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.

All subtopics
Posts under Design topic

Post

Replies

Boosts

Views

Activity

Liquid Glass is not just decoration it is the soul of iOS 26
As someone who genuinely appreciated the Liquid Glass effect introduced in iOS 26 Beta 1–2, I am deeply disappointed by its reduction in Beta 3. Liquid Glass wasn’t just eye candy it gave iOS a unique identity, futuristic feel, and a visual soul. Now, the UI looks flat, generic, and indistinguishable from other platforms. I feel Apple is stepping back from a bold vision due to readability complaints that could’ve been solved with an option or toggle not by removing the whole design language. Please consider restoring the full Liquid Glass look, or at least offer a toggle so users who believe in Apple’s design language can choose it. Don’t let this innovation fade because of short-term complaints.
Topic: Design SubTopic: General
1
2
347
Jul ’25
iOS26 CarPlay not optimized for Subaru 11.6 inch vertical in infotainment screen
The newest iOS 26 CarPlay upgrade seems more like a downgrade with vehicles from Subaru with the 11.6 inch vertical infotainment display. Such a big screen, but only one widget shows at a time additionally, prior to this iOS update we had three lines of apps on the main page now only two. also to be noted album art size on all music streaming and podcast apps is extremely small about half the size of what it originally was prior to this update yes, I tried turning on and off the screen optimization setting and CarPlay. It did not do anything.
1
2
1.7k
Dec ’25
Ios26 beta 3 concerns about liquid glass design
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.
Topic: Design SubTopic: General Tags:
1
1
275
Jul ’25
Keyboard dismissed when switching apps
Scenario is when keyboard is opened within the app being developed then switch to other app, for instance, Notes app and create a note to enable keyboard from there. While the Notes app keyboard is active switch back to the developed app the keyboard in it is dismissed. Any thoughts?Thanks
1
0
109
Apr ’25
Effect liquid glass on app icon
Why my app icon doesn't have effect liquid glass on ios26. My team dev still not upgrade to xcode26, so I have to export icon for them. And I don't see the effect like stroke of the detail.
Topic: Design SubTopic: General
1
0
752
Oct ’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
381
Sep ’25
New in SF Symbols 7: ipod.and.vision.pro.
Why? Why stop there? (Why not ipod.and.imacg3? applenewton.and.vision.pro?) I get why the older ipod symbols exist but these new pairings are odd. If anyone ever sees these restricted symbols in the wild, or even just someone using a Vision Pro and an iPod (Touch) together in a way that's not contrived, please do let me know!
Topic: Design SubTopic: General Tags:
1
0
809
Oct ’25
How to get a truly clear glass effect for a circle
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)
Topic: Design SubTopic: General
1
0
864
Oct ’25
SF Symbols 7
Will the draw (animation) functionality of SF Symbols be available when symbols are cut/pasted into a Keynote presentation? Better yet, will the draw tools from SF Symbols 7 be available in Keynote for objects created in Keynote?
Topic: Design SubTopic: General Tags:
1
0
187
Jun ’25
Repost : Analog Clock on lock screen
When we are going to have a real analog clock option on the lock screen. If an apple watch can do it surely its not that difficult. For someone who uses a clock to tell what time it isn't as opposed to what time it is, i’m constantly having to convert a digital image where the image of hands on a dial is so much easier. Surely this isnt because someone has forgotten how to read a clock
Topic: Design SubTopic: General
1
0
116
Apr ’25
Apple Intelligence and Siri
I downloaded iOS 26 beta 3. I was very happy with how it turned out, but when I activated Siri, I noticed the rainbow pulsing glow that bordered the phone was missing, and all that was left was the original Siri bubble. I was very disappointed, does anyone know how to get this back? I loved that design feature.
1
0
351
Jul ’25
Cloudkit only syncs when app is reloaded.
I've seen a few older posts claiming the same behavior I'm seeing which is my cloudkit/core data app only syncs to iOS when the iOS app is reloaded. Can someone clarify if this is a bug, or the expected behavior. I have an iOS app which the entire purpose of it is to view synced data from MacOS, and I have a refresh button which does nothing because the data only syncs when the app is closed and reopened. Am I supposed to tell users to close and reopen the app to see fresh data? that seems like a terrible UI behavior, and I know apple does not accept this as all of their apps sync without needing to be reloaded. For example the notes app does not need to be reloaded for the MacOS -> iOS data to be synced.
Topic: Design SubTopic: General Tags:
1
0
930
Oct ’25
Poor Rendering of Liquid Glass Icon on Device
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 :)
Topic: Design SubTopic: General
1
0
1k
Jul ’25
iOS 26 beta 3 bug report
In the clock app when making an alarm for myself to wake up, I found this bug where If you swipe left On an alarm without deleting it and then Swipe right it does a goofy visual glitch where it teleports to the top of your screen.
Topic: Design SubTopic: General
1
0
524
Jul ’25
Display problem with keyboard in iOS 26
The problem is the same in all of my applications. To reproduce it, in iOS 26, set the dark mode in the Brightness and display settings and in Accessibility, Display and text size, activate Increase contrast and bold text. With these settings, all the controls will be surrounded by a thin white line. When in the app a keyboard is dispayed, the thin white line does not appears correctly around the keyboard like in the capture joined, it is present on top and partially on bottom but not on sides
Topic: Design SubTopic: General
1
0
1.8k
Nov ’25
Requirements for application functions that use some WeatherKit data
Hi there I have developed an offline algorithm for calculating tides, which works based on the built-in database of tidal stations in some regions. The algorithm works correctly and the results match the real data. I would like to receive and add moon data from Weather Kit to the algorithm for performance improvement experiments. What requirements do I need to apply to the application so that I can use data from Weather Kit in my algorithm ?
Topic: Design SubTopic: General
1
0
77
Jun ’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
411
Jul ’25
Navigation Bar Title Hidden When Right Bar Button Title Is Long (iOS 26)
I’m developing an app that includes a navigation bar with a centered title and a single right bar button item. I’ve noticed that when both the navigation bar title and the right bar button item’s title are relatively long, the navigation bar title becomes hidden. This issue only occurs on iOS 26. When running the same code on iOS 18, the layout behaves as expected, with both elements visible. Has anyone else experienced this behavior on iOS 26? Is this a known layout change or a possible bug?
1
0
614
Nov ’25
Liquid Glass is not just decoration it is the soul of iOS 26
As someone who genuinely appreciated the Liquid Glass effect introduced in iOS 26 Beta 1–2, I am deeply disappointed by its reduction in Beta 3. Liquid Glass wasn’t just eye candy it gave iOS a unique identity, futuristic feel, and a visual soul. Now, the UI looks flat, generic, and indistinguishable from other platforms. I feel Apple is stepping back from a bold vision due to readability complaints that could’ve been solved with an option or toggle not by removing the whole design language. Please consider restoring the full Liquid Glass look, or at least offer a toggle so users who believe in Apple’s design language can choose it. Don’t let this innovation fade because of short-term complaints.
Topic: Design SubTopic: General
Replies
1
Boosts
2
Views
347
Activity
Jul ’25
AṀ / PM Display in Time ?
Hello, You are developing iOS 26. I hope you will fix the issue where the AṀ/PM is missing from the Time Display. Thanks
Topic: Design SubTopic: General
Replies
1
Boosts
0
Views
312
Activity
Jul ’25
Newish developer scoping error question.
I'm coding an iPhone app using Swift and I'm getting this scoping error. Attached.
Topic: Design SubTopic: General Tags:
Replies
1
Boosts
0
Views
243
Activity
Jul ’25
iOS26 CarPlay not optimized for Subaru 11.6 inch vertical in infotainment screen
The newest iOS 26 CarPlay upgrade seems more like a downgrade with vehicles from Subaru with the 11.6 inch vertical infotainment display. Such a big screen, but only one widget shows at a time additionally, prior to this iOS update we had three lines of apps on the main page now only two. also to be noted album art size on all music streaming and podcast apps is extremely small about half the size of what it originally was prior to this update yes, I tried turning on and off the screen optimization setting and CarPlay. It did not do anything.
Replies
1
Boosts
2
Views
1.7k
Activity
Dec ’25
Ios26 beta 3 concerns about liquid glass design
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.
Topic: Design SubTopic: General Tags:
Replies
1
Boosts
1
Views
275
Activity
Jul ’25
Keyboard dismissed when switching apps
Scenario is when keyboard is opened within the app being developed then switch to other app, for instance, Notes app and create a note to enable keyboard from there. While the Notes app keyboard is active switch back to the developed app the keyboard in it is dismissed. Any thoughts?Thanks
Replies
1
Boosts
0
Views
109
Activity
Apr ’25
Effect liquid glass on app icon
Why my app icon doesn't have effect liquid glass on ios26. My team dev still not upgrade to xcode26, so I have to export icon for them. And I don't see the effect like stroke of the detail.
Topic: Design SubTopic: General
Replies
1
Boosts
0
Views
752
Activity
Oct ’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
381
Activity
Sep ’25
New in SF Symbols 7: ipod.and.vision.pro.
Why? Why stop there? (Why not ipod.and.imacg3? applenewton.and.vision.pro?) I get why the older ipod symbols exist but these new pairings are odd. If anyone ever sees these restricted symbols in the wild, or even just someone using a Vision Pro and an iPod (Touch) together in a way that's not contrived, please do let me know!
Topic: Design SubTopic: General Tags:
Replies
1
Boosts
0
Views
809
Activity
Oct ’25
How to get a truly clear glass effect for a circle
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)
Topic: Design SubTopic: General
Replies
1
Boosts
0
Views
864
Activity
Oct ’25
SF Symbols 7
Will the draw (animation) functionality of SF Symbols be available when symbols are cut/pasted into a Keynote presentation? Better yet, will the draw tools from SF Symbols 7 be available in Keynote for objects created in Keynote?
Topic: Design SubTopic: General Tags:
Replies
1
Boosts
0
Views
187
Activity
Jun ’25
Repost : Analog Clock on lock screen
When we are going to have a real analog clock option on the lock screen. If an apple watch can do it surely its not that difficult. For someone who uses a clock to tell what time it isn't as opposed to what time it is, i’m constantly having to convert a digital image where the image of hands on a dial is so much easier. Surely this isnt because someone has forgotten how to read a clock
Topic: Design SubTopic: General
Replies
1
Boosts
0
Views
116
Activity
Apr ’25
Apple Intelligence and Siri
I downloaded iOS 26 beta 3. I was very happy with how it turned out, but when I activated Siri, I noticed the rainbow pulsing glow that bordered the phone was missing, and all that was left was the original Siri bubble. I was very disappointed, does anyone know how to get this back? I loved that design feature.
Replies
1
Boosts
0
Views
351
Activity
Jul ’25
Cloudkit only syncs when app is reloaded.
I've seen a few older posts claiming the same behavior I'm seeing which is my cloudkit/core data app only syncs to iOS when the iOS app is reloaded. Can someone clarify if this is a bug, or the expected behavior. I have an iOS app which the entire purpose of it is to view synced data from MacOS, and I have a refresh button which does nothing because the data only syncs when the app is closed and reopened. Am I supposed to tell users to close and reopen the app to see fresh data? that seems like a terrible UI behavior, and I know apple does not accept this as all of their apps sync without needing to be reloaded. For example the notes app does not need to be reloaded for the MacOS -> iOS data to be synced.
Topic: Design SubTopic: General Tags:
Replies
1
Boosts
0
Views
930
Activity
Oct ’25
Poor Rendering of Liquid Glass Icon on Device
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 :)
Topic: Design SubTopic: General
Replies
1
Boosts
0
Views
1k
Activity
Jul ’25
iOS 26 beta 3 bug report
In the clock app when making an alarm for myself to wake up, I found this bug where If you swipe left On an alarm without deleting it and then Swipe right it does a goofy visual glitch where it teleports to the top of your screen.
Topic: Design SubTopic: General
Replies
1
Boosts
0
Views
524
Activity
Jul ’25
Display problem with keyboard in iOS 26
The problem is the same in all of my applications. To reproduce it, in iOS 26, set the dark mode in the Brightness and display settings and in Accessibility, Display and text size, activate Increase contrast and bold text. With these settings, all the controls will be surrounded by a thin white line. When in the app a keyboard is dispayed, the thin white line does not appears correctly around the keyboard like in the capture joined, it is present on top and partially on bottom but not on sides
Topic: Design SubTopic: General
Replies
1
Boosts
0
Views
1.8k
Activity
Nov ’25
Requirements for application functions that use some WeatherKit data
Hi there I have developed an offline algorithm for calculating tides, which works based on the built-in database of tidal stations in some regions. The algorithm works correctly and the results match the real data. I would like to receive and add moon data from Weather Kit to the algorithm for performance improvement experiments. What requirements do I need to apply to the application so that I can use data from Weather Kit in my algorithm ?
Topic: Design SubTopic: General
Replies
1
Boosts
0
Views
77
Activity
Jun ’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
411
Activity
Jul ’25
Navigation Bar Title Hidden When Right Bar Button Title Is Long (iOS 26)
I’m developing an app that includes a navigation bar with a centered title and a single right bar button item. I’ve noticed that when both the navigation bar title and the right bar button item’s title are relatively long, the navigation bar title becomes hidden. This issue only occurs on iOS 26. When running the same code on iOS 18, the layout behaves as expected, with both elements visible. Has anyone else experienced this behavior on iOS 26? Is this a known layout change or a possible bug?
Replies
1
Boosts
0
Views
614
Activity
Nov ’25