colorAccent

colorAccent is an Android theme attribute that specifies a secondary or accent color used to emphasize UI components within an application. In Material Design guidelines, the accent color serves as a visual cue for interactive elements such as buttons, links, and progress indicators, providing a contrast to the primary color while keeping the overall aesthetic cohesive. The attribute is defined in a style resource, typically within styles.xml, and referenced throughout the layout and component themes.

In a standard Android project, colorAccent is declared as part of a theme hierarchy:

<resources>

<style name="AppTheme" parent="Theme.MaterialComponents.Light.DarkActionBar">

<item name="colorPrimary">@color/primary_color</item>

<item name="colorPrimaryVariant">@color/primary_variant</item>

<item name="colorOnPrimary">@color/on_primary</item>

<item name="colorAccent">@color/accent_color</item>

<item name="colorOnAccent">@color/on_accent</item>

</style>

</resources>

The accent color can be accessed programmatically using ContextCompat.getColor(context, R.attr.colorAccent) or by retrieving the theme attribute via TypedArray. For custom views or widgets that support tinting, the accent color can automatically apply using the app:colorAccent attribute in XML or by setting a tint list that references ?attr/colorAccent.

With the introduction of Material Components for Android, resetting or overriding the default accent color is encouraged to maintain design consistency across new components. Developers should note that colorAccent remains available for legacy components that rely on the older AppCompat theme but may not be referenced by newer Material widgets that prefer defined color families like colorPrimaryVariant.

Best practice recommends defining a clear color palette in colors.xml, using consistent naming conventions such as primary, primaryVariant, accent, and secondary. This approach ensures that the accent color integrates seamlessly with system themes, night mode, and dynamic color features introduced in Android 12.