The world of SwiftUI is consistently evolving, with every replace pushing the boundaries of app growth. With iOS 18, the enhancements are each thrilling and important, set to remodel how builders interact with SwiftUI.
This information goals to discover each new characteristic and enchancment on this model, providing a complete overview of the adjustments.
The Floating Tab Bar
The Tab view in SwiftUI has been significantly enhanced with the addition of a floating tab bar. This new characteristic can seamlessly transition right into a sidebar, offering customers with an intuitive strategy to entry the total performance of an app.

On iPad, customers can now faucet a sidebar button on the tab bar to remodel the tab bar into sidebar. For builders, it’s only a line of code if you wish to help this characteristic. All you want is to set the tab view type to .sidebarAdaptable
:
struct ContentView: View {
@State var customization = TabViewCustomization()
var physique: some View {
TabView {
Tab("House", systemImage: "home.fill") {
}
Tab("Bookmark", systemImage: "bookmark.circle.fill") {
}
Tab("Movies", systemImage: "video.circle.fill") {
}
Tab("Profile", systemImage: "individual.crop.circle") {
}
Tab("Settings", systemImage: "gear") {
}
}
.tint(.yellow)
.tabViewStyle(.sidebarAdaptable)
.tabViewCustomization($customization)
}
}
As soon as the choice is about, customers can effortlessly change between a sidebar and a tab bar, enhancing navigation flexibility. Moreover, the brand new tab bar affords intensive customization. By attaching the .tabViewCustomization
modifier to the Tab view, customers can tailor the menu objects of the tab bar.
Sheet Presentation Sizing
Sheet presentation sizing is now constant and streamlined throughout platforms. Through the use of the .presentationSizing
modifier, you’ll be able to simply create sheets with ideally suited dimensions utilizing presets resembling .kind
or .web page
, and even specify customized sizes. Here’s a pattern:
struct PresentationSizingDemo: View {
@State non-public var showSheet = false
var physique: some View {
Button {
showSheet.toggle()
} label: {
Textual content("Present sheet")
}
.sheet(isPresented: $showSheet) {
Textual content("It is a fast demo of presentation sizing.")
.presentationSizing(.kind)
}
}
}
On iPad, the .kind
preset shows a smaller sheet in comparison with .web page
. Nonetheless, there isn’t a measurement distinction on iPhone.

Coloration Mesh Gradients
SwiftUI now affords intensive help for colourful mesh gradients. The brand new MeshGradient
characteristic means that you can create two-dimensional gradients utilizing a grid of positioned colours. By combining management factors and colours, you’ll be able to design all kinds of gradient results.

Under exhibits a few gradients created utilizing MeshGradient
:
struct ColorMeshDemo: View {
var physique: some View {
VStack {
MeshGradient(
width: 3,
peak: 3,
factors: [
.init(0, 0), .init(0.5, 0), .init(1, 0),
.init(0, 0.5), .init(0.3, 0.5), .init(1, 0.5),
.init(0, 1), .init(0.5, 1), .init(1, 1)
],
colours: [
.gray, .purple, .indigo,
.orange, .cyan, .blue,
.yellow, .green, .teal
]
)
MeshGradient(
width: 2,
peak: 2,
factors: [
.init(0, 0), .init(1, 0),
.init(0, 1), .init(1, 1)
],
colours: [
.red, .purple,
.yellow, .green
]
)
}
.ignoresSafeArea()
}
}
Zoom Transition
SwiftUI now has the built-in help of zoom transition. You should utilize the .matchedTransitionSource
modifier to simply render the zoom transition.

In the event you’re conversant in utilizing matchedGeometryEffect
, you may discover matchedTransitionSource
fairly comparable. Under is pattern code we wrote to create the zoom transition proven above:
struct ZoomTransitionDemo: View {
let samplePhotos = (1...20).map { Picture(identify: "coffee-($0)") }
@Namespace() var namespace
var physique: some View {
NavigationStack {
ScrollView {
LazyVGrid(columns: [ GridItem(.adaptive(minimum: 150)) ]) {
ForEach(samplePhotos) { photograph in
NavigationLink {
Picture(photograph.identify)
.resizable()
.navigationTransition(.zoom(sourceID: photograph.id, in: namespace))
} label: {
Picture(photograph.identify)
.resizable()
.scaledToFill()
.body(minWidth: 0, maxWidth: .infinity)
.body(peak: 150)
.cornerRadius(30.0)
}
.matchedTransitionSource(id: photograph.id, in: namespace)
}
}
}
}
.padding()
}
}
The matchedTransitionSource
modifier is utilized to a NavigationLink
with a particular photograph ID, designating the view because the supply of the navigation transition. For the vacation spot view, which can be an Picture
view, the navigationTransition
modifier is used to render the zoom transition.
Extra Animations for SF Symbols 6
iOS 17 launched a unbelievable assortment of expressive animations for SF Symbols. Builders can leverage these animations utilizing the brand new symbolEffect
modifier. iOS 18 pushes the SF Symbols to model 6 with a fair wider number of animated symbols for builders to make the most of of their apps.

Here’s a pattern code snippet for the brand new rotate
animation:
Picture(systemName: "ellipsis.message")
.font(.system(measurement: 300))
.symbolRenderingMode(.palette)
.foregroundStyle(.purple, .grey)
.symbolEffect(.rotate, worth: animate)
.onTapGesture {
animate.toggle()
}
On high of the rotate
animation, SF Symbols 6 additionally gives two different kinds of animation together with .wiggle
and .breathe
.
Enhancements of SwiftUI Charts
The SwiftUI Charts framework now helps vectorized and performance plots. For instance, let’s say you wish to plot a graph for the next perform:
y = x^2
You should utilize LinePlot
to plot the graph like this:
Chart {
LinePlot(x: "x", y: "y") { x in
return pow(x, 2)
}
.foregroundStyle(.inexperienced)
.lineStyle(.init(lineWidth: 10))
}
.chartXScale(area: -4...4)
.chartYScale(area: -4...4)
.chartXAxis {
AxisMarks(values: .computerized(desiredCount: 10))
}
.chartYAxis {
AxisMarks(values: .computerized(desiredCount: 10))
}
.chartPlotStyle { plotArea in
plotArea
.background(.yellow.opacity(0.02))
}
You possibly can merely present the perform to a LinePlot
to graph a perform.

The brand new model of SwiftUI delivers a robust set of latest APIs that give builders fine-grained management over their scroll views. The introduction of the onScrollGeometryChange
modifier means that you can hold observe with the state of scroll views. This new functionality allows you to effectively react to adjustments within the scroll view’s content material offsets, content material measurement, and different scroll-related properties.
This is a pattern code snippet that demonstrates how you should use this modifier to show a “Scroll to Prime” button after the consumer has scrolled down an inventory:
struct ScrollViewDemo: View {
let samplePhotos = (1...20).map { Picture(identify: "coffee-($0)") }
@State non-public var showScrollToTop = false
var physique: some View {
ScrollView {
VStack {
ForEach(samplePhotos) { photograph in
Picture(photograph.identify)
.resizable()
.scaledToFill()
.body(peak: 200)
.clipShape(RoundedRectangle(cornerRadius: 15))
}
}
}
.padding(.horizontal)
.overlay(alignment: .backside) {
if showScrollToTop {
Button("Scroll to high") {
}
.controlSize(.extraLarge)
.buttonStyle(.borderedProminent)
.tint(.inexperienced)
}
}
.onScrollGeometryChange(for: Bool.self) { geometry in
geometry.contentOffset.y
The geometry of a scroll view adjustments ceaselessly whereas scrolling. We will leverage the onScrollGeometryChange
modifier to seize the replace and show the “Scroll to high” button accordingly.
SwiftUI additionally introduces the onScrollVisibilityChange
modifier for views inside a scroll view. This modifier means that you can detect when a specific view turns into seen and carry out particular actions in response.

Suppose we’ve got a Rectangle
view on the finish of a scroll view and we wish to set off a coloration change animation solely when this view comes into view. We will use the onScrollVisibilityChange
modifier to detect when the view turns into seen and when it goes off-screen.
Rectangle()
.fill(coloration)
.body(peak: 100)
.onScrollVisibilityChange(threshold: 0.9) { seen in
withAnimation(.linear(length: 5)) {
coloration = seen ? .inexperienced : .blue
}
}
You now have the power to design customized resizable controls, like buttons and toggles, which could be positioned within the Management Middle or on the lock display. Controls are a brand new sort of Widget that which are simple to construct with App Intents.
To create a management widget in Management Middle, you undertake the ControlWidget
protocol and supply the implementation. Here’s a pattern code offered by Apple:
struct StartPartyControl: ControlWidget {
var physique: some ControlWidgetConfiguration {
StaticControlConfiguration(
form: "com.apple.karaoke_start_party"
) {
ControlWidgetButton(motion: StartPartyIntent()) {
Label("Begin the Occasion!", systemImage: "music.mic")
Textual content(PartyManager.shared.nextParty.identify)
}
}
}
}
We are going to additional look into management widgets in a separate tutorial.
A brand new Combine Modifier for Coloration
Now you can mix two totally different colours to create your required hue by utilizing the brand new combine
modifier. Right here is an instance:
VStack {
Coloration.purple.combine(with: .inexperienced, by: 0.3)
.body(peak: 100)
Coloration.purple.combine(with: .inexperienced, by: 0.5)
.body(peak: 100)
Coloration.purple.combine(with: .inexperienced, by: 0.8)
.body(peak: 100)
}
Merely present the combine
modifier with the colour to mix and the mix ratio. SwiftUI will then generate the brand new coloration based mostly on these parameters.

Visible Results for Textual content
Now you can prolong SwiftUI Textual content views with customized rendering results by adopting the TextRenderer
. Here’s a pattern textual content renderer:
struct CustomTextRenderer: TextRenderer {
func draw(structure: Textual content.Structure, in context: inout GraphicsContext) {
for line in structure {
for (index, slice) in runs.enumerated() {
context.opacity = (index % 2 == 0) ? 0.4 : 1.0
context.translateBy(x: 0, y: index % 2 != 0 ? -15 : 15)
context.draw(slice)
}
}
}
}
struct TextAnimationDemo: View {
var physique: some View {
Textual content("What's New in SwiftUI")
.font(.system(measurement: 100))
.textRenderer(CustomTextRenderer())
}
}
By implementing the draw
technique, you’ll be able to customise the visible impact of every character.

Abstract
The iOS 18 replace introduces a number of serious enhancements to SwiftUI. This tutorial affords a concise introduction to among the new options. For extra complicated options, we shall be creating detailed, standalone tutorials to completely discover their functions and advantages. Remember to keep tuned for these upcoming in-depth guides.