iOS App Design Guidelines for 2025

15 Min Read • Aug 18, 2025

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Tapptitude

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There’s a lot to consider when designing an iOS app for 2025. It’s not enough to make something that looks dazzling (though that certainly helps). You also need to focus on delivering a stellar user experience (UX) and an intuitive interface that makes your app easy to use.

In this guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know about iOS app design guidelines for 2025. Let’s start by understanding the core principles of Apple’s very own Human Interface Guidelines (HIG).

Core principles: Apple’s Human Interface Guidelines (HIG)

Apple’s Human Interface Guidelines (HIG) serve as a reference point for developing and designing user-friendly, high-quality iOS apps. They encompass essential considerations to ensure your app functions properly and delivers a seamless user experience.

The four main pillars of the HIG are:

Clarity: iOS apps should be clean, precise, and uncluttered, with a limited number of elements to prevent confusion. Developers need to provide clear, recognizable instructions, symbols, and icons.

Consistency: Apps need to be consistent, with standard UI elements and visual cues. They should be familiar to users accustomed to Apple’s design conventions.

Deference: UI elements shouldn’t distract users from the essential content. Users should be able to see which elements are the most important.

Depth: Designers need to use layers, shadows, and motion to create a clear hierarchy within the interface. This complements deference to guide the user’s attention and add context to designs.

iOS 26: the Liquid Glass Design language

In 2025, Apple introduced a significant visual overhaul known as Liquid Glass, marking its most significant visual redesign since 2013. This new design language emphasizes translucency, depth, and fluid responsiveness across all major Apple platforms, including iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS 26, watchOS 26, and tvOS 26. It aims to unify the look and feel of interface elements and devices, making them consistent across various window sizes and displays.

Key features of Liquid Glass:

Translucent Elements: UI components now feature rounded, translucent elements with the "optical qualities of glass" (including refraction), which react to motion, content, and inputs.

Dynamic Interactions: Elements adapt dynamically to light and content, simulating real-world glass effects.

Unified Aesthetic: The design language aims to bring a unified, modern aesthetic to the Apple ecosystem, reflecting a comprehensive evolution in the user interface experience across devices.

Updated iPhone Screen Sizes

When designing for iOS 26, it's crucial to consider the latest iPhone screen sizes to ensure your app's UI is optimized for all devices. Here's an updated table of screen sizes by device:

iPhone ModelDimensions (pt)
iPhone 16 Pro Max440 x 956
iPhone 16 Plus, 15 Pro Max, 15 Plus, 14 Pro Max430 x 932
iPhone 14 Plus, 13 Pro Max, 12 Pro Max428 x 926
iPhone 11 Pro Max, 11, XS Max, XR414 x 896
iPhone 8 Plus, 7 Plus, 6 Plus, 6S Plus414 x 896
iPhone 16 Pro402 x 874
iPhone 16, 15 Pro, 15, 14 Pro393 x 852
iPhone 14, 13 Pro, 13, 12 Pro, 12390 x 844
iPhone 13 Mini, 12 Mini, 11 Pro, XS, X375 x 812
iPhone SE (3rd gen), SE (2nd gen), 7, 6, 6s375 x 667
iPhone 5, 5s, 5c, SE320 x 568
iPhone 4, 4s320 x 480
iPhone 1, 2, 3320 x 480

Note: 'pt' stands for points—a simpler method than pixels for calculating element dimensions across iOS devices.

It's advisable to design for the smallest screen size your target audience would realistically be using. Your design can often scale down (e.g., from a 440pt screen to a 390pt screen), but scaling up may not be as effective.

Navigation and UI elements

Navigation remains a cornerstone of iOS app design. With the introduction of Liquid Glass, UI elements now feature a more dynamic and responsive design. For instance, toolbars and other elements on-screen are no longer pinned to the device's bezels; instead, they appear as floating elements that adapt based on context.

Key navigation components

Status Bar: Displays essential information like battery life, data coverage, and Wi-Fi connectivity.

Tab Bars: Allow users to quickly navigate between the app’s main areas.

Navigation Bars: Enable users to move through the app’s hierarchy and often contain a back button.

Search Bars: Let users search for specific queries, typically represented by a magnifying glass icon.

Modal Sheets: Provide additional options or allow users to complete actions without leaving the current view.

Typography and color

Typography and color remain vital in creating a cohesive and accessible user experience. With the advent of Liquid Glass, it's essential to ensure that text remains legible against dynamic backgrounds.

Typography:

System Font: Apple's San Francisco remains the recommended font for iOS.

Standard Style: The default text size is 17pt, with options to adjust weight and color for emphasis.

Color:

Consistency: Maintain consistent use of colors throughout the app to signify actions and statuses.

Contrast: Ensure sufficient contrast between text and background to maintain readability, especially with the translucent elements introduced by Liquid Glass.

App icons

App icons now adopt a new clear look that allows the background to use the Liquid Glass material in a light or dark tint, making it appear transparent.

Design Tips:

Simplicity: Keep the design simple and avoid excessive details.

Color Palette: Use a striking color palette, but limit to 2-3 colors.

Avoid Text: Refrain from including text in the icon to maintain clarity at smaller sizes.

Additional considerations

Accessibility: Implement features to ensure your app is accessible to everyone, including those with disabilities. Ensure text is legible and offer effective color contrast as a baseline. Depending on your app, consider integrating voiceovers and captions for media.

Animation: Simple animations provide feedback and show users that their actions are having an effect. Consider visual movements and motions when users change screens.

Gestures: Offer familiar gestures like swiping, dragging, pinching, and tapping to enhance interactivity.

Differences between iOS and Android App design

While both platforms share some design principles, there are notable differences:

Core Values: Apple's HIG emphasizes simplicity, minimalism, clarity, and consistency, whereas Google's Material Design Guidelines prioritize visual appeal and responsive interactions.

Typography: Apple follows strict, consistent typography guidelines, while Android offers more flexibility.

Screen Sizes: Apple's reliable screen sizes make it easier to predict how an app will look to the end user. Android has a wider variety of screen sizes and devices, making testing more challenging.

Shadows: Apple's HIG recommends a flat design, while Google's Material Design often uses shadows.

Date Pickers: Apple uses three scrolling wheels for day, month, and year when users choose a date, whereas Android uses a conventional calendar.

Tools and resources for iOS app design

To assist in your design process, consider utilizing the following resources:

  • Apple Design Resources: Access official Apple design templates, icon production templates, color guides, and more.
  • SF Symbols: A library of over 6,900 symbols designed to integrate seamlessly with San Francisco, the system font for Apple Watch.
  • Icon Composer: A tool to create layered icons out of Liquid Glass from a single design for iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch.
  • Our guide to integrating machine learning into iOS apps with Core ML.
  • The complete guide to iOS in-app purchases

Need more support? Want to build an iOS app that makes an impact? Tapptitude can help. We design, build, and develop digital products that deliver. Find out more about our iOS development services or contact us today to get your project underway. 

FAQs about iOS App design guidelines

How should I handle dark mode?

Dealing with dark mode can be a scary prospect for iOS designers. The biggest tip we can give is to stick to clear contrasting colours and designs. Aside from that, remember to test your app in light and dark mode separately. Oftentimes the best way to ensure accessibility is through trial and error. 

What are the guidelines for creating Android apps?

Google’s Material Guidelines set the standard for creating Android apps. These guidelines are much looser and more flexible than Apple’s HIG, with a greater focus on intuitive navigation and visuals. 

What is iOS coded in?

iOS is mainly coded in Objective-C. This is a superset of C. It has some similarities to C++ but with some extra features. The language is fully supported by Apple.

Tapptitude

Tapptitude

Tapptitude is a mobile app development company specialized in providing high-quality mobile app development services, and a top-rated app company on Clutch.