Free the Icons

Posted By: Paul Kafasis
Date: June 26th, 2026
Source: Under the Microscope (Rogue Amoeba Blog)

With the launch of MacOS 26 (Tahoe) last year, Apple essentially created a disaster regarding app iconography. However, the initial betas for MacOS 27 (Golden Gate) suggest that a recovery is underway.

We are calling on Apple to push these improvements further by enforcing uniformity restoring the freedom for MacOS app icons to possess unique, distinct shapes.

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The "Liquid Glass" Era

In the Tahoe release, Apple overhauled dozens of first-party icons to implement a style known as "Liquid Glass." This was a significant step backward, resulting in icons that felt blurry and over-simplified.

Fortunately, the newly revealed Golden Gate update has refined these visuals. For instance, the updated Automator icon is significantly crisper, having stripped away the unnecessary "Liquid Glass" clutter.

Comparison: Tahoe vs. Golden Gate

$\rightarrow$

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The Tyranny of the Squircle

Apple's mistakes in Tahoe weren't limited to their own apps. They imposed a strict shape mandate on all third-party developers, forcing every icon into a standardized squircle.

The "Icon Jail" Process

If a developer refused to conform to the squircle, Apple didn't just leave the icon alone; they "imprisoned" it.

To escape this "jail," developers were forced to redesign their branding to fit Apple's bland aesthetic. This destroyed decades of Mac history characterized by memorable, varied shapes.

Why Shape Matters

When every icon is the same shape, we lose a vital cognitive cue. We are forced to rely almost entirely on color to distinguish apps. This creates a massive usability gap:

1. Color Vision Deficiency: Users who cannot distinguish certain colors struggle to find apps.
2. Similar Palettes: Apps with similar color schemes become indistinguishable.

Mathematically, we can view the usability of an icon ($U$) as a function of its distinctiveness: $U = \text{Shape} + \text{Color} + \text{Detail}$ By removing $\text{Shape}$, Apple has drastically reduced the total $U$.

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A Call for Creativity

The prohibition of varied shapes is a regression for both usability and artistic expression. Since Apple has already shown they can fix the "Liquid Glass" mistakes and introduce tools like the opacity slider, they have the power to fix the squircle mandate.

Apple's To-Do List:

• Refine first-party icon sharpness
• Add Liquid Glass opacity slider
• $\text{Stop forcing the squircle}$
• $\text{Allow diverse icon silhouettes}$

Let's return to an era of visually stunning and diverse icons:

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Footnotes & Technicalities

The failure of the "Clear" and "Tinted" styles introduced in Tahoe is a direct result of this uniformity. As Adam Engst pointed out:

"[I]t’s nearly impossible to identify a particular app when they’re all clear or tinted squircles... My brain just shuts down when it sees them."

For those inside Apple, this specific grievance has been filed under: FB23388490 — "Third-Party App Icons Should Not Be Restricted to Apple’s Dictated Squircle Shape"

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