macOS 26: Developers get unwanted menu icons
In Tahoe, Apple has started placing icons next to menu items. The problem: They often don't really fit.
Examples of new icons: Small and quite arbitrary.
(Image: Rogue Amoeba Software)
Anyone opening app menus in macOS 26, aka Tahoe, will notice it immediately: Various entries are now accompanied by small icons that Apple, at least seemingly, hopes will lead to the correct entry faster. The problem: The company has implemented the feature automatically, and it's far from consistent. Furthermore, many developers have their ideas about suitable icons – or don't want them at all. Some users are also simply confused by the new flood of symbols.
Once a no-no, now mandatory
One example are the creators of audio programs like Audio Hijack, SoundSource, or Airfoil. The Rogue Amoeba team has reportedly been struggling with the new mandatory iconification for months for months. The developers believe Apple's idea contradicts long-standing traditions of its once quasi-sacred Human Interface Guidelines (HIG). Among other things, the HIG advises against using “confusing symbols” in menus. The lack of consistency in the icons (as well as comparisons with Windows) is also presented in a worthwhile collection by developer Nikita Prokopov.
Rogue Amoeba doesn't fundamentally consider icons in menus to be bad. However, they believe Apple hasn't implemented it well. The icons are very small and monochrome. Even on Retina screens, they are difficult to distinguish. “The implementation is simply not good.” Dozens of icons are now found in Rogue Amoeba's apps that they didn't want.
Automatic process with unclear rules
Apple's automatic process also struggles to recognize things correctly. For example, “Export Session” gets an upload icon, but “Export Set” does not. “Import Session” or “Import Set” have no icons at all. Fortunately, tricks to get rid of the icons again are now spreading. They have already been implemented in Rogue Amoeba apps.
It remains unclear whether Apple will suppress the very simple code in the future to achieve a consistency in the operating system that many users don't want at all. Rogue Amoeba, by the way, leaves it up to its customers whether they want the system icons in the menus or not. They can be reactivated via a debugging menu if one absolutely insists.
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