macOS Tahoe's Utility App Icons: Dead Canaries

2025-08-26
macOS Tahoe's Utility App Icons: Dead Canaries

The new utility app icons in macOS 26 Tahoe Beta 7 are drawing heavy criticism. The author argues the new icons, all using a lazy wrench motif, are objectively terrible. Only a small portion of the icon represents the app's function, the rest being dominated by a poorly designed wrench and bolt. The design is criticized for its lack of detail and poor execution, exemplified by the Disk Utility icon being simply an Apple logo. This is seen as a canary in the coal mine, indicating deeper problems with Apple's design sensibilities.

Design icon design