iOS Placeholder Text

UIColor.placeholderText

Input Prompts & Placeholder Text

Adaptive System Token•iOS 13.0+, iPadOS 13.0+, macCatalyst 13.0+

Complete technical specification and developer reference for Placeholder Text in Apple's iOS & iPadOS design system. In light appearance, it resolves to HEX #3C3C434C; in dark appearance, it dynamically adapts to HEX #EBEBF54C. Features wide-gamut Display P3 values, UIKit bridge (UIColor.placeholderText), AppKit bridge (NSColor.placeholderTextColor), WCAG contrast audit, and Xcode drop-in initializers.

Light Mode#3C3C434C

Dark Mode#EBEBF54C

Placeholder Text Color Preview

The placeholder color for controls and text views.

ColorUIColor.placeholderText

Copy:

Dynamic Asset

Input Prompts & Placeholder Text

iOS 13.0+, iPadOS 13.0+, macCatalyst 13.0+

Initializers & Color Spaces

Color(r:g:b:)Color(red: 0.235, green: 0.235, blue: 0.263)

Color(r:g:b:op:)Color(red: 0.235, green: 0.235, blue: 0.263, opacity: 0.30)

Color(hue:sat:bri:)HSBColor(hue: 0.667, saturation: 0.104, brightness: 0.263, opacity: 0.30)

Color(.displayP3)Wide GamutColor(.displayP3, red: 0.235, green: 0.235, blue: 0.259, opacity: 0.30)

Color(.sRGB)Color(.sRGB, red: 0.235, green: 0.235, blue: 0.263, opacity: 0.30)

Color(hex:)ExtensionColor(hex: "#3C3C434C")

#colorLiteralXcode#colorLiteral(red: 0.235, green: 0.235, blue: 0.263, alpha: 0.30)

Color(uiColor:)iOSColor(uiColor: UIColor(red: 0.235, green: 0.235, blue: 0.263, alpha: 0.30))

Active HEX: #3C3C434CP3 R: 0.235 G: 0.235 B: 0.259

Technical Color Specifications

Exact resolved HEX codes, sRGB 8-bit components, HSL, and normalized Swift floating-point decimals for Light and Dark modes.

Color Metric / Space	Light Appearance	Dark Appearance	Swift Code Literal
HEX Code	#3C3C434C	#EBEBF54C	Color(hex: "#3C3C434C")
sRGB (0–255)	rgba(60, 60, 67, 0.298)	rgba(235, 235, 245, 0.298)	(r: 0.235, g: 0.235, b: 0.263)
Display P3 (Wide Gamut)	P3 (0.235, 0.235, 0.259)	P3 (0.922, 0.922, 0.957)	Color(.displayP3, ...)
HSL / HSB	hsla(240, 6%, 25%, 0.298)	hsla(240, 33%, 94%, 0.298)	Color(hue:sat:bri:)
Platform Bridge	UIKit: `UIColor.placeholderText`	AppKit: `NSColor.placeholderTextColor`	Color(uiColor:) / Color(nsColor:)

Light Appearance

Light Theme

HEX Code

#3C3C434C

RGB (0–255)

rgba(60, 60, 67, 0.298)

HSL

hsla(240, 6%, 25%, 0.298)

Normalized Swift Literal:

(r: 0.235, g: 0.235, b: 0.263)

Dark Appearance

Dark Theme

HEX Code

#EBEBF54C

RGB (0–255)

rgba(235, 235, 245, 0.298)

HSL

hsla(240, 33%, 94%, 0.298)

Normalized Swift Literal:

(r: 0.922, g: 0.922, b: 0.961)

Drop-In Developer Snippets

Ready-to-paste code blocks for Xcode asset catalogs and Swift files.

Xcode Location: Save as Contents.json inside Assets.xcassets/Placeholder Text.colorset/

Includes Light + Dark Modes

Contents.json

{
  "colors": [
    {
      "color": {
        "color-space": "srgb",
        "components": {
          "red": "0.235",
          "green": "0.235",
          "blue": "0.263",
          "alpha": "0.298"
        }
      },
      "idiom": "universal"
    },
    {
      "appearances": [
        {
          "appearance": "luminosity",
          "value": "dark"
        }
      ],
      "color": {
        "color-space": "srgb",
        "components": {
          "red": "0.922",
          "green": "0.922",
          "blue": "0.961",
          "alpha": "0.298"
        }
      },
      "idiom": "universal"
    }
  ],
  "info": {
    "author": "xcode",
    "version": 1
  }
}

Live UI Component Sandbox

Preview Color.placeholder text inside standard Apple interface components.

Interactive Controls

Active TagBadge 99+

Toggle Tint

Container & Typography Styling

●SwiftUI Notification

Just now

Demonstrates how Apple designers pair system background tints with dynamic Placeholder Text accents.

Dynamic Headline in Placeholder Text

.foregroundStyle(UIColor.placeholderText)

Platform Implementation Snippets

Ready-to-use Swift code for SwiftUI, UIKit, and AppKit applications.

UIKit (Swift)

// UIKit (iOS, tvOS, watchOS)
let view = UIView()
view.backgroundColor = UIColor.placeholderText

// Label Tinting
let label = UILabel()
label.textColor = UIColor.placeholderText

// Bridging UIKit into SwiftUI
let swiftUIColor = Color(uiColor: .placeholderText)

WCAG 2.1 Accessibility Contrast Audit

Contrast calculations of Placeholder Text against pure white and iOS OLED dark surfaces.

Light Mode (#3C3C434C)on White (#FFF)

Contrast Ratio:1.72:1

Normal Text (4.5:1 AA): Fail

Dark Mode (#EBEBF54C)on Dark (#1C1C1E)

Contrast Ratio:2.48:1

Normal Text (4.5:1 AA): Fail

Recommended HIG Use Cases

Text field and text view placeholder prompts
Search bar hint text
Inactive input hints

Anti-Patterns to Avoid

Active input text or submitted values
Essential disclaimers requiring high legibility

Browse More iOS & iPadOS Colors

Quickly jump to other Apple system colors and semantic tokens.

Secondary System Background

Tertiary System Background

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I use UIColor.placeholderText in iOS and iPadOS apps?

In UIKit, assign UIColor.placeholderText directly to properties like view.backgroundColor, label.textColor, or tintColor. In SwiftUI, bridge it using Color(uiColor: .placeholderText).

What is the HEX code for iOS Placeholder Text in light and dark mode?

In light appearance, Placeholder Text resolves to #3C3C434C. In dark appearance, it automatically adapts to #EBEBF54C.

How do I bridge UIColor.placeholderText into SwiftUI?

In SwiftUI views on iOS 15+, initialize Color(uiColor: .placeholderText) to utilize this system color with full appearance dynamism.

Does Placeholder Text adapt automatically to dark appearance in iOS?

Yes, UIColor.placeholderText is an appearance-aware dynamic UIColor that automatically responds to UITraitCollection changes between light and dark appearances.

Why use UIKit system colors instead of hardcoded hex values?

System colors dynamically adapt to Dark Mode, Accessibility Increase Contrast mode, and future iOS visual refinements without manual color bookkeeping.