Explore the art and science of app design. Discuss user interface (UI) design principles, user experience (UX) best practices, and share design resources and inspiration.

Learn about designing great app and game experiences

Posts under General subtopic

Post

Replies

Boosts

Views

Activity

iOS Review
As a very exclusive Apple only I want to share my thoughts on the new iOS 26 update, which I recently installed on my iPhone 16. While I genuinely appreciate Apple’s drive for innovation and personalization, this update introduces visual and stylistic changes that, in my opinion, compromise what has made iOS feel uniquely Apple for so long. Liquid Glass & Home Screen Aesthetics: When I first saw previews of the “Liquid Glass” design, I was excited. I assumed it would add more flexibility to things like the home screen customization — something like an optional effect that builds on the popular app tinting feature introduced in the previous iOS version. But instead, it appears that the Liquid Glass look is now the default and, more concerningly, unavoidable. The result is a visual experience that feels dramatically more bubbly and less refined. App icons appear more rounded and inflated in a way that — and I say this as constructively as I can — reminds me more of Android or Samsung’s One UI than of Apple’s signature design language. For someone who’s chosen Apple specifically because of its clean, crisp, and elegant UI, this shift is disappointing. iOS has always felt visually mature and thoughtfully minimal. With this update, it starts to feel overly stylized and visually heavy, which I don’t associate with Apple’s identity. Camera App – Icon Design: While I don’t have major concerns with the layout of the Camera app itself, the new Camera app icon is something I feel very strongly about. The previous design was balanced, clear, and professional — instantly recognizable. The new icon, is completely different, and it has more the camera that look like the actual iPhone camera, which I can respect the want to identify the app the iPhone. But this is not the effect I felt it has, I feel like it is less professional than before, which again makes me think a little bit about androids. This minor change feels bit because icons are what we see every day, and this one doesn’t feel quite right for Apple. Along with the new camera icon, the other new icons like the notes app, and the slight change in the message app icon, these small shifts aren’t ones I was overly pleased with, kind of felt like something that wasn’t broke and didn’t need fixed Messages App: The Messages app is where I felt the biggest disconnect. The updated keyboard with the “keys” looking more bubbly which again, makes me think android. And with the new monogram icons (initials in thick fonts with purple backgrounds), make the app feel — again — much more like an Android UI. While that might sound superficial, it doesn’t make me feel like it’s an iPhone. As someone who’s always preferred the Apple system, I’ve come to expect a particular standard of visual design — one that’s distinct from other platforms. This new look blurs that line. The once refined look of Messages is not as clean and simple as it used to be. I also preferred the gray background for monogram icons. The new colors and heavy fonts draw attention in ways that don’t feel as clean and simplistic which I have loved Apple for in the past. Control Center: Another area where I noticed a slight change is the Control Center. It’s not a big difference to the previous one, which I liked. The main difference I noticed was the brightness and sounds “bar” seems more elongated. Not a major difference but I would rather see the older design if I were to be honest. What I Did Like: There are some positives: I think the new lock screen notification styling works well, and the Liquid Glass effect looks great in that specific context. I actually really like the looks that it has with the notifications on the lock screen, having it be that transparent gives a clean and simple look. Lots of the new things that can be done in this update are very nice and convent, the more customization is great. Final Thoughts: To be clear, I offer this feedback not because I’m resisting change, but because I value what makes iOS feel like iOS. This update, while visually bold, feels like a departure from Apple’s strengths — the clean and simplistic look. If there’s one big takeaway I hope you’ll consider, some of the new looks that have been put in place give a feeling that’s not Apple, and more Android. it’s that many of these new visual styles would be better received as optional customizations, not system-wide defaults. I would love to see an update to help fix some of this. I don’t believe there is a way to “un-update” my phone but if I could I would, even though some of these new things do look and feel good.
Topic: Design SubTopic: General
2
0
544
Sep ’25
Struggling creating a custom SF Symbol: The provided variants are not interpolatable
Hi, I am trying to create a custom SF Symbol from an SVG file created with Affinity Designer but, even though my SVG file look perfect in Firefox for example compared to the exported custom.circle.svg file (as recommended in Apple's documentation), I fail to get rid of this error: "The provided variants are not interpolatable" My creation process using Affinity Designer is: Export as SVG file Duplicate the custom.circle.svg file exported from the SF Symbols app In the new file, replace the 3 "path" tags in the "g" sections "id="Black-S", "Regular-S", "Ultralight-S" with the paths from the SVG file exported from Affinity designer Set the 3 transform matrices to "matrix(1 0 0 1 0 0)" for the 3 variants to be generated at the correct location. Verify in an SVG viewer that the file looks correct. Import the file via Drag&Drop into the SF Symbols app. What is wrong with my file? Thank you in advance for any help, Marc mySymbol.svg.txt
Topic: Design SubTopic: General Tags:
3
0
218
Jun ’25
Avoid using a segmented control in a toolbar
Hi, in the Human Interface Guidelines, Apple writes: Avoid using a segmented control in a toolbar. Toolbar items act on the current screen — they don’t let people switch contexts like segmented controls do. Along with this image: Source I'm confused by this example. The screenshot seems to be showing a segmented control in a toolbar. Is this saying that the Phone app's All/Missed toggle is different from a segmented control? Under iOS 26 it seems to take a different style compared to a regular segmented control. If so, which component is used to create this filter? Could you please clarify the guidelines? Thank you.
1
0
384
Sep ’25
Panel Toggle Glitch
Development environment: Simulator: iOS 26 beta 3 iPhone 16 (for testing) Simulator 2: iPadOS 26 beta 3 iPad Air 13 inch (M3) (for testing) Connected Device: iPadOS 26 beta 3 iPad Pro 11 inch (M4) (for testing) Dev Device: macOS Tahoe 26 beta 3 Macbook Air When using the NavigationSplitView element, the sidebar has a built-in panel toggle button. However, when I click the toggle button to toggle the sidebar section in SwiftUI 26 on both simulator 2 and the connected device, it has a slight animation glitch before going back to normal. What's going on? This is my code for the specific view that has the NavigationSplitView (and all views are connected through TabViews): RecordsPage.swift Here are image references: When I clicked the toggle: After 1~2 seconds: These images are in the state of the panel being hidden.
Topic: Design SubTopic: General Tags:
1
0
414
Jul ’25
Proposal: Capacitive swipe-based volume control integrated into iPhone frame
I would like to propose a design enhancement for future iPhone models: using the existing bottom-right antenna line (next to the power button area) as a capacitive “volume control zone” that supports swipe gestures. Today this line is a structural antenna break, but it is also located exactly where the thumb naturally rests when holding the phone in one hand. With a small embedded capacitive/force sensor, the user could slide their finger along this zone to control volume without reaching for the physical buttons. Why this makes sense: • Perfect ergonomic thumb position in both portrait and landscape • One-handed volume adjustment becomes easier for large-screen devices • Silent and frictionless vs. clicking buttons (useful in meetings / night mode) • Consistent with Apple’s recent move toward contextual hardware input (Action Button, Capture Button, Vision Pro gestures) The interaction model would be: • Swipe up → increase volume • Swipe down → decrease volume • (Optional) long-press haptic = mute toggle This could also enhance accessibility, especially for users with reduced hand mobility who struggle to press mechanical buttons on tall devices. Technically, this would be similar to the Capture Button (capacitive + pressure layers), but linear instead of pressure-based. It does not replace physical buttons, it complements them as a silent gesture-based alternative. Thank you for considering this as a future interaction refinement for iPhone hardware design.
2
0
674
Oct ’25
Can't make buttons rectangular!
Ever since Xcode Version 26.0.1 I cannot for the life of me make my buttons rectangular. They are all capsule (or oval) shaped. My interface was designed for square buttons but no matter what I do the issue stays the same. This is what I have (it's fairly barebones but would have worked before I believe): @IBOutlet weak var PagesInterface: UIButton! override func viewDidLoad() { super.viewDidLoad() PagesInterface.layer.cornerRadius = 0 PagesInterface.layer.masksToBounds = true }
2
0
678
Oct ’25
Feature Request: Dual Apple Pencil Pro Use or Charging Dock Support
Hi everyone 👋 I’ve been using the Apple Pencil Pro with my iPad Pro M4 and absolutely love it — the squeeze gesture, rotation, and haptics are amazing for creative work. But I’ve run into a little roadblock… Right now, only one Pencil Pro can be paired at a time. So while one is charging, you can’t use another as a backup without unpairing and re-pairing, which interrupts the workflow. I’d really love to see one of two things: The ability to use one Pencil while another charges or An official external charger (or support for third-party ones) Personally, I’d happily buy both a second Pencil and a charger if this became possible. I’ve even chatted with other creatives who feel the same — it would make a huge difference for long projects or working on the go. Just wanted to share this idea and see if anyone else here would like this too. Thanks for reading!
1
0
469
Jul ’25
Modal Shadows - In App Purchases (macOS)
Hey, everyone. I'm having an issue with my modal shadows when building for macOS. I've attached an image to show you what's going on. I have a rounded corner window, and when the In-App Purchase overlay opens, the modal shadow of that rounded window is square (which doesn't make sense, and looks bad). Can somebody please help me address this? I've tried searching high and low for a solution but I can't find anything :-( I really appreciate you taking a look! -Logan
1
0
1.7k
Nov ’25
SF Symbols Variable Draw without the background.
Is it possible to use the new variable draw feature for a custom SF Symbol without it leaving the background behind it when it is not drawn? I am trying to make a tally icon that is drawn with the variable draw, but it doesn't look good if the tally is visible in the background before it is drawn.
Topic: Design SubTopic: General Tags:
0
0
126
Jun ’25
NFC Bottomsheet customization
Hi all, I wanted to check whether the NFC bottom-sheet UI shown by iOS during an NFC reading session can be customized. We have a Figma design (attached) for how the sheet should look, but we are not sure whether iOS allows modifying the default NFC UI. Is UI customization supported, or is the bottom sheet fully controlled by the system? Thanks in advance.
Topic: Design SubTopic: General Tags:
1
0
556
Dec ’25
Recollecting Source Code and Binary
Hello All, I used to own an app named LOLIIPOP, and am in the process of transferring it to my new apple account. I am having two problems.... How do I transfer the source code and binary to my new apple account? My developers have an old code, so I need to send them the LAST code they uploaded to the App Store. How do I do that as well??? Please any help!!! Thanks, Mr. LM
Topic: Design SubTopic: General
1
0
135
Aug ’25
macOS Tahoe generates low resolution wallpapers on certain Mac models
Dear Apple, please make sure this bug gets delivered to whoever is responsible. That's all I ask. Please don't let it sit for months unassigned. This is, by far, the worst bug I've ever found with the macOS wallpaper system. FB21532401 If you own a 13" 2020 or newer MacBook pro model, set to the default resolution, and are running macOS Tahoe, macOS will significantly degrade the quality of any image set as wallpaper. When a still image is set as the wallpaper on macOS Tahoe, on some display configurations, the systems downscales the image to an incorrect size, resulting in pixelated wallpaper. The problem is exacerbated by the fact that macOS Wallpaper Agent appears to be using a less than ideal downscaling algorithm, which results in Super Mario Bros’ type pixelation (nearest neighbor) as opposed to any other reasonable modern method (like bicubic.) The issue does not repro on macOS Sequoia. Every model MacBook we’ve tested offers some resolutions with some form of this problem, but the 13” is the only one where it is notably awful. The most evident default case of this is the 13” MacBook Pro models with a 2560x1600 physical display (for example, 2020 MacBook Pro 13” (17,1.)) These models have a physical display resolution of 2560x1600, and a default scaled resolution of 1440x900. The relationship between the physical resolution and scaled resolution is not an even ratio (1:1 or 2:1), which seems to be the common condition under which this issue occurs. Repro steps: Set the systems display resolution to the default resolution - ideally on the model described above (see details on this below) Set a high resolution image (in this example 5120x2880) as the system wallpaper using any method Results: On the model described above, Wallpaper Agent will generate and display a 1440x810 image as the wallpaper. It should be generating and displaying at a minimum of 2560x1600, or more appropriately at 2880x1800 which is the proper 2X resolution. This can be confirmed by viewing the properties of the generated images in the macOS wallpaper cache here: ~/Library/containers/com.apple.wallpaper.agent/Data/Library/Caches/com.apple.wallpaper.caches/extension-com.apple.wallpaper.extension.image On modern Apple systems, the only situation in which the wallpaper should be generated at 1X is when the physical resolution and set resolution are 1:1. In any situation where the physical resolution is larger than the set resolution, the image should be generated at 2X the set resolution. As far as we can tell, this issue impacts any format, and any resolution of image, and occurs independent of the set image resolution.
Topic: Design SubTopic: General
0
1
350
Jan ’26
Should we design for Liquid Glass on visionOS?
Liquid Glass was introduced as a universal design language for all platforms, but isn't supported by visionOS 26 beta. For a small team creating a visionOS app targeted for release in fall 2026, should we focus our design work on Liquid Glass, or for the existing visionOS design language?
Topic: Design SubTopic: General Tags:
1
1
291
Jun ’25
Need clarify the behavior of QR Code button on `Tap to Pay on iPhone` Figma design
Hi Apple team, We're planning to integrate Tap to Pay on iPhone feature in our product, and found there's a QR code button on the your Figma design: https://www.figma.com/design/2SOXmeLvimllvT67MTMLOy/Tap-to-Pay-on-iPhone--Community-?node-id=0-1&t=E3XskpsLctTuZvg5-1 Questions: is there any official documentation about the QR code button on this screen? What happens when user clicks on QR button? What're the suggestions to show/hide that button, and can we customize it? Thanks.
0
0
832
Jan ’26
Maintain app icon contrast when switching to grayscale mode
Context & Issue I am developing an iOS application. My app icon uses colors that are relatively close to each other. When the user enables Accessibility → Display & Text Size → Color Filters → Grayscale (or similar modes), the icon becomes harder to distinguish because it loses color and contrast is reduced. Goal When iOS switches to grayscale mode, I want the app icon to maintain good contrast between its elements so it remains clearly recognizable. What I’ve tried Redesigned the icon with more contrasting colors. Added strokes/outlines, but it still doesn’t look much better in grayscale. Researched how iOS renders app icons when grayscale is enabled, but couldn’t find a way to override or provide an alternative icon. Specific questions Is there any API or mechanism in iOS that allows providing a different version of the app icon when the user has grayscale mode enabled? If there’s no direct API, are there any best practices for designing iOS app icons to ensure good contrast when converted to grayscale? Do we have to design grayscale version for app icon? Thank you!
0
0
331
Aug ’25
SwiftUI Menu label: How to center an icon inside a circle?
Hi Everyone. Can you help me with my settings icon design. I'm trying to create a circular settings button using Menu. My code here: struct MenuView: View { var body: some View { Menu { Text("Hello") Text("How are you") } label: { Image(systemName: "gearshape.fill") .clipShape(Circle()) } .clipShape(Circle()) .padding(.top, 10) .padding(.leading, 20) } } You can see my try, this one looks wrong. It should be like this: Just Circle with setting image inside. Thank you an advance 😭🙏🛐
1
0
675
Feb ’26
Complex Swift Data Relationships...
I am struggling with exactly how to set up SwiftData relationships, beyond the single relationship model... Let's say I have a school. Each school offers a set of classes. Each class is taught by one teacher and attended by several students. Teachers may teach more than one class, but only at one school. Similarly students may attend more than one class, but only at one school. Classes themselves may be offered at more than one school. Can someone create a class for School, SchoolClass, Teacher, and Student with id, name, and relationships... I have tried it unsuccessfully about 10 different ways at this point. My most recent is below... I am struggling getting beyond a school listing in the app, and I'll cross that bridge next. I am just wondering if all the trouble I am having is because I am not smart with the class definitions. And wondering if this is to complex for SwiftData and CoreData is the requirement. This is not a real app, just my way of really trying to get a handle on Swift Data models and Navigation. I am very new to Swift, and will take any and all suggestions with enthusiasm! Thanks for taking the time. import Foundation import SwiftData @Model class School: Identifiable { var id: UUID = UUID() var name: String var mascot: String var teachers: [Teacher] var schoolClasses: [SchoolClass] init (name: String, mascot: String = "", teachers: [Teacher] = [], schoolClasses: [SchoolClass] = []) { self.name = name self.mascot = mascot self.teachers = teachers } class SchoolClass: Identifiable { var id: UUID = UUID() var name: String var teacher: Teacher? var students: [Student] = [] init (name: String, teacher: Teacher? = nil, students: [Student] = []) { self.name = name self.teacher = teacher self.students = students } } class Teacher: Identifiable { var id: UUID = UUID() var name: String var tenured: Bool var school: School? var students: [Student] = [] init (name: String, tenured: Bool = false, students: [Student] = []) { self.name = name self.tenured = tenured self.students = students } } class Student: Identifiable { var id: UUID = UUID() var name: String var grade: Int? var teacher: Teacher? init (name: String, grade: Int? = nil, teacher: Teacher? = nil) { self.name = name self.grade = grade self.teacher = teacher } } }
Topic: Design SubTopic: General Tags:
6
0
809
Jul ’25
tvOS alternative app icons
Does anyone know if alternate app icons are actually supposed to work for Apple TV projects? We tried to set this up, and while it works in Debug, we run into validation errors when uploading the app to App Store Connect. Is this feature officially supported on tvOS, or is it iOS-only?
Topic: Design SubTopic: General
1
0
263
Mar ’26
iOS 26 Beta 7 double-tap to select text while in Dark Mode makes it very difficult to see what you're selecting. This has been an issue since Beta 1 and seems like intended behavior.
This has been an issue since installing the first beta and I haven't seen anyone else say anything about it so I feel like I'm going kind of bonkers. While using Dark Mode, double-tapping to select a word while using the Liquid Glass keyboard, like in Messages or Safari, produces a flashlight-like effect over the text with each tap. While this is a fine animation and pretty helpful when moving the cursor, the brightness of the flashlight effect on white text in Dark Mode makes it impossible to see what you're actually tapping to select. The brightness seems to intensify 100x when rapidly tapping. This is not an issue in Light Mode when the text itself is black. To recreate this, just turn your phone to Dark Mode, go into Messages and type a few words into a thread. Try to double-tap to select a word in the text box. The brightness of the selected word should intensify to the point of being unable to see the word itself. Has anyone been bothered by this? Is there a way to fix or adjust it? I've tried reducing transparency and a bunch of other settings but nothing has worked.
Topic: Design SubTopic: General
0
1
779
Aug ’25
Bring back the white thing that brings "home" on IOS 26
Please
Topic: Design SubTopic: General
Replies
2
Boosts
0
Views
344
Activity
Jul ’25
iOS Review
As a very exclusive Apple only I want to share my thoughts on the new iOS 26 update, which I recently installed on my iPhone 16. While I genuinely appreciate Apple’s drive for innovation and personalization, this update introduces visual and stylistic changes that, in my opinion, compromise what has made iOS feel uniquely Apple for so long. Liquid Glass & Home Screen Aesthetics: When I first saw previews of the “Liquid Glass” design, I was excited. I assumed it would add more flexibility to things like the home screen customization — something like an optional effect that builds on the popular app tinting feature introduced in the previous iOS version. But instead, it appears that the Liquid Glass look is now the default and, more concerningly, unavoidable. The result is a visual experience that feels dramatically more bubbly and less refined. App icons appear more rounded and inflated in a way that — and I say this as constructively as I can — reminds me more of Android or Samsung’s One UI than of Apple’s signature design language. For someone who’s chosen Apple specifically because of its clean, crisp, and elegant UI, this shift is disappointing. iOS has always felt visually mature and thoughtfully minimal. With this update, it starts to feel overly stylized and visually heavy, which I don’t associate with Apple’s identity. Camera App – Icon Design: While I don’t have major concerns with the layout of the Camera app itself, the new Camera app icon is something I feel very strongly about. The previous design was balanced, clear, and professional — instantly recognizable. The new icon, is completely different, and it has more the camera that look like the actual iPhone camera, which I can respect the want to identify the app the iPhone. But this is not the effect I felt it has, I feel like it is less professional than before, which again makes me think a little bit about androids. This minor change feels bit because icons are what we see every day, and this one doesn’t feel quite right for Apple. Along with the new camera icon, the other new icons like the notes app, and the slight change in the message app icon, these small shifts aren’t ones I was overly pleased with, kind of felt like something that wasn’t broke and didn’t need fixed Messages App: The Messages app is where I felt the biggest disconnect. The updated keyboard with the “keys” looking more bubbly which again, makes me think android. And with the new monogram icons (initials in thick fonts with purple backgrounds), make the app feel — again — much more like an Android UI. While that might sound superficial, it doesn’t make me feel like it’s an iPhone. As someone who’s always preferred the Apple system, I’ve come to expect a particular standard of visual design — one that’s distinct from other platforms. This new look blurs that line. The once refined look of Messages is not as clean and simple as it used to be. I also preferred the gray background for monogram icons. The new colors and heavy fonts draw attention in ways that don’t feel as clean and simplistic which I have loved Apple for in the past. Control Center: Another area where I noticed a slight change is the Control Center. It’s not a big difference to the previous one, which I liked. The main difference I noticed was the brightness and sounds “bar” seems more elongated. Not a major difference but I would rather see the older design if I were to be honest. What I Did Like: There are some positives: I think the new lock screen notification styling works well, and the Liquid Glass effect looks great in that specific context. I actually really like the looks that it has with the notifications on the lock screen, having it be that transparent gives a clean and simple look. Lots of the new things that can be done in this update are very nice and convent, the more customization is great. Final Thoughts: To be clear, I offer this feedback not because I’m resisting change, but because I value what makes iOS feel like iOS. This update, while visually bold, feels like a departure from Apple’s strengths — the clean and simplistic look. If there’s one big takeaway I hope you’ll consider, some of the new looks that have been put in place give a feeling that’s not Apple, and more Android. it’s that many of these new visual styles would be better received as optional customizations, not system-wide defaults. I would love to see an update to help fix some of this. I don’t believe there is a way to “un-update” my phone but if I could I would, even though some of these new things do look and feel good.
Topic: Design SubTopic: General
Replies
2
Boosts
0
Views
544
Activity
Sep ’25
Struggling creating a custom SF Symbol: The provided variants are not interpolatable
Hi, I am trying to create a custom SF Symbol from an SVG file created with Affinity Designer but, even though my SVG file look perfect in Firefox for example compared to the exported custom.circle.svg file (as recommended in Apple's documentation), I fail to get rid of this error: "The provided variants are not interpolatable" My creation process using Affinity Designer is: Export as SVG file Duplicate the custom.circle.svg file exported from the SF Symbols app In the new file, replace the 3 "path" tags in the "g" sections "id="Black-S", "Regular-S", "Ultralight-S" with the paths from the SVG file exported from Affinity designer Set the 3 transform matrices to "matrix(1 0 0 1 0 0)" for the 3 variants to be generated at the correct location. Verify in an SVG viewer that the file looks correct. Import the file via Drag&Drop into the SF Symbols app. What is wrong with my file? Thank you in advance for any help, Marc mySymbol.svg.txt
Topic: Design SubTopic: General Tags:
Replies
3
Boosts
0
Views
218
Activity
Jun ’25
Avoid using a segmented control in a toolbar
Hi, in the Human Interface Guidelines, Apple writes: Avoid using a segmented control in a toolbar. Toolbar items act on the current screen — they don’t let people switch contexts like segmented controls do. Along with this image: Source I'm confused by this example. The screenshot seems to be showing a segmented control in a toolbar. Is this saying that the Phone app's All/Missed toggle is different from a segmented control? Under iOS 26 it seems to take a different style compared to a regular segmented control. If so, which component is used to create this filter? Could you please clarify the guidelines? Thank you.
Replies
1
Boosts
0
Views
384
Activity
Sep ’25
Panel Toggle Glitch
Development environment: Simulator: iOS 26 beta 3 iPhone 16 (for testing) Simulator 2: iPadOS 26 beta 3 iPad Air 13 inch (M3) (for testing) Connected Device: iPadOS 26 beta 3 iPad Pro 11 inch (M4) (for testing) Dev Device: macOS Tahoe 26 beta 3 Macbook Air When using the NavigationSplitView element, the sidebar has a built-in panel toggle button. However, when I click the toggle button to toggle the sidebar section in SwiftUI 26 on both simulator 2 and the connected device, it has a slight animation glitch before going back to normal. What's going on? This is my code for the specific view that has the NavigationSplitView (and all views are connected through TabViews): RecordsPage.swift Here are image references: When I clicked the toggle: After 1~2 seconds: These images are in the state of the panel being hidden.
Topic: Design SubTopic: General Tags:
Replies
1
Boosts
0
Views
414
Activity
Jul ’25
Proposal: Capacitive swipe-based volume control integrated into iPhone frame
I would like to propose a design enhancement for future iPhone models: using the existing bottom-right antenna line (next to the power button area) as a capacitive “volume control zone” that supports swipe gestures. Today this line is a structural antenna break, but it is also located exactly where the thumb naturally rests when holding the phone in one hand. With a small embedded capacitive/force sensor, the user could slide their finger along this zone to control volume without reaching for the physical buttons. Why this makes sense: • Perfect ergonomic thumb position in both portrait and landscape • One-handed volume adjustment becomes easier for large-screen devices • Silent and frictionless vs. clicking buttons (useful in meetings / night mode) • Consistent with Apple’s recent move toward contextual hardware input (Action Button, Capture Button, Vision Pro gestures) The interaction model would be: • Swipe up → increase volume • Swipe down → decrease volume • (Optional) long-press haptic = mute toggle This could also enhance accessibility, especially for users with reduced hand mobility who struggle to press mechanical buttons on tall devices. Technically, this would be similar to the Capture Button (capacitive + pressure layers), but linear instead of pressure-based. It does not replace physical buttons, it complements them as a silent gesture-based alternative. Thank you for considering this as a future interaction refinement for iPhone hardware design.
Replies
2
Boosts
0
Views
674
Activity
Oct ’25
Can't make buttons rectangular!
Ever since Xcode Version 26.0.1 I cannot for the life of me make my buttons rectangular. They are all capsule (or oval) shaped. My interface was designed for square buttons but no matter what I do the issue stays the same. This is what I have (it's fairly barebones but would have worked before I believe): @IBOutlet weak var PagesInterface: UIButton! override func viewDidLoad() { super.viewDidLoad() PagesInterface.layer.cornerRadius = 0 PagesInterface.layer.masksToBounds = true }
Replies
2
Boosts
0
Views
678
Activity
Oct ’25
Feature Request: Dual Apple Pencil Pro Use or Charging Dock Support
Hi everyone 👋 I’ve been using the Apple Pencil Pro with my iPad Pro M4 and absolutely love it — the squeeze gesture, rotation, and haptics are amazing for creative work. But I’ve run into a little roadblock… Right now, only one Pencil Pro can be paired at a time. So while one is charging, you can’t use another as a backup without unpairing and re-pairing, which interrupts the workflow. I’d really love to see one of two things: The ability to use one Pencil while another charges or An official external charger (or support for third-party ones) Personally, I’d happily buy both a second Pencil and a charger if this became possible. I’ve even chatted with other creatives who feel the same — it would make a huge difference for long projects or working on the go. Just wanted to share this idea and see if anyone else here would like this too. Thanks for reading!
Replies
1
Boosts
0
Views
469
Activity
Jul ’25
Modal Shadows - In App Purchases (macOS)
Hey, everyone. I'm having an issue with my modal shadows when building for macOS. I've attached an image to show you what's going on. I have a rounded corner window, and when the In-App Purchase overlay opens, the modal shadow of that rounded window is square (which doesn't make sense, and looks bad). Can somebody please help me address this? I've tried searching high and low for a solution but I can't find anything :-( I really appreciate you taking a look! -Logan
Replies
1
Boosts
0
Views
1.7k
Activity
Nov ’25
SF Symbols Variable Draw without the background.
Is it possible to use the new variable draw feature for a custom SF Symbol without it leaving the background behind it when it is not drawn? I am trying to make a tally icon that is drawn with the variable draw, but it doesn't look good if the tally is visible in the background before it is drawn.
Topic: Design SubTopic: General Tags:
Replies
0
Boosts
0
Views
126
Activity
Jun ’25
NFC Bottomsheet customization
Hi all, I wanted to check whether the NFC bottom-sheet UI shown by iOS during an NFC reading session can be customized. We have a Figma design (attached) for how the sheet should look, but we are not sure whether iOS allows modifying the default NFC UI. Is UI customization supported, or is the bottom sheet fully controlled by the system? Thanks in advance.
Topic: Design SubTopic: General Tags:
Replies
1
Boosts
0
Views
556
Activity
Dec ’25
Recollecting Source Code and Binary
Hello All, I used to own an app named LOLIIPOP, and am in the process of transferring it to my new apple account. I am having two problems.... How do I transfer the source code and binary to my new apple account? My developers have an old code, so I need to send them the LAST code they uploaded to the App Store. How do I do that as well??? Please any help!!! Thanks, Mr. LM
Topic: Design SubTopic: General
Replies
1
Boosts
0
Views
135
Activity
Aug ’25
macOS Tahoe generates low resolution wallpapers on certain Mac models
Dear Apple, please make sure this bug gets delivered to whoever is responsible. That's all I ask. Please don't let it sit for months unassigned. This is, by far, the worst bug I've ever found with the macOS wallpaper system. FB21532401 If you own a 13" 2020 or newer MacBook pro model, set to the default resolution, and are running macOS Tahoe, macOS will significantly degrade the quality of any image set as wallpaper. When a still image is set as the wallpaper on macOS Tahoe, on some display configurations, the systems downscales the image to an incorrect size, resulting in pixelated wallpaper. The problem is exacerbated by the fact that macOS Wallpaper Agent appears to be using a less than ideal downscaling algorithm, which results in Super Mario Bros’ type pixelation (nearest neighbor) as opposed to any other reasonable modern method (like bicubic.) The issue does not repro on macOS Sequoia. Every model MacBook we’ve tested offers some resolutions with some form of this problem, but the 13” is the only one where it is notably awful. The most evident default case of this is the 13” MacBook Pro models with a 2560x1600 physical display (for example, 2020 MacBook Pro 13” (17,1.)) These models have a physical display resolution of 2560x1600, and a default scaled resolution of 1440x900. The relationship between the physical resolution and scaled resolution is not an even ratio (1:1 or 2:1), which seems to be the common condition under which this issue occurs. Repro steps: Set the systems display resolution to the default resolution - ideally on the model described above (see details on this below) Set a high resolution image (in this example 5120x2880) as the system wallpaper using any method Results: On the model described above, Wallpaper Agent will generate and display a 1440x810 image as the wallpaper. It should be generating and displaying at a minimum of 2560x1600, or more appropriately at 2880x1800 which is the proper 2X resolution. This can be confirmed by viewing the properties of the generated images in the macOS wallpaper cache here: ~/Library/containers/com.apple.wallpaper.agent/Data/Library/Caches/com.apple.wallpaper.caches/extension-com.apple.wallpaper.extension.image On modern Apple systems, the only situation in which the wallpaper should be generated at 1X is when the physical resolution and set resolution are 1:1. In any situation where the physical resolution is larger than the set resolution, the image should be generated at 2X the set resolution. As far as we can tell, this issue impacts any format, and any resolution of image, and occurs independent of the set image resolution.
Topic: Design SubTopic: General
Replies
0
Boosts
1
Views
350
Activity
Jan ’26
Should we design for Liquid Glass on visionOS?
Liquid Glass was introduced as a universal design language for all platforms, but isn't supported by visionOS 26 beta. For a small team creating a visionOS app targeted for release in fall 2026, should we focus our design work on Liquid Glass, or for the existing visionOS design language?
Topic: Design SubTopic: General Tags:
Replies
1
Boosts
1
Views
291
Activity
Jun ’25
Need clarify the behavior of QR Code button on `Tap to Pay on iPhone` Figma design
Hi Apple team, We're planning to integrate Tap to Pay on iPhone feature in our product, and found there's a QR code button on the your Figma design: https://www.figma.com/design/2SOXmeLvimllvT67MTMLOy/Tap-to-Pay-on-iPhone--Community-?node-id=0-1&t=E3XskpsLctTuZvg5-1 Questions: is there any official documentation about the QR code button on this screen? What happens when user clicks on QR button? What're the suggestions to show/hide that button, and can we customize it? Thanks.
Replies
0
Boosts
0
Views
832
Activity
Jan ’26
Maintain app icon contrast when switching to grayscale mode
Context & Issue I am developing an iOS application. My app icon uses colors that are relatively close to each other. When the user enables Accessibility → Display & Text Size → Color Filters → Grayscale (or similar modes), the icon becomes harder to distinguish because it loses color and contrast is reduced. Goal When iOS switches to grayscale mode, I want the app icon to maintain good contrast between its elements so it remains clearly recognizable. What I’ve tried Redesigned the icon with more contrasting colors. Added strokes/outlines, but it still doesn’t look much better in grayscale. Researched how iOS renders app icons when grayscale is enabled, but couldn’t find a way to override or provide an alternative icon. Specific questions Is there any API or mechanism in iOS that allows providing a different version of the app icon when the user has grayscale mode enabled? If there’s no direct API, are there any best practices for designing iOS app icons to ensure good contrast when converted to grayscale? Do we have to design grayscale version for app icon? Thank you!
Replies
0
Boosts
0
Views
331
Activity
Aug ’25
SwiftUI Menu label: How to center an icon inside a circle?
Hi Everyone. Can you help me with my settings icon design. I'm trying to create a circular settings button using Menu. My code here: struct MenuView: View { var body: some View { Menu { Text("Hello") Text("How are you") } label: { Image(systemName: "gearshape.fill") .clipShape(Circle()) } .clipShape(Circle()) .padding(.top, 10) .padding(.leading, 20) } } You can see my try, this one looks wrong. It should be like this: Just Circle with setting image inside. Thank you an advance 😭🙏🛐
Replies
1
Boosts
0
Views
675
Activity
Feb ’26
Complex Swift Data Relationships...
I am struggling with exactly how to set up SwiftData relationships, beyond the single relationship model... Let's say I have a school. Each school offers a set of classes. Each class is taught by one teacher and attended by several students. Teachers may teach more than one class, but only at one school. Similarly students may attend more than one class, but only at one school. Classes themselves may be offered at more than one school. Can someone create a class for School, SchoolClass, Teacher, and Student with id, name, and relationships... I have tried it unsuccessfully about 10 different ways at this point. My most recent is below... I am struggling getting beyond a school listing in the app, and I'll cross that bridge next. I am just wondering if all the trouble I am having is because I am not smart with the class definitions. And wondering if this is to complex for SwiftData and CoreData is the requirement. This is not a real app, just my way of really trying to get a handle on Swift Data models and Navigation. I am very new to Swift, and will take any and all suggestions with enthusiasm! Thanks for taking the time. import Foundation import SwiftData @Model class School: Identifiable { var id: UUID = UUID() var name: String var mascot: String var teachers: [Teacher] var schoolClasses: [SchoolClass] init (name: String, mascot: String = "", teachers: [Teacher] = [], schoolClasses: [SchoolClass] = []) { self.name = name self.mascot = mascot self.teachers = teachers } class SchoolClass: Identifiable { var id: UUID = UUID() var name: String var teacher: Teacher? var students: [Student] = [] init (name: String, teacher: Teacher? = nil, students: [Student] = []) { self.name = name self.teacher = teacher self.students = students } } class Teacher: Identifiable { var id: UUID = UUID() var name: String var tenured: Bool var school: School? var students: [Student] = [] init (name: String, tenured: Bool = false, students: [Student] = []) { self.name = name self.tenured = tenured self.students = students } } class Student: Identifiable { var id: UUID = UUID() var name: String var grade: Int? var teacher: Teacher? init (name: String, grade: Int? = nil, teacher: Teacher? = nil) { self.name = name self.grade = grade self.teacher = teacher } } }
Topic: Design SubTopic: General Tags:
Replies
6
Boosts
0
Views
809
Activity
Jul ’25
tvOS alternative app icons
Does anyone know if alternate app icons are actually supposed to work for Apple TV projects? We tried to set this up, and while it works in Debug, we run into validation errors when uploading the app to App Store Connect. Is this feature officially supported on tvOS, or is it iOS-only?
Topic: Design SubTopic: General
Replies
1
Boosts
0
Views
263
Activity
Mar ’26
iOS 26 Beta 7 double-tap to select text while in Dark Mode makes it very difficult to see what you're selecting. This has been an issue since Beta 1 and seems like intended behavior.
This has been an issue since installing the first beta and I haven't seen anyone else say anything about it so I feel like I'm going kind of bonkers. While using Dark Mode, double-tapping to select a word while using the Liquid Glass keyboard, like in Messages or Safari, produces a flashlight-like effect over the text with each tap. While this is a fine animation and pretty helpful when moving the cursor, the brightness of the flashlight effect on white text in Dark Mode makes it impossible to see what you're actually tapping to select. The brightness seems to intensify 100x when rapidly tapping. This is not an issue in Light Mode when the text itself is black. To recreate this, just turn your phone to Dark Mode, go into Messages and type a few words into a thread. Try to double-tap to select a word in the text box. The brightness of the selected word should intensify to the point of being unable to see the word itself. Has anyone been bothered by this? Is there a way to fix or adjust it? I've tried reducing transparency and a bunch of other settings but nothing has worked.
Topic: Design SubTopic: General
Replies
0
Boosts
1
Views
779
Activity
Aug ’25