Before and After: MacOS 27 Golden Gate Beta 1’s App Icons

Basic Apple Guy, back during WWDC:

WWDC always brings a torrent of new content, details, and platform-wide changes. One of the first things I noticed after installing the macOS Golden Gate beta was the updated icon design. The colours are much bolder, several icons have been adjusted, and the refraction in the Liquid Glass effect has changed significantly, especially in icons like Journal.

There’s also a noticeable sharpness to the icons, along with a flattening of the Liquid Glass effect. I’m not sure yet whether this is simply an early-beta artifact or the intended final look.

I think it’s definitely the intended look, and I like it. The changes in these app icons are all subtle, but they’re all changes for the better. I still don’t like the primitive flat shapes and mandated squircle, but at least the trend is finally moving in the right direction again.

★ Sunday, 21 June 2026