tldr: Say no to switch toggles. Say yes to checkboxes. (Unless you are Airbnb)
Switches
Switches can be ambiguous about their state and their intent.
IRL, they are usually vertical
Which side is on?
The sensible switch: press down to switch on
The American switch: pull up to switch on
Or labeled for choosing modes
They don’t do RTL well
Using an RTL language? Which is the on side—turned to the right, or to the left?
Android privacy settings, LTR language
Android privacy settings, RTL language
Nova settings, LTR language
Nova settings, RTL language
The accent colours on the switch are a helpful clue.
But the colours can’t help when Digital Wellbeing turns on the grayscale mode.
But Google uses them
Yes, they do. They also appear to be learning the folly of their ways. Check out these screenshots from upcoming Android 12:
Android 12 switches with explicit state indicators
Android 12 switches with explicit state indicators
Checkboxes
If it’s filled, it’s on. If it’s empty, it’s not.
There’s no right, left, up or down. Language doesn’t matter. Colour doesn’t matter. No ambiguity1. No confusion.
