SwiftUI Color.secondary

.secondary

Secondary Foreground Text & Subtitles

Adaptive System Token•iOS 13.0+, macOS 10.15+, tvOS 13.0+, watchOS 6.0+, visionOS 1.0+

Complete technical specification and developer reference for Secondary in Apple's SwiftUI design system. In light appearance, it resolves to HEX rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.5); in dark appearance, it dynamically adapts to HEX rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.55). Features wide-gamut Display P3 values, UIKit bridge (UIColor.secondaryLabel), AppKit bridge (NSColor.secondaryLabelColor), WCAG contrast audit, and Xcode drop-in initializers.

Light Modergba(0, 0, 0, 0.5)

Dark Modergba(255, 255, 255, 0.55)

Secondary Color Preview

SwiftUI's secondary semantic foreground color.

Color.secondary

Copy:

Dynamic Asset

Secondary Foreground Text & Subtitles

iOS 13.0+, macOS 10.15+, tvOS 13.0+, watchOS 6.0+, visionOS 1.0+

Initializers & Color Spaces

Color(r:g:b:)Color(red: 0.000, green: 0.000, blue: 0.000)

Color(r:g:b:op:)Color(red: 0.000, green: 0.000, blue: 0.000, opacity: 0.50)

Color(hue:sat:bri:)HSBColor(hue: 0.000, saturation: 0.000, brightness: 0.000, opacity: 0.50)

Color(.displayP3)Wide GamutColor(.displayP3, red: 0.000, green: 0.000, blue: 0.000, opacity: 0.50)

Color(.sRGB)Color(.sRGB, red: 0.000, green: 0.000, blue: 0.000, opacity: 0.50)

Color(hex:)ExtensionColor(hex: "rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.5)")

#colorLiteralXcode#colorLiteral(red: 0.000, green: 0.000, blue: 0.000, alpha: 0.50)

Color(uiColor:)iOSColor(uiColor: UIColor(red: 0.000, green: 0.000, blue: 0.000, alpha: 0.50))

Active HEX: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.5)P3 R: 0.000 G: 0.000 B: 0.000

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	rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.5)	rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.55)	Color(hex: "rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.5)")
sRGB (0–255)	rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.5)	rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.55)	(r: 0.000, g: 0.000, b: 0.000)
Display P3 (Wide Gamut)	P3 (0.000, 0.000, 0.000)	P3 (1.000, 1.000, 1.000)	Color(.displayP3, ...)
HSL / HSB	hsla(0, 0%, 0%, 0.5)	hsla(0, 0%, 100%, 0.55)	Color(hue:sat:bri:)
Platform Bridge	UIKit: `UIColor.secondaryLabel`	AppKit: `NSColor.secondaryLabelColor`	Color(uiColor:) / Color(nsColor:)

Light Appearance

Light Theme

HEX Code

rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.5)

RGB (0–255)

rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.5)

HSL

hsla(0, 0%, 0%, 0.5)

Normalized Swift Literal:

(r: 0.000, g: 0.000, b: 0.000)

Dark Appearance

Dark Theme

HEX Code

rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.55)

RGB (0–255)

rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.55)

HSL

hsla(0, 0%, 100%, 0.55)

Normalized Swift Literal:

(r: 1.000, g: 1.000, b: 1.000)

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/Secondary.colorset/

Includes Light + Dark Modes

Contents.json

{
  "colors": [
    {
      "color": {
        "color-space": "srgb",
        "components": {
          "red": "0.000",
          "green": "0.000",
          "blue": "0.000",
          "alpha": "0.500"
        }
      },
      "idiom": "universal"
    },
    {
      "appearances": [
        {
          "appearance": "luminosity",
          "value": "dark"
        }
      ],
      "color": {
        "color-space": "srgb",
        "components": {
          "red": "1.000",
          "green": "1.000",
          "blue": "1.000",
          "alpha": "0.550"
        }
      },
      "idiom": "universal"
    }
  ],
  "info": {
    "author": "xcode",
    "version": 1
  }
}

Live UI Component Sandbox

Preview Color.secondary 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 Secondary accents.

Dynamic Headline in Secondary

.foregroundStyle(.secondary)

Platform Implementation Snippets

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

SwiftUI (Swift 5.9+)

// Standard SwiftUI Usage
Text("Hello, Apple")
    .foregroundStyle(Color.secondary)

// Background & Shape Fill
RoundedRectangle(cornerRadius: 16)
    .fill(Color.secondary)
    .frame(width: 200, height: 50)

// Prominent Action Button
Button("Confirm Action") {
    // Action
}
.buttonStyle(.borderedProminent)
.tint(Color.secondary)

WCAG 2.1 Accessibility Contrast Audit

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

Light Mode (rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.5))on White (#FFF)

Contrast Ratio:3.95:1

Normal Text (4.5:1 AA): Fail

Dark Mode (rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.55))on Dark (#1C1C1E)

Contrast Ratio:5.98:1

Normal Text (4.5:1 AA): Pass (AA)

Recommended HIG Use Cases

Subtitles, section headers, and captions
Timestamps, file sizes, and metadata badges
Inactive or supporting icons

Anti-Patterns to Avoid

Primary call-to-action button labels
Long essential reading material on low-brightness displays

Browse More SwiftUI Colors

Quickly jump to other Apple system colors and semantic tokens.

Red

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I use Color.secondary in SwiftUI?

In SwiftUI, apply the color directly using view modifiers like .foregroundStyle(.secondary), .tint(.secondary), or .background(.secondary). You can also instantiate it via Color.secondary.

What is the HEX code for SwiftUI Secondary in light and dark mode?

In light appearance, SwiftUI Secondary resolves to rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.5). In dark appearance, it automatically adapts to rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.55).

What is the UIKit and AppKit equivalent of SwiftUI Color.secondary?

The UIKit equivalent is UIColor.secondaryLabel (accessible in SwiftUI via Color(uiColor: .secondaryLabel)). The AppKit equivalent is NSColor.secondaryLabelColor (accessible via Color(nsColor: .secondaryLabelColor)).

Does SwiftUI Color.secondary adapt automatically to dark mode?

Yes, Color.secondary is a dynamic Apple system token that automatically updates between light (rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.5)) and dark (rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.55)) appearances when the system appearance changes.

What is the Display P3 and sRGB value of Color.secondary?

Color.secondary uses resolved sRGB values (rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.5) in light, rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.55) in dark) and supports wide color gamut Display P3 coordinates for high-fidelity rendering on Apple Retina displays.