Rogue Amoeba urges Apple to let macOS app icons use distinctive shapes again after Tahoe’s squircle mandate

Paul Kafasis says Apple’s macOS 26 Tahoe icon redesign made app icons blurrier and forced third-party developers into a uniform squircle shape. He argues early macOS 27 Golden Gate betas improve Apple’s own Liquid Glass icons, but Apple should also restore freedom for third-party icon shapes.

The critique highlights a broader tension between platform-wide visual consistency and developer identity. If Apple relaxes the icon rules, it could signal a modest retreat from rigid design mandates and help preserve the Mac’s long-standing culture of expressive app branding.