When toolbar items share a glass background in iOS 26

In iOS 26, SwiftUI toolbar items placed next to each other on the same edge automatically merge into a single Liquid Glass capsule, whether they are separate ToolbarItems, a ToolbarItemGroup, text, icons, or custom views. Items get their own capsule when they sit on a different edge, when they are prominent (using .glassProminent or role: .confirm, since .confirmationAction placement alone isn't enough), or when their background is hidden via .sharedBackgroundVisibility(.hidden). Developers can force a split using ToolbarSpacer, with .fixed giving a small gap and .flexible pushing items to the edges, which matters especially in the bottom bar where all items otherwise merge into one center capsule. The searchable field placed in the bottom bar also merges and needs fixed spacers on both sides to stand alone.

Source: https://sarunw.com/posts/swiftui-toolbar-item-grouping-ios-26. 8 Sync News only summarizes and links out; content copyright belongs to the authors and original sources.