Apple UI Colors

iOS System Yellow

UIColor.systemYellow
Semantic Accent & Interactive Tint
Adaptive System Token•iOS 13.0+, iPadOS 13.0+, macCatalyst 13.0+

Complete technical specification and developer reference for System Yellow in Apple's iOS & iPadOS design system. In light appearance, it resolves to HEX #FFCC00; in dark appearance, it dynamically adapts to HEX #FFD60A. Features wide-gamut Display P3 values, UIKit bridge (UIColor.systemYellow), AppKit bridge (NSColor.systemYellow), WCAG contrast audit, and Xcode drop-in initializers.

Light Mode#FFCC00
Dark Mode#FFD60A
System Yellow Color Preview

A yellow color that adapts to the current trait environment.

ColorUIColor.systemYellow
Copy:
Dynamic Asset
Semantic Accent & Interactive Tint
iOS 13.0+, iPadOS 13.0+, macCatalyst 13.0+
Initializers & Color Spaces
Color(r:g:b:)Color(red: 1.000, green: 0.800, blue: 0.000)
Color(r:g:b:op:)Color(red: 1.000, green: 0.800, blue: 0.000, opacity: 1.00)
Color(hue:sat:bri:)HSBColor(hue: 0.133, saturation: 1.000, brightness: 1.000, opacity: 1.00)
Color(.displayP3)Wide GamutColor(.displayP3, red: 0.969, green: 0.808, blue: 0.275, opacity: 1.00)
Color(.sRGB)Color(.sRGB, red: 1.000, green: 0.800, blue: 0.000, opacity: 1.00)
Color(hex:)ExtensionColor(hex: "#FFCC00")
#colorLiteralXcode#colorLiteral(red: 1.000, green: 0.800, blue: 0.000, alpha: 1.00)
Color(uiColor:)iOSColor(uiColor: UIColor(red: 1.000, green: 0.800, blue: 0.000, alpha: 1.00))
Active HEX: #FFCC00P3 R: 0.969 G: 0.808 B: 0.275

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 / SpaceLight AppearanceDark AppearanceSwift Code Literal
HEX Code#FFCC00#FFD60AColor(hex: "#FFCC00")
sRGB (0–255)rgb(255, 204, 0)rgb(255, 214, 10)(r: 1.000, g: 0.800, b: 0.000)
Display P3 (Wide Gamut)P3 (0.969, 0.808, 0.275)P3 (0.973, 0.847, 0.290)Color(.displayP3, ...)
HSL / HSBhsl(48, 100%, 50%)hsl(50, 100%, 52%)Color(hue:sat:bri:)
Platform BridgeUIKit: UIColor.systemYellowAppKit: NSColor.systemYellowColor(uiColor:) / Color(nsColor:)

Light Appearance

Light Theme
HEX Code
#FFCC00
RGB (0–255)
rgb(255, 204, 0)
HSL
hsl(48, 100%, 50%)
Normalized Swift Literal:
(r: 1.000, g: 0.800, b: 0.000)

Dark Appearance

Dark Theme
HEX Code
#FFD60A
RGB (0–255)
rgb(255, 214, 10)
HSL
hsl(50, 100%, 52%)
Normalized Swift Literal:
(r: 1.000, g: 0.839, b: 0.039)

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/System Yellow.colorset/
Includes Light + Dark Modes
Contents.json
{
  "colors": [
    {
      "color": {
        "color-space": "srgb",
        "components": {
          "red": "1.000",
          "green": "0.800",
          "blue": "0.000",
          "alpha": "1.000"
        }
      },
      "idiom": "universal"
    },
    {
      "appearances": [
        {
          "appearance": "luminosity",
          "value": "dark"
        }
      ],
      "color": {
        "color-space": "srgb",
        "components": {
          "red": "1.000",
          "green": "0.839",
          "blue": "0.039",
          "alpha": "1.000"
        }
      },
      "idiom": "universal"
    }
  ],
  "info": {
    "author": "xcode",
    "version": 1
  }
}

Live UI Component Sandbox

Preview Color.system yellow 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 System Yellow accents.

Dynamic Headline in System Yellow

.foregroundStyle(UIColor.systemYellow)

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.systemYellow

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

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

WCAG 2.1 Accessibility Contrast Audit

Contrast calculations of System Yellow against pure white and iOS OLED dark surfaces.

Light Mode (#FFCC00)on White (#FFF)
Contrast Ratio:1.51:1
Normal Text (4.5:1 AA): Fail
Dark Mode (#FFD60A)on Dark (#1C1C1E)
Contrast Ratio:12.05:1
Normal Text (4.5:1 AA): Pass (AA)

Recommended HIG Use Cases

  • Primary action buttons and tint accents
  • Status alerts, badges, and notification tags
  • Active tab bar icons and control highlights

Anti-Patterns to Avoid

  • Full background fills behind body copy
  • Unstyled plain paragraph text

Browse More iOS & iPadOS Colors

Quickly jump to other Apple system colors and semantic tokens.

All 35 Colors →
System Blue
System Green
System Indigo
System Orange
System Pink
System Purple
System Red
System Teal
System Gray
System Gray 2
System Gray 3
System Gray 4
System Gray 5
System Gray 6
System Background
Secondary System Background
Tertiary System Background
System Grouped Background

Frequently Asked Questions

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

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

What is the HEX code for iOS System Yellow in light and dark mode?

In light appearance, System Yellow resolves to #FFCC00. In dark appearance, it automatically adapts to #FFD60A.

How do I bridge UIColor.systemYellow into SwiftUI?

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

Does System Yellow adapt automatically to dark appearance in iOS?

Yes, UIColor.systemYellow 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.