xcode

How to enable Dark Mode on the Simulator?

I’m trying to figure out how to turn on the new dark mode on the Xcode simulator. As far as I know it turns on by itself on real devices when it’s dark. Is there a way to trigger this on the simulator?

Solution

  • There are two ways to activate the dark mode in Xcode 11. Both require you manual steps and are not automatic depending on the time.

    1. Environment Overrides

    The preferred one is to use the Environment Overrides inside Xcode. When running the App on the simulator in Xcode appears a button in the debugger controls next to 'Debug Memory Graph' and 'Simulate Location'. There you will find a menu for enabling dark mode, as well as choose text size and other accessibility settings.

    Dark Mode Settings in Xcode11

    2. Simulator Settings

    Alternatively you can go inside the Settings App on the simulator:

    Settings > Developer > Dark Appearance