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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!
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251
Aug ’25
Resize Window Form After Loading
I am trying to resize a Window Form after it loads and have done quite a bit of searching for code to do it. Here is one code snippet that works to size the form during the design phase. self.view.window?.contentMinSize = CGSize(width: 1100, height: 310) I have tried code like below to increase the window size after the Form loads if let myWindow = self.view.window ?? NSApplication.shared.mainWindow { // Increase window size and position after it loads let newRect = NSRect(x: 100, y: 100, width: 1400, height: 900) } It seems that this code not only changes the Form size after loading, but also changes the size of the Form in Main.swift, which is something I don't want. I read elsewhere that I had to disable constraints to resize the Form, so I tried code below. let tableView = NSTableView() tableView.translatesAutoresizingMaskIntoConstraints = false let newRect = NSRect(x: 100, y: 0, width: 1100, height: 600) myWindow?.setFrame(newRect, display: true) That code did not seem to do anything as well. Also, the Form displays in the lower left of the screen. Note that main reason I want to resize the Form after loading is to keep it smaller during design development. The same goes for the NSTableView, which I have not gotten to yet.
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182
Oct ’25
Guideline 4.3(a) - Design - Spam
Hello, I recently submitted my app to the Apple Store and received a rejection under Guideline 4.3(a) - Design - Spam, stating that my app is similar to others on the store. However, my app has a unique feature set, offers more functionality and content than competitors, and is completely free with ad monetization, unlike most similar apps that require subscriptions. I have spent five months developing this app from scratch, ensuring it provides an original and valuable experience for users. I did not use an app template or repackaged code, and my app is not a reskinned version of any existing app. I genuinely believe it brings meaningful differentiation to the market. I would appreciate any guidance on how I can better communicate my app’s uniqueness to the review team or what specific aspects I should adjust to comply with Apple's guidelines. Thank you for your time and support.
Topic: Design SubTopic: General Tags:
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698
Feb ’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:
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86
Jun ’25
Using macOS-Sequoia-Production-Templates-Sketch
Hi, I was trying to use macOS-Sequoia-Production-Templates in Sketch format and when I try to export png icon file of the document template, it always includes grey nontransparent background which I am unable to delete. In contrast, exporting png app icon file from another template has transparent background and exports well. Is it something wrong with the document icon production template? How can I export document png icon file with transparent background?? Thanks
Topic: Design SubTopic: General
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May ’25
Can't get a simple network call working. Novice developer.
Here is my code and the error code being generated during build. let myString : String = "https://www.alphavantage.co/query?function=TIME_SERIES_DAILY&symbol=AAPL&apikey= D5GY7HKODE66G0T9" var banjo = URL(string: myString) let task = URLSession.shared.dataTask(with:banjo ) { myDatastring , response , error in} // task.resume() I've tested that URL in my browser and it works. But when I try to build I get: Value of optional type 'URL?' must be unwrapped to a value of type 'URL' Please tell me what I'm doing wrong. I think the URL struct is not returning a URL type of object.
Topic: Design SubTopic: General
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Sep ’25
Ios26 dev beta 7 brightness
Hi, is it me or latest beta has pronlem with brightness? i have iPhone 16 pro, and now i must keep disabled auto brightness , at keep slider more or less at maximum, in order to clearly see the screen. fabrizio
Topic: Design SubTopic: General Tags:
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Aug ’25
Your app included hard to read type or typography
I recently submitted a new app for review, but it has been rejected multiple times for vague reasons. The most recent rejection reason I received was unclear, leaving me unsure of what improvements are needed to get the app approved for the App Store. Does anyone have any advice on how to address this? Additionally, to Apple reviewers: Could you please provide more detailed feedback to help developers improve their apps? The repeated review process takes a significant amount of time, and guessing what needs to be fixed without clear guidance makes it even more challenging. ################################# The latest rejection reason I got is: Guideline 4.0 - Design We noticed an issue in your app that contributes to a lower-quality user experience than App Store users expect: Your app included hard to read type or typography. Since App Store users expect apps to be simple, refined, and easy to use, we want to call your attention to this design issue so you can make the appropriate changes. Next Steps Please revise your app to address all instances of the issue identified above.
Topic: Design SubTopic: General Tags:
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481
Jan ’25
Issue displaying Button Text after a MeshGradient applied
I am creating a Generate note app but I don't see the text in the button when I applied the MeshGradient. I removed the Mesh Gradient and text is there. Need some help to find the issue. I am new to app Development and I am learning how to use it. Below is the code: import SwiftUI struct ContentView: View { @State private var inputText: String = "" @State private var isLoading: Bool = false var body: some View { ZStack { Color(.systemGray6).edgesIgnoringSafeArea(.all) VStack (spacing: 20) { Text("Generate Notes") .font(.title) .fontWeight(.bold) .frame(maxWidth: .infinity, alignment: .leading) Text("Transform your thoughts into well-structured notes using artificial intelligence.") .font(.subheadline) .foregroundStyle(.secondary) .frame(maxWidth: .infinity, alignment: .leading) TextEditor(text: $inputText) .frame(height: 200) .padding() .background(RoundedRectangle(cornerRadius: 16) .fill(Color(.systemGray6))) Button(action: {}) { HStack { if isLoading { ProgressView() .tint(.white) } else { Image(systemName: "sparkles") } Text(isLoading ? "Generating..." : "Generate Notes") } .padding() .frame(maxWidth: .infinity) .background( MeshGradient(width: 3, height: 3, points: [ .init(0, 0), .init(0.5, 0), .init(1, 0), .init(0, 0.5), .init(0.5, 0.5), .init(1, 0.5), .init(0, 1), .init(0.5, 1), .init(1, 1) ], colors: [ .blue, .purple, .indigo, .orange, .white, .blue, .yellow, .green, .mint ]) ) .mask( RoundedRectangle(cornerRadius: 16) .stroke(lineWidth: 16) .blur(radius: 8) ) .overlay( RoundedRectangle(cornerRadius: 16) .stroke(.white, lineWidth: 1) .blur(radius: 1) .blendMode(.overlay) ) .background(.black) .foregroundColor(.white) .cornerRadius(16) .background( RoundedRectangle(cornerRadius: 16) .stroke(.black.opacity(0.5), lineWidth: 1) ) .shadow(color: .black.opacity(0.15), radius: 20, x: 0, y: 20) .shadow(color: .black.opacity(0.1), radius: 15, x: 0, y: 15) } .disabled(isLoading || inputText.isEmpty) Spacer() } .padding(32) .background(Color(.systemBackground)) .cornerRadius(44) .shadow(color: .black.opacity(0.1), radius: 20, x:0, y:10) } } } #Preview { ContentView() }
Topic: Design SubTopic: General Tags:
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555
Jan ’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
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Sep ’25
A Summary of the WWDC25 Group Lab - Design
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.
Topic: Design SubTopic: General
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1.3k
Jun ’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
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3w
Gray Shades That Adapt to Dark Mode
Hi, Normally we need many shades of gray in any App and Apple system have only 3 , Primery, Secondary, and Gray, so to make Gray regress that automatically adapt to Dark Mode we just use opacity on these colors ? there's no system built in Gray degrees ? Kind Regards
Topic: Design SubTopic: General
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76
May ’25
Subscriptions Not Displaying
I have a subscription group with two individual subscriptions configured but when trying to load the SubscriptionStoreView I get the error: "Subscription Unavailable: The subscription is unavailable in the current storefront." When I try to load the ProductView, it appears to be stuck in a loading screen. I am running the app on a device that is signed into a sandbox account. Any guidance would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
Topic: Design SubTopic: General Tags:
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Feb ’25
iOS 26 not showing new screenshot animation
Hi everyone, I’m currently testing iOS 26 on my iPhone as part of the developer program. According to Apple’s documentation and demo materials, a new screenshot animation was introduced in this version. However, when I take a screenshot on my device, the animation remains the same as in previous iOS versions. I’ve double-checked that I’m running the correct build of iOS 26, and I haven’t found any settings that might enable or disable this feature. Is anyone else experiencing the same issue? Could this new animation be device-specific, region-limited, or require additional configuration? Any insight would be appreciated! Thanks in advance, Alonso Rivera
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226
Jun ’25
Helvetica issues
Helvetica (17.0d1e1) has bugs, hopefully the developers and designers will fix it. Link to the presentation: https://drive.google.com/file/d/16qfpo9Y7Psghv5c_Xl3JBiTPkP4QNaaS/view?usp=sharing
Topic: Design SubTopic: General Tags:
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391
Jan ’25
How to make web shortcut icons mode-adaptive like native app icons?
Hello everyone, I'm very impressed with the Liquid Glass design introduced in iOS 26, especially how native app icons automatically adapt to the system's display mode (dark or light). This brings me to a question: Is it possible to make a website shortcut icon created via Safari's "Add to Home Screen" feature adapt to Dark Mode in the same way? For native apps, we can use tools like Icon Composer and asset catalogs (Assets.xcassets) to provide different icons for each mode. It would be a huge improvement for web clips if we could achieve the same with existing web technologies like apple-touch-icon or the Web App Manifest. If anyone has figured out a way to do this, I would greatly appreciate it if you could share your knowledge. Thanks in advance! 日本語の原文: iOS 26から導入されたLiquid Glassデザインについて。 ネイティブアプリのアイコンがシステムの表示モード(ダークモード/ライトモード)に合わせて自動で最適化されるようになりました。 そこで疑問に思ったのですが、Safariから「ホーム画面に追加」機能を使って作成するWebサイトのショートカットアイコンは、ネイティブアプリと同じようにダークモードに対応できないのでしょうか? ネイティブアプリの場合は、Icon Composerなどのツールでアセットカタログ(Assets.xcassets)を使い、モードごとのアイコンを用意できますよね。 Web側でも、apple-touch-iconやWeb App Manifestといった既存の仕組みを使って、アイコンを動的に切り替えられるようになると、Webクリップの使い勝手がさらに向上すると思うのですが もし、すでに何らかの方法で対応されている方がいらっしゃれば、ぜひその知見を共有していただけると嬉しいです。
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Sep ’25