Where to find color options for iPhone apps

Most iPhone apps do not let you change their color directly — the app controls its own appearance. What you can control is your iPhone's system-wide color scheme, which affects how apps display in your phone's settings, notifications, and some built-in apps like Mail and Calendar. You can also enable Dark Mode, which darkens the background of compatible apps to reduce eye strain.

Some individual apps do offer their own color or theme settings buried in their preferences. Before you change your phone's system settings, open the app itself and look for a Settings or Preferences option — usually found by tapping a gear icon or your profile picture. If the app has a color option, it will be there, not in your iPhone's main settings.

Key Takeaways

  • Most apps control their own colors, but you can enable Dark Mode system-wide to darken compatible apps and reduce eye strain.
  • Some individual apps have their own color or theme settings in their in-app preferences, separate from your iPhone's system settings.
  • You can change your iPhone's accent color in Settings, which affects buttons, toggles, and highlights in system apps and some third-party apps.
  • Dark Mode can be set to turn on automatically at sunset or manually toggled on and off whenever you choose.

How to turn on Dark Mode for your entire iPhone

Dark Mode is the easiest way to change how apps look across your phone. Open Settings and tap Display & Brightness. You will see three options at the top: Light, Auto, and Dark. Tap Dark to turn it on when ready.

If you choose Auto, your iPhone will switch to Dark Mode at sunset and back to Light Mode at sunrise — the exact time depends on your location and the time of year. This is useful if you want dark colors in the evening but light colors during the day. You can also set a custom schedule by tapping Options under the Auto setting and choosing a specific time to switch.

Dark Mode affects most built-in apps like Mail, Messages, Settings, and Calendar right away. Third-party apps like Instagram, Twitter, and Spotify will also switch to dark colors if the app developer built that support in. Some older or simpler apps may not respond to Dark Mode and will stay light regardless.

Changing your iPhone's accent color

Your iPhone's accent color is the color used for buttons, toggles, links, and highlights throughout the system. The default is blue, but you can change it to green, red, orange, yellow, pink, purple, or grayscale. Open Settings, tap Display & Brightness, then scroll down and tap Accent Color. Choose the color you want.

This change affects system apps and some third-party apps that use your iPhone's standard button colors. Apps like Mail, Notes, and Reminders will show your new accent color on buttons and selection highlights. However, apps with their own custom design — like Instagram or Spotify — will not change, because those apps define their own colors and do not use your system accent color.

Finding color settings inside individual apps

Some apps let you pick a theme or color scheme from within the app itself. Open the app and look for a Settings, Preferences, or Profile option. This is often a gear icon in the bottom right or top left corner, or your profile picture in the top right.

Once you are in the app's settings, search for words like Theme, Color, Appearance, or Display. Not every app has these options — many apps use a single fixed design. But apps like Discord, Telegram, Reddit, and some note-taking apps do offer theme choices. If you find a color or theme option, tap it and choose the style you prefer. Your choice will save automatically.

Using Smart Invert or Classic Invert for a different look

If Dark Mode is not enough, you can use Invert Colors, which flips the colors on your entire screen. Open Settings, tap Accessibility, then Display & Text Size, then scroll down and toggle on Smart Invert or Classic Invert.

Smart Invert inverts colors while keeping images and videos at their normal colors, so photos do not look strange. Classic Invert flips every color on the screen, including images. Both options affect every app at once, but they can make some apps harder to read if the app was not designed with inversion in mind. You can turn either one off the same way you turned it on.

Why some apps do not change color

Apps with strong brand identities — like Instagram, Snapchat, or banking apps — usually do not respond to Dark Mode or your accent color because the company wants the app to look the same on every phone. These apps have their own design system and do not use your iPhone's system colors.

If an app has a color option, the developer built it specifically for that app. You cannot force an app to change colors if the developer did not include that feature. Your only options are to use Dark Mode or Invert Colors system-wide, which will affect all apps, or to contact the app maker and request the feature.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will changing my accent color affect all my apps?

No. Your accent color only affects system apps and apps that use Apple's standard button design. Apps like Instagram, Spotify, and most banking apps have their own colors and will not change. Check the app's own settings to see if it has a theme option.

Can I set Dark Mode to turn on at a specific time?

Yes. Go to Settings, tap Display & Brightness, select Auto, then tap Options and choose a custom schedule. You can set Dark Mode to turn on and off at any time you choose, or let it follow sunset and sunrise automatically.

What is the difference between Smart Invert and Classic Invert?

Smart Invert flips colors but keeps images and videos looking normal, so photos do not appear inverted. Classic Invert flips every color on your screen, including images. Smart Invert is usually easier on the eyes if you use it regularly.

If an app does not have a color setting, can I change it anyway?

You can turn on Dark Mode or Invert Colors system-wide, which will affect that app along with everything else on your phone. You cannot change an individual app's colors if the app developer did not build a color option into the app itself.