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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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1.5k
Jun ’25
Greyed out app icon on iOS 26 beta
On iOS 26 beta 3, my app and some other apps got greyed out app icon. It only happens in Default (Light) appearance. Apple automatically converts third-party app icons to support Liquid Glass, but is there any specific requirement with third-party icons to avoid above greyed out app icon issue?
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609
Jan ’26
glassEffect() in SwiftUI always renders as white – even with latest Beta 2 on macOS 15
Hi everyone, I’m having trouble getting the new glassEffect() modifier to render correctly in SwiftUI. No matter what I try, it just appears as a solid white background (instead of translucent glass). This happens both in Beta 1 and Beta 2. My setup: • Mac mini (M4 chip) • macOS 15 Beta 2 (Tahoe) • Xcode 16 Beta 2 • Samsung Odyssey G9 57” monitor (super ultrawide) • Using Preview in SwiftUI (not the Simulator) Even when I use Apple’s default demo code like: Text("Hello World") .padding() .glassEffect()
Topic: Design SubTopic: General
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126
Jun ’25
NavigationStack wrong behaviour in iOS 18.3
Hi, Anybody knows will this occurs when using navigationStack at iOS 18.3? The navigationStack not stay at safeareas the code as simple as that: NavigationStack(path: $navManager.path) { VStack { Text("Hello") } .navigationDestination(for: Route.self) { route in switch route { .... } } } .environmentObject(navManager) .environment(logic)
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Jun ’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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Jun ’25
What is the best way to design a UITabBarController (or Sidebar) combined with a UISplitViewController on iPadOS 18 and later, while avoiding memory management issues?
I'm developing an iPadOS 18+ application that uses a UITabBarController, styled as a sidebar, to serve as the primary navigation interface. This setup includes 20 different tabs, each representing a distinct section of the app. For the user experience, each tab needs to present a master-detail interface, implemented using a UISplitViewController. The goal is to allow users to navigate between tabs via the sidebar, and within each tab, access related content through the split view's list-detail pattern. The Problem: Currently, my implementation involves instantiating a separate UISplitViewController for each tab, resulting in 20 unique split view instances embedded inside the UITabBarController. While this works functionally, it leads to significant memory usage, especially after the user opens each tab at least once. The accumulation of all these instantiated view controllers in memory eventually causes performance degradation or even memory warnings/crashes on lower-end iPads. The Question: What is the best approach to implement this type of architecture without running into memory management issues? Specifically: Is there a way to reuse or lazily load the UISplitViewController instances only when needed? Can we unload or release split view controllers that haven't been used for a while to reduce memory pressure? Would a custom container controller be more appropriate than using UITabBarController in this case? Are there iPadOS 18+ best practices or newer APIs that support this kind of complex multi-tab, multi-split-view structure efficiently? Any advice on how to optimize memory usage while preserving the sidebar navigation and split view layout would be highly appreciated.
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May ’25
iOS 26 - TabView "Split" Question
Hello, I am currently trying all of the new features in iOS 26, including some of the new API's. However, there's one question I am not sure of. In the Build a SwiftUI app with the new design video, there is one section where they show off the Apple Music TabView with one section containing the tabs on the left and the search tab on the right. The scroll down feature I was able to implement. The tabs being split, I have no idea how to do that. How can I do that in SwiftUI?
Topic: Design SubTopic: General
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Jun ’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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Jun ’25
Rendering Multi-Page PDF with SwiftUI View
I have the following code that renders a one-page PDF: func render() -> URL { let renderer = ImageRenderer(content: pdfView()) let url = URL.documentsDirectory.appending(path: "filename.pdf") renderer.render { size, context in var document = CGRect(x: 0, y: 0, width: 2550, height: 3300) guard let pdf = CGContext(url as CFURL, mediaBox: &document, nil) else { return } pdf.beginPDFPage(nil) context(pdf) pdf.endPDFPage() pdf.closePDF() } return url } func pdfView() -> some View { Text("View") } How can this be modified so that it renders a PDF with more than one page?
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Some variable SF Symbols don't work.
Some SF Symbols (wifi for example) render fine with the variable. But many, mostly ones with the circle being variable, do not seem to work. The SF Symbols app shows them rendering with a variable fine. But in code it doesn't work. Am I missing something or is there a reason? var body: some View { HStack { Image(systemName: "01.circle", variableValue: 0.5) Image(systemName: "figure.wave.circle", variableValue: 0.5) Image(systemName: "wifi", variableValue: 0.5) }.font(.largeTitle) } }
Topic: Design SubTopic: General Tags:
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1.2k
Dec ’25
Need Help Moving INRx App to New Developer Account – Design Issue Blocking Submission
Hello Apple Developer Support, We initially uploaded our INRx App on a different Apple Developer account for internal testing purposes. Now, we would like to publish the same app under a new Apple Developer account for production, but we're currently facing a design-related rejection during the review process. We believe the app meets all guidelines, and there were no design issues flagged previously when submitted from the testing account. Could you please help us understand: Why the same app is now being rejected for design issues? Is there a way to resolve this while moving the app to the new account? Any advice or clarification would be greatly appreciated so we can successfully proceed with publishing. Thank you!
Topic: Design SubTopic: General
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Aug ’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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757
Feb ’25
New IOS APP Help
Hello, I am looking to develop a relationship with a developer that has experience running through the IOS build approval process. To elaborate, my team and I have designed and built a software application which is working through the Apple Developer review process to have the app approved and released to the App Store. Unfortunately, there has been some challenges, simple challenges in my eyes with our interface preventing Apple from approving our application. Happy to elaborate further. A primary problem and solution I have seen is the software build was testing solely on the iPhone but as recently directed it seem the application must be accessible on iPad as well. With this the case, I have experience some software platforms where on the ipad the interface is not displayed on the whole screen. I am looking for direction on how to implement this setup for the 1st IOS build. Another concern from Apples Developer Review team is the App Tracking Transparency kit may need to be implemented.
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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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168
Aug ’25
Xcode 26 Issue with functional of bridging header in Xcode project with both objective-c and swift
I'm in the process of add some swift code that is all objective-c. I have trouble with my actual app so I have worked on a prototype. There is what I have done Created a new Xcode project, selecting App and Objc Added a blank Swift file and accepted the generation of the -Bridging-Header. In project build setting, Yes for Defines Modules, Yes for Always Embed Swift Libraries Add appropriate .h file to Bridging header In Build Settings, in Swift Compiler - General, Bridging Header has correct path to the bridging header file Setup the single swift file in this was using @objc like this: @objcmembers class MySwiftClass: NSObject { func myMethod() { let output = ... } } When the project runs I execute in the objc ViewController: MySwiftClass *swiftObject = [[MySwiftClass alloc] init]; and get Use of undeclared identifier 'MySwiftClass'
Topic: Design SubTopic: General
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354
Oct ’25
Build Error
While build now I receive this error help me to resolve it Showing Recent Errors Only Prepare build error: Multiple commands produce '/Users/mayankjain/Library/Developer/Xcode/DerivedData/PCS_EmpApp-chsylqbxjptobeawzzckymqzagvr/Build/Products/Debug-iphonesimulator/PCS_EmpApp.app/Info.plist' note: Target 'PCS_EmpApp' (project 'PCS_EmpApp') has copy command from '/Users/mayankjain/Documents/05-NOV-2025-SWETA_IOS/PCS_EmpApp/PCS_EmpApp/xcode-out/Platforms/iOS/Info.plist' to '/Users/mayankjain/Library/Developer/Xcode/DerivedData/PCS_EmpApp-chsylqbxjptobeawzzckymqzagvr/Build/Products/Debug-iphonesimulator/PCS_EmpApp.app/Info.plist' note: Target 'PCS_EmpApp' (project 'PCS_EmpApp') has process command with output '/Users/mayankjain/Library/Developer/Xcode/DerivedData/PCS_EmpApp-chsylqbxjptobeawzzckymqzagvr/Build/Products/Debug-iphonesimulator/PCS_EmpApp.app/Info.plist' Multiple commands produce '/Users/mayankjain/Library/Developer/Xcode/DerivedData/PCS_EmpApp-chsylqbxjptobeawzzckymqzagvr/Build/Products/Debug-iphonesimulator/PCS_EmpApp.app/Info.plist'
Topic: Design SubTopic: General
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675
Nov ’25
Shadow on top of Vision OS icon
Hi guys, I've exported the images with transparency for a Vision OS icon but I still keep getting a weird shadow on the top of the icon when I focus on it. Do you guys had this issue before?
Topic: Design SubTopic: General
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1.6k
Nov ’25