd guess corruption or malware. Both could
>> be fixed by flashing a factory image on the phone, if that's possible on
>> your device.
>
>
> malware in this phone would be very unlikely. And as I said, I was doing
> nothing with the phone when it happened. Certainly I had installed nothing.
>
>
> I enabled developer settings, but I see nothing related to font, not
> even when searching. Only in screen settings, about the size.
>
> Install unknown apps is disabled for every app.
>
> FOUND IT!
>
> High contrast text, in accessibility settings! It is labelled as
> "experimental".

Down at the very bottom on the Pixel2. Not checked by default, thank god.

Jseze, that's exactly WRONG! Wherever those appear it's nearly
impossible to read. I think Google Earth uses one of those for
something, but I can't remember what. Next time I open it I'll search
-- maybe GE has an equivalent setting.

> BUFFF...!

??

--
Cheers, Bev
"Truly, our society's bellyaching sissies are in an elite category.
They are like the Navy SEALS of offendedness. They demonstrate
unmatched skill, dedication, and dexterity in imagining new and
exciting ways to be insulted." --Matt Walsh

On 8/24/2021 2:14 PM, Carlos E.R. wrote:
> Hi,
>
> I have a problem with fonts in my Android cellular phone (A Motorola
> G6+, running Android 9). It started one night, some weeks ago, without
> me doing anything. I did not change any configuration, I did not install
> or remove anything. Suddenly, some texts in many applications changed to
> a hollow font that I find very disturbing.
>
> See the screenshots:
>
> https://paste.opensuse.org/33035071   (Notifications)
> https://paste.opensuse.org/47597218   (Whatsapp)
>
>
> How can I restore the original fonts?
>
> I googled but did not find anything helpful.
>
> No, the phone is not rooted.
> All apps are official from Google Play place.

Perhaps "high contrast text" or "invert colors" text got turned on somehow.

Check quick settings under accessibility. See
<https://i.imgur.com/eqa5YJp.png>.

On 8/25/2021 10:08 AM, sms wrote:

<snip>

> Perhaps "high contrast text" or "invert colors" text got turned on somehow.
>
> Check quick settings under accessibility. See
> <https://i.imgur.com/eqa5YJp.png>.

Sorry, I didn't see your post that you had already found the "high
contrast text" setting.

"Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> wrote:

> I don't remember seeing a font choice in whatsapp, which is the only
> one that could be guilty of doing such a change, not the weather app
> ("AEMET" is a government agency for weather, and they wrote an app
> that gives the official weather info)
>
> Whatsapp has a setting to choose font size. I just tried, size changes
> but not the font type.
>
> The aemet app has no settings menu, aside from choosing sites to display
> the weather.
>
> I could try removing the aemet app and see if something changes... On
> another older phone (motorola X-play) that doesn't have it but has
> whatsapp fonts are normal. [...] Removed it, no change. Rebooting. [...]
> No change.
>
> Removing whatsapp would be a great chore.

The AEMET weather app is a year old. Unlikely you recently got an
update that would've screwed up a font. The Whatsapp just got an update
on Aug 18, 2021. Since the problem is new, I'd look at the new app
(Whatsapp). In case the problem is the app is requesting a font based
on attributes instead of name, you could see if the hollow font
disappears if you change the size of the font.

I did a search on "font" in Whatsapp's FAQ page. Nothing germaine to
this problem. I didn't see they have forums, jut a Facebook account
(which requires logging in, but I don't have a Facebook account, and I
won't create one).

Might be you're stuck trying to find a font manager that works on your
phone. I noticed the ones that I looked at mentioned specific brands.

I looked on my smartphone, and there is some font settings under Android
Accessibility -> Vision -> Font. There is the sizing control, but there
is also a "Larger font" option separate of the slider to change size.
There is a Type list of different font names from which you can pick a
font. Mine is set to the font the phone maker added to Android.

On 25/08/2021 19.31, sms wrote:
> On 8/25/2021 10:08 AM, sms wrote:
>
> <snip>
>
>> Perhaps "high contrast text" or "invert colors" text got turned on
>> somehow.
>>
>> Check quick settings under accessibility. See
>> <https://i.imgur.com/eqa5YJp.png>.
>
> Sorry, I didn't see your post that you had already found the "high
> contrast text" setting.

But you hit the nail.

--
Cheers, Carlos.

On 25/08/2021 18.47, The Real Bev wrote:
> On 08/25/2021 03:37 AM, Carlos E.R. wrote:
>> On 25/08/2021 10.39, Anssi Saari wrote:
>>> "Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> writes:
>>>
>>>> Hi,
>>>>
>>>> I have a problem with fonts in my Android cellular phone (A Motorola
>>>> G6+, running Android 9). It started one night, some weeks ago, without
>>>> me doing anything. I did not change any configuration, I did not
>>>> install or remove anything. Suddenly, some texts in many applications
>>>> changed to a hollow font that I find very disturbing.
>>>
>>> Vanilla Android doesn't usually have a way for users or apps to affect
>>> system fonts. The two font settings things I have in my vanilla Nokia
>>> 7.2 are font size but there's also an option in developer settings
>>> called Headline / Body font. This is supposed to affect notification and
>>> settings fonts and I can see the difference. Not the hollow font you
>>> showed though.
>>>
>>> For the cause in your case I'd guess corruption or malware. Both could
>>> be fixed by flashing a factory image on the phone, if that's possible on
>>> your device.
>>
>>
>> malware in this phone would be very unlikely. And as I said, I was doing
>> nothing with the phone when it happened. Certainly I had installed
>> nothing.
>>
>>
>> I enabled developer settings, but I see nothing related to font, not
>> even when searching. Only in screen settings, about the size.
>>
>> Install unknown apps is disabled for every app.
>>
>> FOUND IT!
>>
>> High contrast text, in accessibility settings! It is labelled as
>> "experimental".
>
> Down at the very bottom on the Pixel2.  Not checked by default, thank god.

Fat fingers when looking around, perhaps. No idea how that got
activated. Maybe I did activate hours or day before and didn't see the
difference till much later and so did not relate.

>
> Jseze, that's exactly WRONG!  Wherever those appear it's nearly
> impossible to read.  I think Google Earth uses one of those for
> something, but I can't remember what.  Next time I open it I'll search
> -- maybe GE has an equivalent setting.
>
>> BUFFF...!
>
> ??

Oh, a Spanish blowing out air in relief :-D

--
Cheers, Carlos.

On 25/08/2021 20.28, Carlos E.R. wrote:
> On 25/08/2021 18.47, The Real Bev wrote:
>> On 08/25/2021 03:37 AM, Carlos E.R. wrote:
>>> On 25/08/2021 10.39, Anssi Saari wrote:
>>>> "Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> writes:
>>>>
>>>>> Hi,
>>>>>
>>>>> I have a problem with fonts in my Android cellular phone (A Motorola
>>>>> G6+, running Android 9). It started one night, some weeks ago, without
>>>>> me doing anything. I did not change any configuration, I did not
>>>>> install or remove anything. Suddenly, some texts in many applications
>>>>> changed to a hollow font that I find very disturbing.
>>>>
>>>> Vanilla Android doesn't usually have a way for users or apps to affect
>>>> system fonts. The two font settings things I have in my vanilla Nokia
>>>> 7.2 are font size but there's also an option in developer settings
>>>> called Headline / Body font. This is supposed to affect notification
>>>> and
>>>> settings fonts and I can see the difference. Not the hollow font you
>>>> showed though.
>>>>
>>>> For the cause in your case I'd guess corruption or malware. Both could
>>>> be fixed by flashing a factory image on the phone, if that's
>>>> possible on
>>>> your device.
>>>
>>>
>>> malware in this phone would be very unlikely. And as I said, I was doing
>>> nothing with the phone when it happened. Certainly I had installed
>>> nothing.
>>>
>>>
>>> I enabled developer settings, but I see nothing related to font, not
>>> even when searching. Only in screen settings, about the size.
>>>
>>> Install unknown apps is disabled for every app.
>>>
>>> FOUND IT!
>>>
>>> High contrast text, in accessibility settings! It is labelled as
>>> "experimental".
>>
>> Down at the very bottom on the Pixel2.  Not checked by default, thank
>> god.
>
> Fat fingers when looking around, perhaps. No idea how that got
> activated. Maybe I did activate hours or day before and didn't see the
> difference till much later and so did not relate.

It is possible that I was looking that day for a way to mitigate an
automatic action by Android that I find disturbing: applications going
into night mode with dark background. I hate that. The google
appointment calendar widget, the google Keep app for note taking...

For example, in the calendar, I clearly see in settings that the theme
is "clear", but the widget, which is not configurable, goes dark, and
thus it is impossible to see the colours of the items.

Similarly, in Keep I just managed to force the clear theme, but the
widget remains dark.

Thus it is quite possible that I was that day navigating the entire
setting menu to disable global dark theme, without luck. I saw some
thing today in developer mode, but I guess that goes inactive when
deactivating dev mode.

--
Cheers, Carlos.