iOS 26 Liquid Glass Icons: The Icon Composer Workflow

What Icon Composer adds

Apple’s Icon Composer guide describes a multilayer document with platform and appearance controls. It lets you tune rendering properties without baking every effect into a flat image. It is not simply another name for an AppIcon.appiconset folder.

Keep editable layers

Prepare meaningful foreground elements separately from the rest of the artwork. Keep the original design file and name the exported layers clearly. A flattened AI image can inform the design, but does not preserve the original object boundaries needed for later editing.

Apply effects in the appropriate tool

For the Composer workflow, avoid duplicating system-rendered effects in the source artwork. Preview the composition while adjusting layer properties. Do not assume every old raster image receives a particular glass treatment or that every platform uses the same canvas.

Preview appearances

Check default, dark and monochrome treatments offered by the tool, then inspect the installed app’s available Home Screen choices. Keep the main silhouette legible across backgrounds. A good result in one mode is not proof that another mode needs no review.

Integrate with the actual target

Add the intended icon document to the project and confirm which icon source the build uses. For older deployment targets, follow the current Xcode guidance and inspect the built output on those OS versions. Do not rely on an unsourced promise that keeping two files automatically supplies the right fallback.

Where IconBundlr fits

IconBundlr can help explore a raster concept and export iOS appearance images. Its current export does not produce editable depth layers or an Icon Composer .icon document. Create and validate that layered asset separately if your release requires one.

Migration checklist

Keep the prior artwork and project configuration; prepare editable layers; check target and appearance previews; build the supported OS range; inspect the installed icon; then update store and website imagery. Do not present a new marketing screenshot as evidence that the archived binary contains the new icon.

IconBundlr export and purchase scope

IconBundlr’s native iOS export contains three 1024×1024 PNG appearance assets (light, dark and tinted) and Contents.json inside AppIcon.appiconset. Appearance processing is best-effort: if foreground extraction cannot produce a distinct variant, a slot can reuse the light artwork. Review each result in Xcode. This is an iOS asset catalog, not an Icon Composer .icon file or a complete Android, macOS, watchOS, tvOS or visionOS package.

IconBundlr is free to download, with limited free generation. Available in-app purchase options can include a renewing subscription, lifetime export access and individual-icon unlock credits. The app shows the current price, included access, renewal terms and any eligibility requirements in your storefront before purchase. A subscription is not a lifetime purchase, and an icon credit does not grant unlimited generation.

Review generated artwork before publishing. An export purchase does not guarantee originality, exclusivity, trademark clearance or App Store acceptance. Check your inputs and any third-party artwork, fonts or marks against their applicable rights and the app’s terms. Read the terms.

Frequently asked questions