SwiftUI 26 Features Overview
Comprehensive guide to new SwiftUI features in iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS Tahoe, watchOS 26, and visionOS 26. From the Liquid Glass design system to rich text editing, these enhancements make SwiftUI more powerful across all Apple platforms.
Core principle From low level performance improvements all the way up through the buttons in your user interface, there are some major improvements across the system.
When to Use This Skill Adopting the Liquid Glass design system Implementing rich text editing with AttributedString Embedding web content with WebView Optimizing list and scrolling performance Using the @Animatable macro for custom animations Building 3D spatial layouts on visionOS Bridging SwiftUI scenes to UIKit/AppKit apps Implementing drag and drop with multiple items Creating 3D charts with Chart3D Adding widgets to visionOS or CarPlay Adding custom tick marks to sliders (chapter markers, value indicators) Constraining slider selection ranges with enabledBounds Customizing slider appearance (thumb visibility, current value labels) Creating sticky safe area bars with blur effects Opening URLs in in-app browser Using system-styled close and confirm buttons Applying glass button styles (iOS 26.1+) Controlling button sizing behavior Implementing compact search toolbars System Requirements iOS 26+, iPadOS 26+, macOS Tahoe+, watchOS 26+, axiom-visionOS 26+ Liquid Glass Design System For comprehensive Liquid Glass coverage, see axiom-liquid-glass skill — Design principles, implementation, variants, design review pressure axiom-liquid-glass-ref skill — App-wide adoption guide (app icons, controls, navigation, menus, windows) Overview
The new design system provides "a bright and fluid experience that's consistent across Apple platforms." Apps automatically adopt the new appearance upon recompilation - navigation containers, tab bars, and toolbars update automatically.
Key visual elements Glassy sidebars on iPad/macOS that reflect surrounding content Compact tab bars on iPhone Liquid Glass toolbar items with morphing transitions Blur effects on scroll edges Automatic Adoption // No code changes required - recompile and get new design NavigationSplitView { List { // Sidebar automatically gets glassy appearance on iPad/macOS } } detail: { // Detail view }
// Tab bars automatically compact on iPhone TabView { // Tabs get new appearance }
Toolbar Customization Toolbar Spacer API .toolbar { ToolbarItemGroup(placement: .topBarTrailing) { Button("Up") { } Button("Down") { }
// Fixed spacer separates button groups
Spacer(.fixed)
Button("Settings") { }
}
}
Prominent Tinted Buttons in Liquid Glass Button("Add Trip") { addTrip() } .buttonStyle(.borderedProminent) .tint(.blue) // Liquid Glass toolbars support tinting for prominence
Scroll Edge Effects Automatic blur on scroll edges ScrollView { // When content scrolls under toolbar/navigation bar, // blur effect automatically ensures bar content remains legible ForEach(trips) { trip in TripRow(trip: trip) } } // No code required - automatic scroll edge blur
Bottom-Aligned Search iPhone ergonomics NavigationSplitView { List { } .searchable(text: $searchText) } // Placement on NavigationSplitView automatically: // - Bottom-aligned on iPhone (more ergonomic) // - Top trailing corner on iPad
Search Tab Role
See swiftui-nav-ref skill Section 5.5 (iOS 26 Tab Features) for Tab(role: .search) patterns.
Glass Effect for Custom Views struct PhotoGalleryView: View { var body: some View { CustomPhotoGrid() .glassBackgroundEffect() // Reflects surrounding content } }
System Controls Updates
Controls now have the new design automatically:
Toggles Segmented pickers Sliders
Reference "Build a SwiftUI app with the new design" (WWDC 2025) for adoption best practices and advanced customizations.
Slider Enhancements
iOS 26 introduces major enhancements to Slider: custom tick marks, constrained selection ranges, current value labels, and thumb visibility control.
Slider Ticks API
Core Types
Type Purpose
SliderTick
var body: some View {
Slider(value: $speed) {
Text("Speed")
} ticks: {
SliderTick(0.2)
SliderTick(0.5)
SliderTick(0.8)
}
}
}
Labeled Ticks Ticks with custom labels Slider(value: $value, in: 0...10) { Text("Rating") } ticks: { SliderTick(0) { Text("Min") } SliderTick(5) { Text("Mid") } SliderTick(10) { Text("Max") } }
Dynamic Ticks with SliderTickContentForEach Iterate over values to create ticks struct TemperatureSlider: View { @State private var temp: Float = 70
var body: some View {
let stops: [Float] = stride(from: 60, through: 80, by: 5).map { Float($0) }
Slider(value: $temp, in: 60...80) {
Text("Temperature")
} ticks: {
SliderTickContentForEach(stops, id: \.self) { value in
SliderTick(value) {
Text("\(Int(value))°")
.font(.caption2)
}
}
}
}
}
Custom Data with Ticks (API Constraint)
Important SliderTickContentForEach requires Data.Element to match the SliderTick
❌ This won't compile struct Chapter { let time: Double let name: String let id: UUID }
// ERROR: Data.Element (Chapter) doesn't match SliderTick value type (Double) SliderTickContentForEach(chapters, id: .id) { chapter in SliderTick(chapter.time) { Text(chapter.name) } }
✅ Workaround: Extract values, look up labels struct ChapterSlider: View { @Binding var currentTime: Double let chapters: [Chapter] let duration: Double
var body: some View {
Slider(value: $currentTime, in: 0...duration) {
Text("Time")
} ticks: {
// Iterate over Double values, not Chapter structs
SliderTickContentForEach(chapters.map(\.time), id: \.self) { time in
SliderTick(time) {
// Look up chapter name for label
if let chapter = chapters.first(where: { $0.time == time }) {
Text(chapter.name)
.font(.caption2)
}
}
}
}
}
}
Why The API ties tick positions to slider values (BinaryFloatingPoint). The type system enforces this so ticks align correctly with the slider's value range.
Advanced Slider Initializers Full-featured slider with ticks Slider( value: $rating, in: 0...100, neutralValue: 50, // Starting point / center value enabledBounds: 20...80, // Restrict selectable range label: { Text("Rating") }, currentValueLabel: { Text("(Int(rating))") }, minimumValueLabel: { Text("0") }, maximumValueLabel: { Text("100") }, ticks: { SliderTick(20) { Text("Min") } SliderTick(50) { Text("Neutral") } SliderTick(80) { Text("Max") } }, onEditingChanged: { editing in print(editing ? "Started" : "Ended") } )
Parameters
Parameter Type Purpose
value Binding
sliderThumbVisibility Hide slider thumb for minimal interfaces struct MediaControlView: View { @State private var progress: CGFloat = 0.5
var body: some View {
Slider(value: $progress)
.sliderThumbVisibility(.hidden)
.padding(.horizontal, 16)
}
}
Visibility options
.automatic — System default (usually visible) .visible — Always show thumb .hidden — Hide thumb
Use cases
Media player progress indicators Read-only value displays Minimal UI designs where slider acts as progress view Interactive sliders where visual focus should be on track, not thumb
Note On watchOS, the slider thumb is always visible regardless of this setting.
Complete Media Player Example struct MediaPlayerControls: View { @State private var currentTime: Double = 0 let duration: Double = 300 // 5 minutes let chapters: [Chapter] = [ Chapter(time: 0, name: "Intro", id: UUID()), Chapter(time: 60, name: "Verse 1", id: UUID()), Chapter(time: 120, name: "Chorus", id: UUID()), Chapter(time: 180, name: "Verse 2", id: UUID()), Chapter(time: 240, name: "Outro", id: UUID()) ]
var body: some View {
VStack {
// Time display
HStack {
Text(formatTime(currentTime))
Spacer()
Text(formatTime(duration))
}
.font(.caption)
// Slider with chapter ticks
Slider(
value: $currentTime,
in: 0...duration,
label: { Text("Playback") },
currentValueLabel: {
if let chapter = currentChapter {
Text(chapter.name)
.font(.caption)
}
},
ticks: {
SliderTickContentForEach(chapters.map(\.time), id: \.self) { time in
SliderTick(time)
}
}
)
.sliderThumbVisibility(.hidden)
}
.padding()
}
var currentChapter: Chapter? {
chapters.last { $0.time <= currentTime }
}
func formatTime(_ seconds: Double) -> String {
let mins = Int(seconds) / 60
let secs = Int(seconds) % 60
return String(format: "%d:%02d", mins, secs)
}
}
New View Modifiers safeAreaBar Sticky bars with progressive blur struct ContentView: View { var body: some View { NavigationStack { List { ForEach(1...20, id: .self) { index in Text("(index). Item") } } .safeAreaBar(edge: .bottom) { Text("Bottom Action Bar") .padding(.vertical, 15) } .scrollEdgeEffectStyle(.soft, for: .bottom) // Alternative: .scrollEdgeEffectStyle(.hard, for: .bottom) } } }
Features
Works like safeAreaInset but with integrated blur Progressive blur (.soft) or hard blur (.hard) via scrollEdgeEffectStyle Automatically respects safe areas Bar remains fixed while content scrolls beneath
Use cases
Action bars that remain visible while scrolling Fixed controls at screen edges Bottom toolbars with scroll blur onOpenURL Enhancement Open links in in-app browser struct LinkView: View { @Environment(.openURL) var openURL
var body: some View {
let website = URL(string: "https://example.com")!
VStack {
// Old style - opens in Safari
Link(destination: website) {
Text("Open in Safari")
}
// New style - opens in-app (iOS 26+)
Button("Open In-App") {
openURL(website, prefersInApp: true)
}
.buttonStyle(.borderedProminent)
}
}
}
Key difference
Default Link opens in Safari app openURL(url, prefersInApp: true) opens in SFSafariViewController-style in-app browser Keeps users in your app Preserves navigation flow Button Roles (.close and .confirm) System-styled close and confirm buttons struct ModalView: View { @State private var showSheet = false
var body: some View {
Button("Show Sheet") {
showSheet.toggle()
}
.sheet(isPresented: $showSheet) {
NavigationStack {
VStack {}
.navigationTitle("Info")
.toolbar {
ToolbarSpacer(.flexible, placement: .topBarTrailing)
ToolbarItem(placement: .topBarTrailing) {
Button(role: .close) {
showSheet = false
}
}
}
}
.presentationDetents([.medium])
}
}
}
Features
Button(role: .close) renders as X icon with glass effect in toolbars Button(role: .confirm) provides system-styled confirmation button No custom label needed Consistent with system modals and sheets
Use cases
Modal dismissal Sheet close buttons Confirmation dialogs Native-looking dismiss actions GlassButtonStyle (iOS 26.1+) Glass button variations struct GlassButtonExample: View { var body: some View { ZStack { Image(.background) .resizable() .aspectRatio(contentMode: .fill) .ignoresSafeArea()
VStack(spacing: 16) {
Button("Clear Glass") {}
.buttonStyle(GlassButtonStyle(.clear))
Button("Regular Glass") {}
.buttonStyle(GlassButtonStyle(.glass))
Button("Tinted Glass") {}
.buttonStyle(GlassButtonStyle(.tint))
.tint(.blue)
}
.fontWeight(.bold)
.foregroundStyle(.white)
.buttonSizing(.flexible)
.font(.title)
.padding()
}
}
}
Variants
.clear — Transparent glass effect .glass — Standard glass appearance .tint — Colored glass (use with .tint() modifier)
Requires iOS 26.1+ (not available in initial iOS 26.0 release)
buttonSizing Control button layout behavior struct ButtonLayoutExample: View { var body: some View { VStack(spacing: 16) { Button("Fit Content") {} .buttonSizing(.fit) // Button shrinks to label size
Button("Stretch Full Width") {}
.buttonSizing(.stretch)
// Button expands to fill available space
Button("Flexible") {}
.buttonSizing(.flexible)
// Balanced between fit and stretch
}
.padding()
}
}
Options
.fit — Button fits label size .stretch — Button fills available width .flexible — Balanced sizing (context-dependent)
Works with
Plain text buttons Custom labels (icon + text, HStack/VStack) All button styles searchToolbarBehavior Compact search that expands on focus struct SearchView: View { @State private var searchText = ""
var body: some View {
NavigationStack {
List {
Text("User 1")
Text("User 2")
Text("User 3")
}
.navigationTitle("Search Users")
.searchable(text: $searchText)
.searchToolbarBehavior(.minimize)
.toolbar {
ToolbarSpacer(.flexible, placement: .bottomBar)
DefaultToolbarItem(kind: .search, placement: .bottomBar)
}
}
}
}
Behavior
.minimize — Search field compact when unfocused, expands on tap Similar to Tab Bar search pattern Saves toolbar space Cleaner UI when search not in use
Use cases
List/content-heavy screens Crowded navigation bars Tab bar style search on regular screens searchPresentationToolbarBehavior (iOS 17.1+) Prevent title hiding during search .searchable(text: $searchText) .searchPresentationToolbarBehavior(.avoidHidingContent)
Behavior
By default, navigation title hides when search becomes active .avoidHidingContent keeps title visible during search Maintains context while searching
Note This modifier was introduced in iOS 17.1, not iOS 26, but complements the new searchToolbarBehavior modifier.
iPad Enhancements Menu Bar Access common actions via swipe-down menu .commands { TextEditingCommands() // Same API as macOS menu bar
CommandGroup(after: .newItem) {
Button("Add Note") {
addNote()
}
.keyboardShortcut("n", modifiers: [.command, .shift])
}
} // Creates menu bar on iPad when people swipe down
Resizable Windows Fluid resizing on iPad // MIGRATION REQUIRED: // Remove deprecated property list key in iPadOS 26: // UIRequiresFullscreen (entire key deprecated, all values)
// For split view navigation, system automatically shows/hides columns // based on available space during resize NavigationSplitView { Sidebar() } detail: { Detail() } // Adapts to resizing automatically
Reference "Elevate the design of your iPad app" (WWDC 2025)
macOS Window Enhancements Synchronized Window Resize Animations .windowResizeAnchor(.topLeading) // Tailor where animation originates
// SwiftUI now synchronizes animation between content view size changes // and window resizing - great for preserving continuity when switching tabs
Performance Improvements List Performance (macOS Focus) Massive gains for large lists 6x faster loading for lists of 100,000+ items on macOS 16x faster updates for large lists Even bigger gains for larger lists Improvements benefit all platforms (iOS, iPadOS, watchOS) List(trips) { trip in // 100k+ items TripRow(trip: trip) } // Loads 6x faster, updates 16x faster on macOS (iOS 26+)
Scrolling Performance Reduced dropped frames
SwiftUI has improved scheduling of user interface updates on iOS and macOS. This improves responsiveness and lets SwiftUI do even more work to prepare for upcoming frames. All in all, it reduces the chance of your app dropping a frame while scrolling quickly at high frame rates.
Nested ScrollViews with Lazy Stacks Photo carousels and multi-axis scrolling ScrollView(.horizontal) { LazyHStack { ForEach(photoSets) { photoSet in ScrollView(.vertical) { LazyVStack { ForEach(photoSet.photos) { photo in PhotoView(photo: photo) } } } } } } // Nested scrollviews now properly delay loading with lazy stacks // Great for building photo carousels
SwiftUI Performance Instrument New profiling tool in Xcode
Available lanes:
Long view body updates — Identify expensive body computations Platform view updates — Track UIKit/AppKit bridging performance Other performance problem areas
Reference "Optimize SwiftUI performance with instruments" (WWDC 2025)
Cross-reference SwiftUI Performance — Master the SwiftUI Instrument
Swift Concurrency Integration Compile-Time Data Race Safety @Observable class TripStore { var trips: [Trip] = []
func loadTrips() async {
trips = await TripService.fetchTrips()
// Swift 6 verifies data race safety at compile time
}
}
Benefits Find bugs in concurrent code before they affect your app
References "Embracing Swift concurrency" (WWDC 2025) "Explore concurrency in SwiftUI" (WWDC 2025)
Cross-reference Swift Concurrency — Swift 6 strict concurrency patterns
@Animatable Macro Overview
Simplifies custom animations by automatically synthesizing animatableData property.
Before (@Animatable macro) struct HikingRouteShape: Shape { var startPoint: CGPoint var endPoint: CGPoint var elevation: Double var drawingDirection: Bool // Don't want to animate this
// Tedious manual animatableData declaration
var animatableData: AnimatablePair<CGPoint.AnimatableData,
AnimatablePair<Double, CGPoint.AnimatableData>> {
get {
AnimatablePair(startPoint.animatableData,
AnimatablePair(elevation, endPoint.animatableData))
}
set {
startPoint.animatableData = newValue.first
elevation = newValue.second.first
endPoint.animatableData = newValue.second.second
}
}
}
After (@Animatable macro) @Animatable struct HikingRouteShape: Shape { var startPoint: CGPoint var endPoint: CGPoint var elevation: Double
@AnimatableIgnored
var drawingDirection: Bool // Excluded from animation
// animatableData automatically synthesized!
}
Key benefits Delete manual animatableData property Use @AnimatableIgnored for properties to exclude SwiftUI automatically synthesizes animation data
Cross-reference SwiftUI Animation (swiftui-animation-ref skill) — Comprehensive animation guide covering VectorArithmetic, Animatable protocol, @Animatable macro, animation types, Transaction system, and performance optimization
3D Spatial Layout (visionOS) Alignment3D Depth-based layout struct SunPositionView: View { @State private var timeOfDay: Double = 12.0
var body: some View {
HikingRouteView()
.overlay(alignment: sunAlignment) {
SunView()
.spatialOverlay(alignment: sunAlignment)
}
}
var sunAlignment: Alignment3D {
// Align sun in 3D space based on time of day
Alignment3D(
horizontal: .center,
vertical: .top,
depth: .back
)
}
}
Manipulable Modifier Interactive 3D objects Model3D(named: "WaterBottle") .manipulable() // People can pick up and move the object
Scene Snapping APIs @Environment(.sceneSnapping) var sceneSnapping
var body: some View { Model3D(named: item.modelName) .overlay(alignment: .bottom) { if sceneSnapping.isSnapped { Pedestal() // Show pedestal for items snapped to table } } }
References "Meet SwiftUI spatial layout" (WWDC 2025) "Set the scene with SwiftUI in visionOS" (WWDC 2025) "What's new in visionOS" (WWDC 2025) Scene Bridging Overview
Scene bridging allows your UIKit and AppKit lifecycle apps to interoperate with SwiftUI scenes. Apps can use it to open SwiftUI-only scene types or use SwiftUI-exclusive features right from UIKit or AppKit code.
Supported Scene Types From UIKit/AppKit apps, you can now use MenuBarExtra (macOS) ImmersiveSpace (visionOS) RemoteImmersiveSpace (macOS → Vision Pro) AssistiveAccess (iOS 26) Scene Modifiers
Works with scene modifiers like:
.windowStyle() .immersiveEnvironmentBehavior() RemoteImmersiveSpace Mac app renders stereo content on Vision Pro // In your macOS app @main struct MyMacApp: App { var body: some Scene { WindowGroup { ContentView() }
RemoteImmersiveSpace(id: "stereoView") {
// Render stereo content on Apple Vision Pro
// Uses CompositorServices
}
}
}
Features Mac app renders stereo content on Vision Pro Hover effects and input events supported Uses CompositorServices and Metal
Reference "What's new in Metal rendering for immersive apps" (WWDC 2025)
AssistiveAccess Scene Special mode for users with cognitive disabilities @main struct MyApp: App { var body: some Scene { WindowGroup { ContentView() }
AssistiveAccessScene {
SimplifiedUI() // UI shown when iPhone is in AssistiveAccess mode
}
}
}
Reference "Customize your app for Assistive Access" (WWDC 2025)
AppKit Integration Enhancements SwiftUI Sheets in AppKit // Show SwiftUI view in AppKit sheet let hostingController = NSHostingController(rootView: SwiftUISettingsView()) presentAsSheet(hostingController) // Great for incremental SwiftUI adoption
NSGestureRecognizerRepresentable // Bridge AppKit gestures to SwiftUI struct AppKitPanGesture: NSGestureRecognizerRepresentable { func makeNSGestureRecognizer(context: Context) -> NSPanGestureRecognizer { NSPanGestureRecognizer() }
func updateNSGestureRecognizer(_ recognizer: NSPanGestureRecognizer, context: Context) {
// Update configuration
}
}
NSHostingView in Interface Builder
NSHostingView can now be used directly in Interface Builder for gradual SwiftUI adoption.
RealityKit Integration
Observable Entities
@Observable
class RealityEntity {
var position: SIMD3
struct MyView: View { @State private var entity = RealityEntity()
var body: some View {
// SwiftUI views automatically observe changes
Text("Position: \(entity.position.x)")
}
}
SwiftUI Popovers from RealityKit // New component allows presenting SwiftUI popovers from RealityKit entities entity.components[PopoverComponent.self] = PopoverComponent { VStack { Text("Next photo location") Button("Mark Favorite") { } } }
Additional Improvements Enhanced coordinate conversion API Attachment components Synchronizing animations Binding to components New sizing behaviors for RealityView
Reference "Better Together: SwiftUI & RealityKit" (WWDC 2025)
WebView & WebPage Overview
WebKit now provides full SwiftUI APIs for embedding web content, eliminating the need to drop down to UIKit.
WebView Display web content import WebKit
struct ArticleView: View { let articleURL: URL
var body: some View {
WebView(url: articleURL)
}
}
WebPage (Observable Model) Rich interaction with web content import WebKit
struct BrowserView: View { @State private var webPage = WebPage()
var body: some View {
VStack {
// Show page title
Text(webPage.title ?? "Loading...")
WebView(page: webPage)
HStack {
Button("Back") {
webPage.goBack()
}
.disabled(!webPage.canGoBack)
Button("Forward") {
webPage.goForward()
}
.disabled(!webPage.canGoForward)
}
}
}
}
WebPage features Programmatic navigation (goBack(), goForward()) Access page properties (title, url, canGoBack, canGoForward) Observable — SwiftUI views update automatically Advanced WebKit Features Custom user agents JavaScript execution Custom URL schemes And more
Reference "Meet WebKit for SwiftUI" (WWDC 2025)
TextEditor with AttributedString Overview
SwiftUI's new support for rich text editing is great for experiences like commenting on photos. TextView now supports AttributedString!
Note The WWDC transcript uses "TextView" as editorial language. The actual SwiftUI API is TextEditor which now supports AttributedString binding for rich text editing.
Rich Text Editing struct CommentView: View { @State private var comment = AttributedString("Enter your comment")
var body: some View {
TextEditor(text: $comment)
// Built-in text formatting controls included
// Users can apply bold, italic, underline, etc.
}
}
Features Built-in text formatting controls (bold, italic, underline, colors, etc.) Binding to AttributedString preserves formatting Automatic toolbar with formatting options Advanced AttributedString Features Customization options Paragraph styles Attribute transformations Constrain which attributes users can apply
Reference "Cook up a rich text experience in SwiftUI with AttributedString" (WWDC 2025)
Cross-reference App Intents Integration (app-intents-ref skill) — AttributedString for Apple Intelligence Use Model action
Drag and Drop Enhancements
Multiple Item Dragging
Drag multiple items based on selection
struct PhotoGrid: View {
@State private var selection: Set
var body: some View {
LazyVGrid(columns: columns) {
ForEach(photos) { photo in
PhotoCell(photo: photo)
.draggable(photo) // Individual item
}
}
.dragContainer { // Container for multiple items
// Return items based on selection
selection.map { id in
photos.first { $0.id == id }
}
.compactMap { $0 }
}
}
}
Lazy Drag Item Loading .dragContainer { // Items loaded lazily when drop occurs // Great for expensive operations like image encoding selectedPhotos.map { photo in photo.transferRepresentation } }
DragConfiguration Customize supported operations .dragConfiguration(.init(supportedOperations: [.copy, .move, .delete]))
Observing Drag Events .onDragSessionUpdated { session in if case .ended(let operation) = session.phase { if operation == .delete { deleteSelectedPhotos() } } }
Drag Preview Formations .dragPreviewFormation(.stack) // Items stack nicely on top of one another
// Other formations: // - .default // - .grid // - .stack
Complete Example
struct PhotoLibrary: View {
@State private var selection: Set
var body: some View {
LazyVGrid(columns: columns) {
ForEach(photos) { photo in
PhotoCell(photo: photo)
}
}
.dragContainer {
selectedPhotos
}
.dragConfiguration(.init(supportedOperations: [.copy, .delete]))
.dragPreviewFormation(.stack)
.onDragSessionUpdated { session in
if case .ended(.delete) = session.phase {
deleteSelectedPhotos()
}
}
}
}
3D Charts Overview
Swift Charts now supports three-dimensional plotting with Chart3D.
Basic Usage import Charts
struct ElevationChart: View { let hikingData: [HikeDataPoint]
var body: some View {
Chart3D {
ForEach(hikingData) { point in
LineMark3D(
x: .value("Distance", point.distance),
y: .value("Elevation", point.elevation),
z: .value("Time", point.timestamp)
)
}
}
.chartXScale(domain: 0...10)
.chartYScale(domain: 0...3000)
.chartZScale(domain: startTime...endTime) // Z-specific modifier
}
}
Features Chart3D container Z-axis specific modifiers (.chartZScale(), .chartZAxis(), etc.) All existing chart marks with 3D variants
Reference "Bring Swift Charts to the third dimension" (WWDC 2025)
Widgets & Controls Controls on watchOS and macOS watchOS 26 struct FavoriteLocationControl: ControlWidget { var body: some ControlWidgetConfiguration { StaticControlConfiguration(kind: "FavoriteLocation") { ControlWidgetButton(action: MarkFavoriteIntent()) { Label("Mark Favorite", systemImage: "star") } } } } // Access from watch face or Shortcuts
macOS
Controls now appear in Control Center on Mac.
Widgets on visionOS Level of detail customization struct CountdownWidget: Widget { var body: some WidgetConfiguration { StaticConfiguration(kind: "Countdown") { entry in CountdownView(entry: entry) } } }
struct CountdownView: View { @Environment(.levelOfDetail) var levelOfDetail let entry: CountdownEntry
var body: some View {
VStack {
Text(entry.date, style: .timer)
if levelOfDetail == .expanded {
// Show photos when close to widget
PhotoCarousel(photos: entry.recentPhotos)
}
}
}
}
Widgets on CarPlay Live Activities on CarPlay
Live Activities now appear on CarPlay displays for glanceable information while driving.
Additional Widget Features Push-based updating API New relevance APIs for watchOS
Reference "What's new in widgets" (WWDC 2025)
Migration Checklist
Deprecated APIs
❌ Remove in iPadOS 26
Apps must support resizable windows on iPad.
Automatic Adoptions (Recompile Only)
✅ Liquid Glass design for navigation, tab bars, toolbars ✅ Bottom-aligned search on iPhone ✅ List performance improvements (6x loading, 16x updating) ✅ Scrolling performance improvements ✅ System controls (toggles, pickers, sliders) new appearance
Manual Adoptions (Code Changes)
🔧 Toolbar spacers (.fixed) 🔧 Tinted prominent buttons in toolbars 🔧 Glass effect for custom views (.glassBackgroundEffect()) 🔧 Search tab role (.tabRole(.search)) 🔧 iPad menu bar (.commands) 🔧 Window resize anchor (.windowResizeAnchor()) 🔧 @Animatable macro for custom shapes/modifiers 🔧 WebView for web content 🔧 TextEditor with AttributedString binding 🔧 Enhanced drag and drop with .dragContainer 🔧 Slider ticks (SliderTick, SliderTickContentForEach) 🔧 Slider thumb visibility (.sliderThumbVisibility()) 🔧 Safe area bars with blur (.safeAreaBar() + .scrollEdgeEffectStyle()) 🔧 In-app URL opening (openURL(url, prefersInApp: true)) 🔧 Close and confirm button roles (Button(role: .close)) 🔧 Glass button styles (GlassButtonStyle — iOS 26.1+) 🔧 Button sizing control (.buttonSizing()) 🔧 Compact search toolbar (.searchToolbarBehavior(.minimize))
Best Practices Performance DO Profile with new SwiftUI performance instrument Use lazy stacks in nested ScrollViews Trust automatic list performance improvements DON'T Over-optimize - let framework improvements help first Ignore long view body updates in profiler Liquid Glass Design DO Recompile and test automatic appearance Use toolbar spacers for logical grouping Apply glass effect to custom views that benefit from reflections DON'T Fight the automatic design - embrace consistency Over-tint toolbars (use for prominence only) Layout & Spacing DO Use .safeAreaPadding() for edge-to-edge content (iOS 17+) Combine .safeAreaPadding() with Liquid Glass materials extending edge-to-edge Use .padding() for internal spacing between views DON'T Use .padding() when content extends to screen edges (ignores notch/home indicator) Manually calculate safe area insets with GeometryReader on iOS 17+ (use .safeAreaPadding() instead)
Reference: See axiom-swiftui-layout-ref skill for complete .safeAreaPadding() vs .padding() guide, or axiom-liquid-glass-ref for Liquid Glass-specific safe area patterns.
Rich Text DO Use AttributedString binding for TextEditor Constrain attributes if needed for your use case Consider localization with rich text DON'T Use plain String and lose formatting Allow all attributes without considering UX Spatial Layout (visionOS) DO Use Alignment3D for depth-based layouts Enable .manipulable() for objects users should interact with Check scene snapping state for context-aware UI DON'T Use 2D alignment APIs for 3D layouts Make all objects manipulable (only what makes sense) Troubleshooting Issue: Liquid Glass appearance not showing
Symptom App still has old design after updating to iOS 26 SDK
Solution Clean build folder (Shift-Cmd-K) Rebuild with Xcode 16+ targeting iOS 26 SDK Check deployment target is iOS 26+ Issue: Bottom-aligned search not appearing on iPhone
Symptom Search remains at top on iPhone
Solution // ✅ CORRECT: searchable on NavigationSplitView NavigationSplitView { List { } .searchable(text: $query) }
// ❌ WRONG: searchable on List directly in non-navigation context List { } .searchable(text: $query)
Issue: @Animatable macro not synthesizing animatableData
Symptom Compile error "Type does not conform to Animatable"
Solution // Ensure all properties are either: // 1. VectorArithmetic conforming types (Double, CGFloat, CGPoint, etc.) // 2. Marked with @AnimatableIgnored
@Animatable struct MyShape: Shape { var radius: Double // ✅ VectorArithmetic var position: CGPoint // ✅ VectorArithmetic
@AnimatableIgnored
var fillColor: Color // ✅ Ignored (Color is not VectorArithmetic)
}
Issue: AttributedString formatting lost in TextEditor
Symptom Rich text formatting disappears
Solution // ✅ CORRECT: Binding to AttributedString @State private var text = AttributedString("Hello") TextEditor(text: $text)
// ❌ WRONG: Binding to String @State private var text = "Hello" TextEditor(text: $text) // Plain String loses formatting
Issue: Drag and drop delete not working
Symptom Dragging to Dock trash doesn't delete items
Solution // Must include .delete in supported operations .dragConfiguration(.init(supportedOperations: [.copy, .delete]))
// And observe the delete event .onDragSessionUpdated { session in if case .ended(.delete) = session.phase { deleteItems() } }
Issue: SliderTickContentForEach won't compile with custom structs
Symptom Compile error when iterating over custom types like [Chapter]
// ERROR: Cannot convert value of type 'Chapter' to expected argument type SliderTickContentForEach(chapters, id: .id) { chapter in SliderTick(chapter.time) { ... } }
Solution
SliderTickContentForEach requires Data.Element to match the SliderTick
// ✅ CORRECT: Iterate over Double values SliderTickContentForEach(chapters.map(.time), id: .self) { time in SliderTick(time) { if let chapter = chapters.first(where: { $0.time == time }) { Text(chapter.name) } } }
Why The API enforces type safety between tick positions and slider values. This is an API design constraint, not a bug.
Resources
WWDC: 2025-256
Docs: /swiftui, /swiftui/slider, /swiftui/slidertick, /swiftui/slidertickcontentforeach, /webkit, /foundation/attributedstring, /charts
Skills: axiom-swiftui-performance, axiom-liquid-glass, axiom-swift-concurrency, axiom-app-intents-ref
Last Updated Based on WWDC 2025-256 "What's new in SwiftUI" Version iOS 26+, iPadOS 26+, macOS Tahoe+, watchOS 26+, axiom-visionOS 26+