Color

Use color sparingly in nongame apps. In a nongame app, overuse of color can make communication less clear and can distract people. Prefer using touches of color to call attention to important information or show the relationship between parts of the interface.

Avoid using the same color to mean different things.Use color consistently throughout your interface, especially when you use it to help communicate information like status or interactivity. For example, an app might use blue to indicate that people can tap text to view more. Even when the app communicates interactivity using a visual indicator that doesn’t rely on color — such as a chevron or arrow icon — using a color other than blue for the interactive text is confusing.

Make sure your app’s colors work well in both light and dark contexts. Most platforms offer a dark alternative to the default light appearance called Dark Mode. Dark Mode uses a darker color palette for all screens, views, menus, and controls, and can increase vibrancy — a subtle effect that dynamically blends foreground and background colors — to make foreground content stand out against darker backgrounds (for guidance, see Materials). Dark mode isn’t available in visionOS or watchOS. visionOS uses a material called glass that automatically adapts to the luminance of the surrounding objects and colors. In watchOS, apps typically use a dark background, but can also use full-screen background gradients or graphics to support foreground content in the view. In all platforms, system colors automatically support light and dark contexts as needed; if you use a custom color, you need to supply both variants.

Avoid relying solely on color to differentiate between objects, indicate interactivity, or communicate essential information. When you use color to convey information, be sure to provide the same information in alternative ways so people with color blindness or other visual disabilities can understand it. For example, you can use labels or glyph shapes to identify objects or states.

Avoid using colors that make it hard to perceive content in your app. For example, insufficient contrast can cause icons and text to blend with the background and make content hard to read, and people who are color blind might not be able to distinguish some color combinations. For guidance, see Color and effects.

Consider how the colors you use might be perceived in other countries and cultures. For example, red communicates danger in some cultures, but has positive connotations in other cultures. Make sure the colors in your app send the message you intend.