UITabBarController becomes a sidebar on the inner display

Question

Created 3d

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This post is from the Activity iPhone Duo UIKit Q&A.

With the default mode of .automatic, the inner display shows a sidebar instead of a bottom tab bar. The sidebar draws UIKit’s dimming view over the selected view controller, which hides our map. We force mode = .tabBar on iOS 18. Is a bottom tab bar on the Duo inner display supported, or is the sidebar the intended phone-unfolded layout?

Answer 1

Frameworks Engineer OP

Apple

3d

By default, iPhone Duo (and all other iPhones) will not show a sidebar for UITabBarController apps, even when its horizontal size class is regular. Sidebars are opt-in on iPhone via the iOS 27 API:

tabBarController.sidebar.preferredPlacement = .sidebar

Otherwise, by default, tab bar apps will have either a vertical or horizontal tab bar on the inner display on iPhone Duo.