r/ios

From ios 26.5. I found the search bar being below was helpful, especially in Contact, App Store, Finder and all, I read online that Apple remove it cause people didnt like it or something? Am I the only one who actually found it helpful?
The settings and safari still have it below tho. Even apps like Telegram do. What are you guys thoughts on this?

I also wished the new WhatsApp and Reddit liquid glass update brought this too.

I recently found out about Samsung Secure Folder on Samsung phones, where you can keep apps, photos, and files in a separate locked/private space and even use duplicate apps.

Does iPhone/iOS have anything similar built in?
Or what do iPhone users usually use for private photos/apps/files?

I know about Hidden Photos and locked Notes, but that doesn’t seem as complete as Secure Folder. Curious how iPhone users handle this.

I'm on an iPhone 16 Max Pro, iOS 26.5, a couple of older iPads, and a MacBook Air, macOS 26.5. Is there any way to make sure I never see that damned Sign in With Google pop-up ever again?

Has anyone built an I-don't know-what, a spell or incantation to make that pop up go away forever?

I do not ever want to sign in with Google anywhere except at Google, and even then, only when I have to. I choose not to use Google for anything that I do not absolutely have to, and this pop-up annoys the hell out of me.

None of the suggestions I've found on the web anywhere actually work. I even installed Chrome for the sole purpose of reaching a setting that is only accessible in Chrome, and it didn't work. (Deleting Chrome now.)

I'd love a solution that works across iPhones and iPads as well, but anywhere it could be stopped is a start.

Thanks for any ideas.

Hopefully it brings stability but also it should bring what we were shown during the worldwide gaslighting conference 2024 when apple retillegence debuted.
The gulf people iPhones and Pixels is growing, the game is now software and google is steadily scoring dunk after dunk on apple. iOS isn't competing and is living on former glory. They have to get competitive on software and fast.
I personally think Tim is responsible for this decline because he prioritised shareholders over customer experience. Hopefully now that we have a new CEO in a year or two he can cause some major change but 2 to 3 years from now if ios is still stuck in 2015, I'm going to have to tap out and pick up a pixel because I'm not gonna continue paying the price that the iPhone costs for this quality of soft.
l've used every version of iOS from iOs 12 up to ios 26 so seven iterations, and only 12 and 15 were good every other one was pretty terrible. That's a 28% satisfaction rate.

It seems like we’re in a constant downward spiral with software quality and innovation.

The app is called Puplytics.

Before this project I had basically zero real coding experience. I went from not understanding app structure at all to learning React Native / Expo workflows, App Store Connect, subscriptions, AI APIs, privacy compliance, camera permissions, TestFlight builds, backend deployment, and debugging random production issues at 2am.

Honestly the hardest part wasn’t even building the app — it was getting through Apple review.

I got rejected for:
• subscription flow issues
• missing legal links
• camera permission wording
• AI consent flow compliance
• metadata problems
• purchase restore handling
• sandbox purchase behavior
• UI edge cases on iPad
…and probably more I’m forgetting lol.

The app itself is a dog wellness tracking app focused on digestive health and daily wellness tracking.

Features include:
• AI stool scan analysis
• symptom tracking
• food logging
• sleep & mood tracking
• AI wellness chat
• trend analysis
• downloadable vet reports
• multi-pet support
• reminders and history timelines

The original idea came from dealing with recurring stomach issues with my own dog and constantly forgetting what food changes or symptoms happened during vet visits.

So I basically built the app I wished existed.

The craziest part is realizing how much you can actually build now if you’re willing to learn while moving fast.

Would genuinely love feedback from other builders / vibe coders:
• UI/UX thoughts
• onboarding feedback
• feature ideas
• App Store screenshots
• monetization thoughts
• anything that feels confusing or broken

Still improving it daily. (As of right now it’s been live for about 20 minutes lol)

The app is called Puplytics on the App Store if anyone wants to roast/test it 🙏

Since I got my iPhone 17 Pro I realized that apps don’t stay open in the background at all. It’s getting really annoying, I will open YouTube then go home and open Google home then go back to YouTube and it has to reload! I heard this is due to the fact that Liquid Glass uses a lot of memory. I wonder what’s going on with older iPhones on iOS 26.

Share your experiences

I live next to a huge amusement park, so I am constantly on crowded Wi-Fi and dealing with little pains: ticket emails, map screenshots, transit passes, photo dumps, random QR codes, and so on. iOS has a bunch of separate settings like Focus, Notification Summary, Background App Refresh, cellular toggles, Mail fetch, and iCloud sync options, but they feel like a control panel you have to learn, not a single mode you can flip on.

My hot take: Apple should add a single, user-facing "Lean Mode" you can turn on for a day, a commute, a trip, or whenever you just want the phone to stop doing things in the background.

What I'm picturing for Lean Mode:

- Pauses non-essential background sync and downloads without forcing you to hunt down per-app settings

- Puts Mail on a predictable schedule or manual fetch instead of letting random push traffic through

- Freezes iCloud Photos uploads until you exit the mode or only allows uploads on trusted Wi-Fi

- Temporarily limits notifications by category, not by app, so you can silence promos or social reactions while still getting messages from people

- Lets you set an expiration time and shows a clear list of what is being limited

Last weekend my phone started uploading a huge photo dump on spotty park Wi-Fi and both my battery and data usage took a hit. This is partially about sustainability for me, less pointless network chatter and cloud churn, but mostly it is about usability. Right now the only option is to cobble together Focus modes and hope apps behave.

Would you actually use a one-toggle system mode like this, or do you prefer the current granular approach? If you would use it, what should it control and what should it never touch?