iOS 26 is disappointing, but the camera app is worth learning from for all manufacturers.

After the release of iOS 26, whether it's the brand - new Liquid Glass, the extremely poor readability, or the frequently stuttering animations, they have all sparked intense public controversy.

This situation is very similar to what happened when iOS 7 was released in 2013.

However, unlike the flat - design which was widely adopted later, the emergence of Liquid Glass quickly received a response from the Android camp:

Don't follow.

One of the reasons is the complexity of technical implementation. But more fundamentally, Android manufacturers have now developed their own design philosophies and have the confidence to say no to Apple's new design.

However, there is an app whose design concept has unexpectedly gained cross - camp review value and may even become one of the few models that all manufacturers should calm down and learn from in the whirlpool of controversy - the camera.

This simple camera is Apple's unity of knowledge and action

Let's first take a look at what the redesigned camera in iOS 26 looks like.

The new design truly returns most of the screen area to the viewfinder, minimizing visual interference.

The mode switcher at the bottom has also been greatly simplified. By default, only the two most frequently used core options, photo and video, are left, making it more direct and less error - prone for users to switch between the most basic shooting modes.

As for the derivative photography modes such as portrait and panorama, or the derivative video modes such as slow - motion and cinematic effects, they are cleverly placed on both sides of the photo and video options. You can simply slide the switcher sideways to call them up.

It's worth mentioning that when you need to adjust settings, the relevant controls no longer occupy the fixed black areas at the top and bottom of the screen as they did in iOS 18 and earlier. Instead, they are overlaid on the screen in the form of semi - transparent glass floating windows that fit the overall style of Liquid Glass.

At the same time, the shortcut controls in the upper - right corner have also changed the previous complex logic of the camera app. Important controls such as the flash and night mode are placed in the front, while controls with lower adjustment frequencies such as the countdown and aspect ratio are moved to the secondary menu, making everything clear at a glance.

If we use two words to summarize this new camera app, it's "simple". There are no complex options, no duplicate icons. Except for the most prominent shutter button, everything else gives way to the viewfinder.

This "simplicity" is not without a trace or a random attempt. There is a document on the Apple official website that plays a crucial guiding role.

In Apple's Human Interface Guidelines (HIG*), there are two principles that are fundamental:

• Clarity: Every element in the camera interface is designed to be self - explanatory. It uses the SF Symbols system that users are already familiar with to ensure that the icons (such as zoom and flash) have clear meanings and are easy to understand without any learning curve. The interface layout has a clear visual hierarchy, placing the most important information and controls in the most prominent positions;
• Deference: The design itself should not distract the user but support the user's tasks. This is also the essence of the iOS 26 camera design. The UI elements are designed to be neutral and restrained, stepping back actively and giving the visual focus entirely to the content in the viewfinder. This concept aims to make technology invisible and allow users to focus on the subject being photographed rather than the operating tool itself.

It can be said that the current home screen of the iOS 26 camera is the result of greatly simplifying the information complexity of the main operating interface according to the two principles of clarity and deference, strictly following this document that guides design and interaction.

Those additional modes or less - frequently used controls mentioned earlier are handled by Apple using the "progressive disclosure" strategy. They only appear when needed, rather than constantly occupying the user's attention with high - density information.

The beauty of this design philosophy lies in that it cleverly hides complexity and only presents it when you really need it, thus greatly reducing the cognitive load of using the camera app in daily life. You won't be surrounded and overwhelmed by a screen full of options.

It's worth mentioning that since the new camera design uses Liquid Glass, the icon of the entire camera app has also been upgraded accordingly. The SF Symbols 7 icon library* released at WWDC25 is another key factor in supporting the design details of the new camera app.

As a core resource deeply integrated with Apple's entire ecosystem design language, this update of SF Symbols 7 brings revolutionary animation functions, richer visual expressiveness, and a series of intelligent improvements. It provides developers and designers with unprecedentedly powerful tools to create more vivid and intuitive user experiences in the new - generation operating systems such as iOS 26, iPadOS 26, and macOS Tahoe 26.

Its core highlights are concentrated in four aspects: Draw Animations, Variable Draw, Gradients, and Enhanced Magic Replace. In addition, the new version also includes hundreds of new symbols and further expands localization support.

All the icons used in the camera interface come from this unified SF Symbols 7 library, ensuring high recognition and system consistency.

Combining the icons with the design and the new interaction methods, the camera interface of iOS 26 is the most concrete manifestation of Apple's unity of knowledge and action after the release of the Liquid Glass design language and the iOS 26 developer preview.

After looking at the new design and interaction of the camera app, let's return to the beginning of the topic. Why do I say that such a "simple" camera app is worth learning from for all manufacturers?

Mobile imaging: Make as few choices as possible

The camera, as the main carrier of photography for nearly two hundred years since its inception, has undergone full - fledged development and competition.

After entering the digital age, various camera manufacturers have launched a variety of models to meet the different professional needs of different user groups.

Take Sony for example. It has the relatively balanced M series, the high - pixel R series, and the video - focused S series

In contrast, mobile photography has a much shorter history, but its popularity is unprecedentedly wide - everyone uses a mobile phone, which means everyone can take photos.

The popularization of the right to photography and the photography - using population has greatly reduced the professional nature of mobile photography. Its primary task is to serve daily users who far outnumber professional groups.

What these users need is not a camera with extremely high parameters such as high dynamic range, high resolution, and deep color depth that can shoot 8K 120p lions under the stars on the African savannah. Instead, they need a mobile phone that can record the desired moments with the fastest speed, highest efficiency, and most concentrated attention.

The goals of speed, efficiency, and concentrated attention, which sound quite modern, coincide perfectly with the "decisive moment" proposed by the photography master Henri·Cartier·Bresson more than seventy years ago. He defined it as:

The simultaneous recognition of the meaning of an event and the precise geometric composition that can accurately express this meaning in an instant.

This concept can also perfectly summarize the essence of mobile photography in today's digital age - capturing those constantly passing and irreproducible moments in daily life. In other words, those moments you want to record right away.

The moments you want to record are as precious as these world - famous masterpieces

But when I pick up my phone, there are so many modes in front of me: photo, portrait, night mode, high - pixel, professional mode, long - exposure...

Although these aren't particularly important choices (as long as you don't use long - exposure for portrait shots, it won't affect the final image), this momentary pause is like a small pebble in your shoe. It doesn't prevent you from walking, but it's always annoying.

As mobile phones gain more and more functions, this contradiction becomes more and more prominent:

When I want to record my family and pick up my phone, I need to think about whether to switch to portrait mode. When facing a busy street, I need to decide whether to use long - exposure or the dedicated long - exposure mode. And most of the time, I can hardly tell the difference between the automatically popped - up night mode and the separately - separated night mode.

From this perspective, a complex interface full of menus, sliders, and options is the enemy of these precious moments. It forces you to think about the tool itself before pressing the shutter, thus interrupting the emotional connection and intuitive reaction between the photographer and the subject being photographed.

Of course, in the competition of mobile imaging, manufacturers have painstakingly equipped mobile phones with more powerful hardware and smarter algorithms, and the functions are increasing. This is a good thing. But along with it, users also have to do more, make more judgments and choices, which is not a good thing.

Therefore, the best mobile imaging is to make as few choices as possible.

This article is from the WeChat public account "ifanr" (ID: ifanr), author: Zhou Yizhi. It is published by 36Kr with permission.