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Icon Composer missing margins
I'm trying out Icon Composer Version 1.0 (27.4). I imported a simple logo and sized it in the outer circle. The icon appears good in the Icon Composer. But when I export the file and use it for my app icon it seems to be missing a margin or padding that other native application icons have. Am i supposed to be adding my own padding to these resulting icons or am I building them incorrectly? Any guidance would be appreciated. Thanks!
Topic: Design SubTopic: General Tags:
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157
Jun ’25
Blurry Game Center Achievement Images?
Hey all — I’ve been building out my first set of Game Center Achievements for a game I’m working on, and I’ve run into something odd with the image quality. The specs say to upload icons at 512x512 or 1024x1024@2x. I’ve been uploading 1024x1024 PNGs (without explicitly naming them “@2x” since there’s only one upload slot), assuming that Game Center would just handle the scaling automatically — kind of like how a lot of things are getting more streamlined across platforms lately. But in testing, the icons are showing up a bit blurry, especially in the Game Center interface. It’s not horrible, but it’s definitely softer than I expected — more like low-res than Retina. All my test devices (outside the Simulator) are running iOS 26, so I’m also wondering if this might be a beta-related display bug? Has anyone else run into this? Curious if I’m missing a best practice here, or if I really do need to ensure I’m uploading it with the @2x suffix, or maybe something else entirely? Thanks!
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Jul ’25
iPadOS Floating Tab Bar Items (unselected) use Black Text - Unreadable with App Black Background (Dark Mode): UIKit App
Reference Feedback FB19152594 Occurs with my 3rd Party UIKit App called "Lifeorities". Latest occurrence was 7/27/25 at 13:49 pm. Launch app (actual device running iPadOS 26 or iPadOS 26 simulator) Initial screen displays view content and floating tab bar at top of screen (both portrait orientation and landscape). Floating tab bar items respond to liquid glass effect (but liquid glass appearance of the whole tab bar doesn't comply with new glass pill shaped tab bar area). Selected tab bar item obeys selected app designated color (assets). Unselected tab bar items are using black text which is unreadable on app background which used dark mode as default (as intended). Selecting another tab bar item shows the liquid glass effect as you navigate to the new tab bar item and shows the app designated color (assets). Previous tab bar item that was selected, now is unselected and shows black text. NOTE: iOS tab bar items work fine (show white foreground color as desired for unselected tab bar items).
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132
Aug ’25
iOS 26 | UIBarButtonItem UI issues with isEnabled and hidesSharedBackground
UIBarButtonItem setting isEnabled = false, but the item is still tappable and animating. Is this a new UI behavior or an issue? Do the following steps: On tapping on a UIBarButtonItem, disable by setting isEnabled = false and setting hidesSharedBackground = true Enable the button by setting isEnabled = true and setting hidesSharedBackground = false => The button appears with bigger shared background is this an issue? please find the attachments for more details. ViewController.swift.txt
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Sep ’25
Bring Back Launchpad
So, I started with the developer beta on Tahoe a couple months ago. I gave the new Apps.app a fair shot.... I HATE it. Finally used a terminal work around to get Launchpad back up and running. Now with the release of the Public Beta and Developer Beta 5, Apple has nerfed the Launchpad.app altogether. Apple, listen to your customers. Yes some people really love spotlight but not everyone wants to scroll through a list of apps as long as my leg because, my PTSD brain won't let me remember the name of the app to type into spotlight. The Launchpad app had a great visual reference for those of us with poor memory function. Bring it back, and let your customers choose which one they want to use.
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Aug ’25
Liquid Glass material behaviour question
I have two views I've applied Liquid Glass to in Swift UI. I've noticed that depending on the height of the view the material changes and I'm not sure why. See the attached screenshot. Both views add the liquidGlass style in the same way but behave very differently on the same background. Ideally I'd like them to look the same as the bottom one. Is that the same as the clear style?
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Sep ’25
iOS 26 UIBarButtonItem badge
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?
Topic: Design SubTopic: General Tags:
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754
Sep ’25
Why isn't Liquid Glass effect applied when using pyobjc?
I can compile this #import <Cocoa/Cocoa.h> @interface AppDelegate : NSObject <NSApplicationDelegate> @property (strong) NSWindow *window; @property (strong) NSSlider *slider; @end @implementation AppDelegate - (void)applicationDidFinishLaunching:(NSNotification *)notification { // Window size NSRect frame = NSMakeRect(0, 0, 400, 300); NSUInteger style = NSWindowStyleMaskTitled | NSWindowStyleMaskClosable | NSWindowStyleMaskResizable; self.window = [[NSWindow alloc] initWithContentRect:frame styleMask:style backing:NSBackingStoreBuffered defer:NO]; [self.window setTitle:@"Centered Slider Example"]; [self.window makeKeyAndOrderFront:nil]; // Slider size CGFloat sliderWidth = 200; CGFloat sliderHeight = 32; CGFloat windowWidth = self.window.frame.size.width; CGFloat windowHeight = self.window.frame.size.height; CGFloat sliderX = (windowWidth - sliderWidth) / 2; CGFloat sliderY = (windowHeight - sliderHeight) / 2; self.slider = [[NSSlider alloc] initWithFrame:NSMakeRect(sliderX, sliderY, sliderWidth, sliderHeight)]; [self.slider setMinValue:0]; [self.slider setMaxValue:100]; [self.slider setDoubleValue:50]; [self.window.contentView addSubview:self.slider]; } @end int main(int argc, const char * argv[]) { @autoreleasepool { NSApplication *app = [NSApplication sharedApplication]; AppDelegate *delegate = [[AppDelegate alloc] init]; [app setDelegate:delegate]; [app run]; } return 0; } with (base) johnzhou@Johns-MacBook-Pro liquidglasstest % clang -framework Foundation -framework AppKit testobjc.m and get this neat liquid glass effect: https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/4199493b-6011-4ad0-9c9f-25db8585e547 However if I use pyobjc to make an equivalent import sys from Cocoa import ( NSApplication, NSApp, NSWindow, NSSlider, NSMakeRect, NSWindowStyleMaskTitled, NSWindowStyleMaskClosable, NSWindowStyleMaskResizable, NSBackingStoreBuffered, NSObject ) class AppDelegate(NSObject): def applicationDidFinishLaunching_(self, notification): # Create the main window window_size = NSMakeRect(0, 0, 400, 300) style = NSWindowStyleMaskTitled | NSWindowStyleMaskClosable | NSWindowStyleMaskResizable self.window = NSWindow.alloc().initWithContentRect_styleMask_backing_defer_( window_size, style, NSBackingStoreBuffered, False ) self.window.setTitle_("Centered Slider Example") self.window.makeKeyAndOrderFront_(None) # Slider size and positioning slider_width = 200 slider_height = 32 window_width = self.window.frame().size.width window_height = self.window.frame().size.height slider_x = (window_width - slider_width) / 2 slider_y = (window_height - slider_height) / 2 self.slider = NSSlider.alloc().initWithFrame_(NSMakeRect(slider_x, slider_y, slider_width, slider_height)) self.slider.setMinValue_(0) self.slider.setMaxValue_(100) self.slider.setDoubleValue_(50) self.window.contentView().addSubview_(self.slider) if __name__ == "__main__": app = NSApplication.sharedApplication() delegate = AppDelegate.alloc().init() app.setDelegate_(delegate) app.run() I get a result shown at https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/7da022bc-122b-491d-9e08-030dcb9337c3 which does not have the new liquid glass effect. Why is this? Is this perhaps related to the requirement that you must compile on latest Xcode as indicated in the docs? Why, is the compiler doing some magic?
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Sep ’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.
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Oct ’25
Can you only launch an app to specific state in the U.S.?
Can you confirm that if you launch an app in the U.S. (in the iOS store) that is you cannot select a specific state (i.e. Rhode Island, North Carolina etc.) to roll out your app? In other words when you launch your app in the U.S. it has to be for the entire country right? Can someone please confirm that this is the case and has always been the case in any app store (i.e. Google Play and IOS)? Thanks. - Erik
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Oct ’25
Sheet background in share extension ignores Liquid Glass effect in iOS 26/Xcode 26
I’m developing a share extension for iOS 26 with Xcode 26. When the extension’s sheet appears, it always shows a full white background, even though iOS 26 introduces a new “Liquid Glass” effect for partial sheets. Expected: The sheet background should use the iOS 26 glassmorphism effect as seen in full apps. Actual behavior: Custom sheets in my app get the glass effect, but the native system sheet in the share extension always opens as plain white. Steps to reproduce: Create a share extension using UIKit Present any UIViewController as the main view Set modalPresentationStyle = .pageSheet (or leave as default) Observe solid white background, not glassmorphism Sample code: swift override func viewDidLoad() { super.viewDidLoad() view.backgroundColor = .clear preferredContentSize = CGSize(width: UIScreen.main.bounds.width, height: 300) } Troubleshooting attempted: Tried adding UIVisualEffectView with system blur/materials Removed all custom backgrounds Set modalPresentationStyle explicitly Questions: Is it possible to enable or force the Liquid Glass effect in share extensions on iOS 26? Is this a limitation by design or a potential bug? Any workaround to make extension sheet backgrounds match system glass appearance?
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Liquid Glass support : Best practices for navigation button styles in iOS 26 and later
Hello! I'm currently working on Liquid Glass support for my app. I understand that starting with iOS 26, standard buttons like "Close" or "Done" have shifted from text buttons to using SF Symbols, as mentioned in the Human Interface Guidelines under "Icons". However, on iOS 18 and earlier, the flat text button style remains the standard. I am unsure about the best approach for backward compatibility: Branch by OS version: Keep text buttons for older OS versions and use SF Symbols for iOS 26+. Concern: This increases the number of conditional branches, potentially reducing code readability and maintainability. Adopt SF Symbols universally: Use SF Symbols for all versions. Concern: I feel that SF Symbols do not fit well (look inconsistent or out of place) with the flat design language of iOS 18 and earlier. What would be the recommended approach in this situation?
Topic: Design SubTopic: General Tags:
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1k
Dec ’25
Too large clock size on iOS 26 Lock Screen.
The clock on the lock screen is too big. This is very noticeable on the serif font, the maximum size goes beyond the frame, and rests on the frame of the phone display. (Screenshot 1 & Screenshot 3) This is especially evident if you use the enlarged interface (using the Large Text function), here the time goes completely out of the frame and conflicts with the frame of the phone screen. (Screenshot 2 & Screenshot 4)
Topic: Design SubTopic: General Tags:
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Wrong unit in HIG > Components > System Experiences > Widget > watchOS widget dimensions
Hello, I noticed a small mistake in the Human Interface Guidelines (HIG). On the page HIG > Components > System Experiences > Widget > watchOS Widget Dimensions, scroll down to the bottom. In the "watchOS widget dimensions" section, the sizes in the table are in pixels (px), not points (pt) actually. However, the table header indicates the sizes should be in points (pt). Page link: https://developer.apple.com/design/human-interface-guidelines/widgets#watchOS-widget-dimensions For example, the widget size in the Smart Stack on a 49mm watch should be 192x81.5 pt (or 382x163 px), not 382x163 pt. This size can be verified with the information provided here: https://developer.apple.com/documentation/watchos-apps/supporting-multiple-watch-sizes/. https://developer.apple.com/documentation/watchkit/wkinterfacedevice/1620974-screenscale
Topic: Design SubTopic: General Tags:
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Jan ’25
AreaMark Always alignsMarkStylesWithPlotArea for linear gradients
I'm trying to make a Swift Chart where 24 AreaMarks an hour apart on X axis over a day display a vertical gradient. The gradient is vertical and is essentially [Color.opacity(0.1),Colour,Color.opacity(0.1] The idea here is where the upper and lower points of each AreaMark are the same or close to each other in the Y axis, the chart essentially displays a line, where they are far apart you get a nice fading vertical gradient. However, it seems that the .alignsMarkStylesWithPlotArea modifier is always set for AreaMarks even if manually applying it false. Investigating further, I've learnt that with AreaMarks in a series, Swift Charts seems to only listen to the first foreground style set in. I've created some sample code to demonstrate this. struct DemoChartView: View { var body: some View { Chart { AreaMark(x: .value("Time", Date().addingTimeInterval(0)), yStart: .value("1", 40), yEnd: .value("2", 60)) .foregroundStyle(LinearGradient(colors: [.pink, .teal], startPoint: .top, endPoint: .bottom)) .alignsMarkStylesWithPlotArea(false) AreaMark(x: .value("Time", Date().addingTimeInterval(3600)), yStart: .value("1", 44), yEnd: .value("2", 58)) .foregroundStyle(LinearGradient(colors: [.orange, .yellow], startPoint: .top, endPoint: .bottom)) .alignsMarkStylesWithPlotArea(false) AreaMark(x: .value("Time", Date().addingTimeInterval(03600*2)), yStart: .value("1", 50), yEnd: .value("2", 90)) .foregroundStyle(LinearGradient(colors: [.green, .blue], startPoint: .top, endPoint: .bottom)) .alignsMarkStylesWithPlotArea(false) } } } Which produces this: So here, all the different .foregroundStyle LinearGradients are being ignored AND the .alignsMarkStylesWithPlotArea(false) is also ignored - the amount of pink on the first mark is different to the second and third 🤷‍♂️ Has anyone encountered this. Are AreaMarks the correct choice or are they just not setup to create this type of data display. Thanks
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Jun ’25
Controlling the focus order in a UICollectionView
I'm running into a problem with the focus order in my UICollectionView in my tvOS app. The layout of my app is outlined in the following diagram On the uppermost layer I have a UITableView, each cell containing a single UICollectionView that can contain a variable number of UICollectionViewCells. When the user swipes down, I want the left-most item in the next row down to be selected, as follows: I've been able to get this to work for the majority of cases. The exception is when the previously focused item extends to the length of the screen - in this case the next focused item isn't the leftmost item, but rather the center item, as follows. Using focus guides won't really fit the use case here since collection views are dynamically generated. I've found that there is a function in UICollectionViewDelegate, indexPathForPreferredFocusedView that should help here but it only seems to be called intermittedly, even though I have set remembersLastFocusedIndexPath on the collectionview to true. I can force it to be called by calling setNeedsFocusUpdate() but I can't figure out a good place to call it - shouldUpdateFocus is too early and didUpdateFocus is too late. Is there some way to constrain the focus area of a view to a certain subset of it's frame - for example, the left-most quarter of its width? Or does anyone know of some other solution to this problem?
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581
Jan ’25
MusicKit design guidelines
Hi community, I have a question regarding MusicKit, is it necessary to follow a design guideline to integrate this framework into my App? Also, when no music is reproducing in MusicKit which placeholder we should show, do you provide the resource? Or can we create our own placeholder? Thanks for all, David.
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641
Feb ’25