Computer users have always customized the appearance to suit their tastes. Spectacular screen backgrounds, flying toasters as screen savers, individual icons and interactive eyes in the menu bar were already found on many Mac screens in the 1980s. The hustle and bustle has mostly been a thorn in the side of Apple itself. The operating systems of Macs, iPhones, iPads and Apple Watches have always placed strict limits on the design ambitions of their users. With iOS 26 and macOS 26 Tahoe et al. An unexpected change followed: From now on, users have extensive freedom to decide what app icons should look like. There are initially four different modes to choose from. The last two mentioned also have an alternative dark mode:
- standard displays icons in the usual color scheme.
- Dark is the variant for the dark mode of the operating system with a black window background.
- Transparent completely dispenses with colors; App icons are limited to white outlines and areas of varying transparency.
- Colored is similar to the transparent display, but still lets users choose a color with which app icons are tinted.
On the Mac, you select the mode in the system settings under “Appearance” in the “Icon and Widget Style” segment. On iPhone or iPad, long-tap the space between icons until they start to shake, then tap Edit. in the top left corner and select “Customize”.
The app icons can be customized on both Mac and iPhones.
Survey shows low usage
The long-established Mac news site Tidbits conducted a survey to find out how many users are taking advantage of the new possibilities. The readership’s verdict is clear: 93 percent of those who voted use “Standard” on their Mac, while six percent still use dark mode. “Transparent” brings it down to one percent. There is a little more diversity on the iPhone, but here too 88 percent prefer the standard. However, only around 250 people took part in the survey – it is questionable whether the results are really representative.
