At WWDC25 we launched a new type of Lab event for the developer community - Group Labs. A Group Lab is a panel Q&A designed for a large audience of developers. Group Labs are a unique opportunity for the community to submit questions directly to a panel of Apple engineers and designers. Here are the highlights from the WWDC25 Group Lab for Design. Can you expand on how Liquid Glass helps with navigation and focus in the UI? Liquid Glass clarifies the navigation layer by introducing a single, floating pane that acts as the primary navigation area. Buttons within this pane seamlessly morph as you move between sections, and controls can temporarily lift into the glass surface. While avoiding excessive use of glass (like layering glass on glass), this approach simplifies navigation and strengthens the connection between menus, alerts, and the elements that trigger them. What should I do with customized bars that I might have in my app? Reconsider the content and behavior of customized bars. Evaluate whether you need all the buttons and whether a menu might be a better solution. Instead of relying on background colors or styling, express hierarchy through layout and grouping. This is a good opportunity to adopt the new design language and simplify your interface. What are scroll edge effects, and what options do we have for them? Scroll edge effects enhance legibility in controls by lifting interactive elements and separating them from the background. There are two types: a soft edge effect (a subtle blur) and a hard edge effect (a more defined boundary for high-legibility areas like column sorting). Scroll edge effects are designed to work seamlessly with Liquid Glass, allowing content to feel expansive while ensuring controls and titles remain legible. How can we ensure or improve accessibility using Liquid Glass? Legibility is a priority, and refinements are ongoing throughout the betas. Liquid Glass adapts well to accessibility settings like Reduce Transparency, Increase Contrast, and Reduce Motion. There are two variants of glass: regular glass, designed to be legible by default, and clear glass, used in places like AVKit, which requires more care to ensure legibility. Use color contrast tools to ensure contrast ratios are met. The Human Interface Guidelines (HIG) are a living document offering best practices. The colors and materials pages are key resources. Do you have any recommendations for convincing designers concerned with consistency across Android and Web to use Liquid Glass? Start small and focus on high-utility controls that don't significantly impact brand experience. Native controls offer familiarity and predictability to users. Using the native controls makes sure your app feels at home on the device. Using native frameworks provides built-in accessibility support (dynamic type, reduce transparency, increase contrast). Native controls come with built-in behaviors and interactions. Can ScrollViews include Liquid Glass within them? You can technically put a glass layer inside a scroll view, but it can feel heavy and doesn't align with the system's intention for Liquid Glass to serve as a fixed layer. Think of the content layer as the scrolling layer, and the navigational layer as the one using Liquid Glass. If there is glass on the content layer it will collide into the navigational layer. What core design philosophy guided the direction of iOS 26, beyond the goal of unification? The core design philosophy involved blurring the line between hardware and software, separating UI and navigation elements from content, making apps adaptable across window sizes, and combining playfulness with sophistication. It was about making the UI feel at home on rounded screens. Can we layer Liquid Glass elements on top of each other? Avoid layering Liquid Glass elements directly on top of each other, as it creates unnecessary visual complexity. The system will automatically convert nested glass elements to a vibrant fill style. Use vibrant fills and labels to show control shapes and ensure legibility. Opaque grays should be avoided in favor of vibrant colors, which will multiply with the backgrounds correctly. What will happen to apps that use custom components? Should they be adapted to the new design within the next year? The more native components you use, the more things happen for free. Standard components will be upgraded automatically. Look out for any customizations that might clash. Think about what is the minimum viable change, where your app still feels and looks very similar to what it did. Prioritize changes in core workflows and navigational areas. There are a number of benefits to using native components including user familiarity, built-in accessibility support, and built-in behaviors and interactions. Will Apple be releasing Figma design templates? Sketch kits were published on Monday and can be referenced. The goal is to ensure the resources are well-organized, well-named, and easy to use. It's a high priority.

Hi there. I want to use Adobe XD for designing and prototyping apps, and I would like to get the UIKit design resources working. I downloaded it and tried to open it with Adobe XD, but it threw this error: There was an error opening the file Apple iOS 26 UI Kit.sketch (Error code: 115) I really prefer to use the UIKit in Adobe XD rather than paying for Figma or Sketch. Thanks. Apple Design Resources

Hi there, I am a day-to-day user of Apple devices, I have always loved how simple and easy to use they are. However, the recent iOS 26 update has really raised some concerns which I want to address. This includes some toggle options which would allow Apple users to customise some features of the experience, to make it more accessible and tailored for us. Firstly, I would to mention the removal of the “Home Bar“ at the bottom of iPhone and iPad screens. Now, I do understand that a lot of people have got used to swiping up from the bottom of the screen to return to the Home Screen, or their Recent Apps. But a lot of people actually really miss this feature, and it really made Apple. Also, some older people or people with accessibility issues have found it hard to use iOS 26. I think that the best way to resolve this would be to include a Toggle option within the “Accessibility“ menu of the Settings app. This way, if people like me would like it back, they can choose to bring it back to their screens. Next, I have noticed that when receiving an incoming call, the ”Slide to Answer” text is no longer animated. This may seem like a minor point to talk about, but it was actually more legible before. It doesn‘t make sense that other things, such as stopping alarms and powering off iPhone/iPad still have the animation effect, but the slide-to-answer text on incoming calls is no longer animated. This could be fixed to make it animated, or the user could choose to have animated text within the settings app. Lastly, I think that the app toolbar should make a real comeback to iMessage. I do know that this hasn’t been a thing since iOS 17, but I did find that the app toolbar above the keyboard was really easy to use, with apps, stickers, GIFs and more at your fingertips, instead of having to access a side menu. Like my other suggestions, this would be another good opportunity for a toggle option so the user can choose whether to have the toolbar or not. This would actually suit the new Liquid Glass style in iOS 26, because it could be made floating, with a Liquid Glass background. To sum up, I would like 3 toggle options which would allow Apple Users to customise their experience. These would be, Toggle Option to bring back the “Home Bar” Toggle Option for animated text on incoming calls Toggle Option to revive the iMessage app toolbar Thank you so much for reading. ** I am the User of an iPhone 14 Pro and iPad Pro M4, and use the Developer beta versions of iOS and iPad OS 26.

I'm using the new badge feature for UIBarButtonItem, but it's not working properly for me when transitioning between view controllers. I have two view controller with various right bar button items. In the first view controller the first button (the one with the bell) has a badge with a numeric count. The second view controller has the same button but in the third position. When I push the second view controller, it seems that the badge maintains also the old position, so I see two buttons with badges instead of one. What can I do to fix this?

This issue affects core system UI elements such as Control Center, notifications, and system apps. In iOS 26, the Liquid Glass UI introduces excessive transparency and blur across the system. This significantly reduces text readability, lowers contrast, and causes visual fatigue during prolonged use. There is currently no true option to fully disable Liquid Glass effects. Existing accessibility settings only partially mitigate the issue and do not restore a solid, high-contrast interface similar to iOS 18. Please consider adding a system-wide toggle to completely disable Liquid Glass and transparency effects, or provide a solid UI mode for users who prioritize readability and visual comfort. This is especially important for accessibility, as the current design negatively impacts users sensitive to eye strain and low contrast.

I'm using .glassEffect(.clear) on a transparent circle over a gradient background. While it's closer to clear than the plain glass effect, it't not really clear, like clear glass. Here is the code. Is there a glass effect that really looks like clear glass? Circle() .fill(.clear) .frame(width: 180, height: 180) .glassEffect(.clear)

Feedback for iPhone and iPad – Display Technology Dear Apple Team, Currently, the mainstream display technology used in iPhone and iPad is OLED. However, OLED panels produce significant PWM flickering, which strongly irritates the human eye. Many users, especially in China, experience eye strain, tearing, and discomfort after using OLED devices for a period of time. There is a large group of users here who are highly sensitive to screen flicker and therefore cannot use OLED-based devices at all. What they truly need is an eye-friendly device with either LCD or flicker-free Mini-LED display technology. I sincerely recommend that Apple consider offering iPhone and iPad models with LCD or Mini-LED panels. Such displays could provide better eye comfort, no flicker, and a healthier experience. Currently, almost no smartphone manufacturers in China provide such options, and even if they do, their devices often come with outdated chipsets and cannot be used as a reliable daily driver. This presents a valuable opportunity for Apple: by addressing this demand, Apple could attract a unique customer base, increase sales, and even justify a slightly higher price, as many customers would be willing to pay more for the sake of their eye health. In the Chinese market, a truly flicker-free iPhone or iPad would be incredibly rare and highly desired. Thank you for considering this suggestion. I truly hope Apple will take this into account.

Hi friends, I need a design and coding team to publish a fintech app. Can anyone help me with this?

Hey there, I redesigned my apps icons for Liquid Glass in the icon composer app. I have to say it's been a pleasure to use and my icons look stunning when rendered in the icon composer app, whatever rendering mode and context I've been testing. But once in a developer release on my device (iOS 26 beta 3), the rendering is very disappointing. They look blurry, very far from what icon composer is showing. I would like to know whether I have a design issue, or if the current state of the beta release is known to not render icon properly. I'm kind of panicking :)

I just played around on macOS with the new icons created by Icon Composer, and I noticed that the Dock displays programmatically set icons differently. Try this: Make sure you have the Mail app in your Dock. Set the icon appearance to "Tinted/Light" and set a dark (black) background for the Desktop. Run this code: let image = NSWorkspace.shared.icon(forFile: "/System/Applications/Mail.app") if image.isValid { NSApp.applicationIconImage = image } You'll get something like this: When the icon appearance is set to "Default" or "Dark," everything works as expected, and the "Clear/Dark" and "Tinted/Dark" modes seem to work as well. It seems like the Dock uses a special blend mode depending on the selected background, but this does not seem to be the case if the icon is set programmatically. I filed feedback FB20291186.

Target: MacOS 11.1 and above C++, Juce 8, XCode 16.2 Testing: Sonoma 14.5 Logic Pro (latest version), Reaper 7.34, Pro Tools 2023.12 and 2025.6 I'm developing an audio plugin that creates an NSStatusItem ("menu bar status icon" or MBSI for short) to provide visual feedback for one of the components. I've encountered a Logic Pro-specific behavior that I'd like to fix. I'm building for Mac-only, Intel and Silicon, and for AU/VST3/AAX. Summary: The NSStatusItem for the MBSI is created successfully and functions properly in some hosts (Reaper (AU and VST3), Pro Tools (AAX)) but isn't visible in Logic Pro, despite identical API behavior. Details: NSStatusItem Creation: implementation using [[NSStatusBar systemStatusBar] statusItemWithLength:NSSquareStatusItemLength] All API calls report success in both working (Reaper) and non-working (Logic Pro) hosts. Logging shows Logic Pro and Reaper create the NSStatusItem with the same properties: Window frame: {{0, -36}, {38, 36}} (both hosts) statusItem.visible: YES (both hosts) Button exists and responds to state changes (both hosts) Y coordinate is -36 pixels (above visible screen, both hosts) In Reaper, I can see the MBSI but in Logic Pro I can't. Note: the MBSI has no functionality beyond visual feedback. It's not clickable nor does it create a corresponding menu. Questions: Are there known differences in how Logic Pro's AU hosting service handles system UI elements compared to other hosts? And if so, is there guidance on AU plugins accessing system UI elements like the menu bar? Link to NSStatusItemTest.component: https://app.box.com/s/i3rq0hii3qf43iojrayc17fsfq7fnssd Link to video showing issue: https://app.box.com/s/icefqk898timqov77t468lqtio0rjqul Link to Console output for testing in Reaper vs Logic Pro: https://app.box.com/s/ph6nv1lmozo3phtjx3md6abdms5atgg6

I have many Apple devices, such as macbook, iPad and iPhone. It's very convenient for me to transfer files between devices. However, when I want to send files to my own device in public places, I often click on the wrong recipient because the list avatar keeps changing. I hope the list of recipients can be grouped One group is my own device (or the one I often send to), and the other group is other devices. When the user is about to send, the mouse will be in a relatively fixed and mentally expected area. I feel that this can reduce the probability of sending wrongly

Prior to iOS 26, this successfully gave me a modal view with a transparent background: let settingsVC = MySettingsViewController() settingsVC.modalPresentationStyle = .automatic //settingsVC.modalPresentationStyle = .overCurrentContext self.present(settingsVC, animated: true, completion: { } MySettingsViewController: self.view.backgroundColor = UIColor(white: 0, alpha: 0.5) Now in iOS 26, modal view is presented in a opaque grey background.

Hi, Upon reviewing our app, we got feedback that our app icon within the Wallet app is not behaving as expected when the home screen is set to "light mode" only. In that case, on the home screen, the app icon remains its default color (e.g., red), regardless of the device's appearance settings (light or dark), which is expected. However, in the apple Wallet, e.g., under the From Apps from your device, app icons change their color (e.g., red in light mode, black in dark mode) when iOS appearance is changed - which is reported as an app issue. I've noticed that all apps in that section are changing the color, not just ours, so it seems to me like a bug in iOS or a behavior that was not clearly defined in the app store guidelines. If there is an API we must use to cover that case, which one would that be? Is this a bug that Apple should resolve, or is this the intended behaviour?

With iOS 26 the CPListSection header has a transparent background, and when the list scrolls under the header it doesn't look good at all. We expected to see a glass fading effect maybe, like the one on the top of the screen. Is it a known bug?

With the new ios 26 beta 3 helps some stabillty and performance issues but most of the liquid glass has been removed or made very frosty look; and it defeats the whole purpose of a big redesign, and even thought the changes are because of readability and contrast complaints it should not take away liquid glass design. I think apple should consider adding a toggle or choice to choose if they would want a more frosted look or a more liquid glass look the the original plan.

I want to know if the program written in C language can be implemented through the software package, write a software package containing C language on Xcode, and then apply it in Swift Playground.

Hi Guys, I noticed that with Icon Composer when you export the icon it does not export a square image, is there any way of doing it or that's how it is now? Checking the icon on the iPhone something doesn't seem right...

Does anyone know if Apple is addressing the issue with buttons. They break the fundamental clarity stressed by Human guidelines by exposing an area around an element that is to be tapped. If that area is then defined as a part of the button it should by default then respond to the tap. But it doesn't. My app when you tap on those elements before Liquid Glass ALWAYS RESPONDS. With Liquid Glass, a glancing tap will get the requisite reaction but doesn't trigger the event it should. Also it's confusing that Liquid Glass but not a show stopper that Liquid Glass elements that are disabled respond by flashing at all instead being visible/inert even though nothing happens. It's unnecessary and confusing eye candy. How did the folly of this get passed Apple's UI team and when is it gonna be rectified. I've tried a number of ways to fix it and it just makes the buttons look like crap and then they become more opaque and stuff. Does anyone have a fix for this or is anyone aware of when a fix for this will be released as a part of an OS update? It could be as simple as a setting that defaults to on that says the area/circumference of the circle button (that you NEVER asked for) fully responds to touch events of the target area and it should default to YES!!

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Hi there. I am a graphic designer and stuck with a stupid built in iOS problem. I enjoy creating background images for my lock screen and started to use typography in the designs, like quotes. I made the images in the exact pixel size my iPhone 16ProMax needs for full screen. In the photo app i can swipe through the images and they all fit precisely onto my screen. Now I want iOS to display those designs randomly on my lock screen. I create a new lock screen, choose „random“ and select the album in my camera roll. But as soon as those images are used as lock screens, they are randomly scaled and cropped without any visible logic behind it. Fun fact: When the images only show symmetrical shapes. they fit perfectly. As soon as type is on the JPG (or PNG) the scaling and repositioning starts. Any thoughts of how to get rid of this bug? The should be a simple button to deactivate random scaling. Or at least a „fit to screen“, as it won’t change anything if the images are made for the precise pixel size. Looking forward hearing your thoughts. Daniel