Some Discord users seeing yellow on tapping or holding messages

Discord users are currently having a meltdown over a recent change in messaging that’s turning their chats into a neon yellow nightmare. Instead of the usual desaturated color, tapping or holding on a Discord message now highlights it in a blinding shade of yellow. This adds to the recent woes that saw Discord introduce a 10MB free file size upload limit that many didn’t resonate with.

If you’re one of the Discord beta testers, you might have noticed an eye-popping change in your messaging experience. Instead of the subtle, barely noticeable color you’d expect, tapping on a message now highlights it with a very noticeable — and, frankly, blinding — yellow. It’s a sharp contrast that’s left many users wondering if they stumbled upon a bug, an accessibility feature gone rogue, or perhaps an accidental design choice.

The sudden change has flooded Discord’s subreddit and X, with users reporting this yellow effect whenever they hold down on a message in the latest beta version, v254.19 Alpha. From confusion to outright frustration, the reactions are clear: this is not the kind of bright idea beta testers were hoping for. And unlike some temporary color changes or interface tweaks, this one’s tough to ignore. That yellow glow makes each tap on a message feel like an accidental spotlight moment in a color scheme that’s usually more subdued.

For those on Android 13 or above, this yellow invasion is likely familiar, as many users suggest that it doesn’t appear on devices with older Android versions. Yet, it doesn’t affect everyone universally; some report the highlight is still muted or not present at all, possibly due to batch testing among beta users. I can also confirm I don’t have this issue on the latest Discord stable version 252.14, which again confirms this is a beta problem.

If you’re stuck with the yellow flash and looking for a fix, the best short-term solution is a bit of a backtrack. Downgrading to the stable version (like v252.14) on Google Play does the trick, although it may mean missing out on beta features and updates. But with Discord’s beta program currently packed to capacity, there’s a good chance you won’t get back in if you opt out now.

As beta users continue reporting the issue on Discord’s October-November 2024 subreddit bug megathread, the Discord team is sure to take notice, but there’s no official fix in sight yet. For now, if you’re feeling overwhelmed by that not-so-mellow yellow, know you’re not alone in the glow.