While discussions continue over whether iOS 19 represents a revolutionary or evolutionary change in UI, there seems to be a consensus regarding app icons. It is anticipated that they will transition from the current squircles—squares with rounded corners—to purely circular shapes.
The aesthetic preference between these shapes is undoubtedly subjective. However, there is a minor concern with circular icons…
If you examine existing iPhone icons, they can generally be categorized into three types:
- A foundational square design
- A basic circular design
- No defined shape at all
To illustrate this, consider the Home and Wallet applications, which both utilize an underlying square design — their graphics predominantly occupy the squared-off area, allowing for maximal size utilization within the squircular bounds:
Conversely, certain apps feature circular graphics, such as Safari and Spotify. In this case, there are also no significant restrictions on the size of the circular design within a squircle; as shown, Apple opts to utilize most of the available area, while Spotify uses slightly less:
Lastly, some graphics simply optimize the space they occupy, lacking any intrinsic shape. The Notes and Map icons serve as prime examples of this:
If iOS 19 adopts purely circular icons, it’s clear that circular app graphics will face no limitations—these can occupy any portion of the available space as per design requirements. Likewise, graphics that fill the designated area can adapt seamlessly to any shape.
However, square graphics would need to be resized to fit within a circular form. This adjustment might make them less distinguishable at a cursory glance. This is evident with the Reddit and Slack icons depicted in our earlier mockup.
This is not to say that this presents a significant usability issue. Developers could recalibrate their icons to employ circular designs or fill the space accordingly. Nevertheless, I contend that circular icons are slightly less efficient in terms of space.
Do you prefer squircles over circles? We welcome your insights in the comments below.
