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Apple’s iOS 26 introduces the tabBarMinimizeBehavior API in SwiftUI, allowing developers to control how a tab bar behaves during user interactions. This article explains the TabBarMinimizeBehavior options and demonstrates how to implement the API in a SwiftUI application.

Overview of tabBarMinimizeBehavior

The tabBarMinimizeBehavior modifier sets the minimization behavior for a TabView. When minimization is triggered, the tab bar reduces to a single tab and shifts to the left, freeing up space for content. The behavior is defined by the TabBarMinimizeBehavior type, which provides four static properties:

• automatic: Adjusts behavior based on the platform. On iOS, iPadOS, tvOS, and watchOS, the tab bar remains visible. On visionOS, it minimizes when the user looks away. On macOS, it minimizes when window space is limited.
• onScrollDown: Minimizes the tab bar when the user starts scrolling downward. This is supported only on iPhone.
• onScrollUp: Minimizes the tab bar when the user starts scrolling upward. This is supported only on iPhone.
• never: Prevents the tab bar from minimizing under any condition.

These options allow developers to tailor the tab bar’s behavior to the application’s needs and platform constraints.

Implementing tabBarMinimizeBehavior

The tabBarMinimizeBehavior modifier is applied to a TabView to specify how the tab bar should respond to user actions. Below is an example of a TabView configured to minimize the tab bar when scrolling downward:

import SwiftUI

struct ContentView: View {
    var body: some View {
        TabView {
            Tab("Tab 1", systemImage: "text.bubble") {
                content
            }
            
            Tab("Tab 2", systemImage: "heart") {
                content
            }
            
            Tab("Tab 3", systemImage: "gear") {
                content
            }
        }
        .tabBarMinimizeBehavior(.onScrollDown)
    }
    
    private var content: some View {
        List(0...100, id: \.self) { id in
            Text(id.description)
        }
    }
}

#Preview {
    ContentView()
}

In this example, the TabView contains three tabs, each displaying a scrollable list. The .onScrollDown behavior ensures that the tab bar minimizes when the user scrolls downward on an iPhone, reducing to a single tab and moving to the left to prioritize content visibility.

Conclusion

The tabBarMinimizeBehavior API provides a way to control tab bar minimization in SwiftUI. By selecting an appropriate behavior, developers can balance content visibility and navigation accessibility in their applications.