Issue: #34083 - [iOS26] Shell.ForegroundColor is not applied to ToolbarItems
PR: #34085 - [iOS 26] Fix for Shell ForegroundColor not applied to ToolbarItems
Author: SyedAbdulAzeemSF4852 (Syncfusion partner contributor)
Platforms Affected: iOS 26, MacCatalyst 26 (not Android/Windows)
Labels: platform/ios, area-controls-toolbar, version/iOS-26, community ✨, partner/syncfusion

Prior Agent Review

A prior agent review was found at commit 6c05a8f7f5f344c98e8d626d71d66493194a7dde (current HEAD). Key findings from prior review:

• Gate failed — test snapshots appear to have been captured while the bug was present, causing tests to pass both with and without the fix
• Missing TintColor = null reset case when ForegroundColor is cleared at runtime
• Code readability concern (negated condition) — minor style only

Issue Summary

On iOS 26, Apple's LiquidGlass redesign changed how UINavigationBar.TintColor propagates to bar button items — it is no longer automatically inherited. As a result, Shell.ForegroundColor set at the Shell or Page level no longer applies the specified color to ToolbarItems on iOS 26+.

Root Cause

Apple changed the behavior of UINavigationBar.TintColor propagation in iOS 26 as part of the LiquidGlass redesign. Previously, setting TintColor on the navigation bar would automatically propagate to bar button items. Starting with iOS 26, this propagation no longer happens automatically.

Fix Description

Added UpdateRightBarButtonItemTintColors() method in ShellPageRendererTracker.cs that:

• Only runs on iOS 26+ or MacCatalyst 26+
• Explicitly iterates over NavigationItem.RightBarButtonItems and sets TintColor on each item
• Reads ForegroundColor from CurrentPage first, then falls back to the Shell level
• Called from UpdateToolbarItems(), HandleShellPropertyChanged, and OnPagePropertyChanged

Files Changed

Fix files:

• src/Controls/src/Core/Compatibility/Handlers/Shell/iOS/ShellPageRendererTracker.cs (+32 lines)

Test files:

• src/Controls/tests/TestCases.HostApp/Issues/Issue34083.cs (+32 lines, new)
• src/Controls/tests/TestCases.Shared.Tests/Tests/Issues/Issue34083.cs (+24 lines, new)

Snapshot images:

• src/Controls/tests/TestCases.iOS.Tests/snapshots/ios-26/VerifyShellForegroundColorIsAppliedToToolbarItems.png (new)
• src/Controls/tests/TestCases.iOS.Tests/snapshots/ios/VerifyShellForegroundColorIsAppliedToToolbarItems.png (new)

Reviewer Comments

Copilot automated review flagged 2 issues:

Fix Candidates

Result: ❌ FAILED
Platform: ios
Mode: Full Verification

Test Results

Analysis

The Gate verification failed because the test passes both with and without the fix. The reference snapshot files (ios-26/VerifyShellForegroundColorIsAppliedToToolbarItems.png and ios/VerifyShellForegroundColorIsAppliedToToolbarItems.png) appear to have been captured while the bug was still present (showing the default system tint color, not purple).

When the fix is reverted, the UI matches the reference snapshot (buggy state = default color), causing the test to pass. This means the test does not effectively catch the regression.

Conclusion

⛔ Gate FAILED - The test snapshots were captured showing the buggy state (toolbar items with default system tint color, not purple). The snapshots need to be re-taken after the fix is applied and verified working (showing purple toolbar items).

Fix Candidates

Exhausted: N/A - try-fix was skipped because Gate failed (tests pass regardless of fix state)

Reason for skip: The reference snapshots in the PR were captured while the bug was present (showing default system tint, not purple). Since VerifyScreenshot() compares against those snapshots, the test passes both with and without the fix. Running try-fix would produce unreliable/misleading results.

Selected Fix: PR's fix — The code approach is directionally correct (pending fixes noted in the Report). The fix correctly targets the iOS 26+ behavior change with the right method calls.

⚠️ Final Recommendation: REQUEST CHANGES

Summary

PR #34085 addresses a real iOS 26 regression where Apple's LiquidGlass redesign broke UINavigationBar.TintColor automatic propagation to bar button items. The fix approach (explicitly setting TintColor per item for iOS 26+ and MacCatalyst 26+) is directionally correct. However, there are two issues that need to be addressed before merge:

1. Critical: Test snapshots captured with bug present — Gate verification confirms tests pass both with and without the fix, meaning the reference snapshots show the buggy state (default tint, not purple). Tests provide false confidence.
2. Functional: Missing TintColor reset when ForegroundColor is cleared at runtime — If a user sets then clears Shell.ForegroundColor, the toolbar items will retain the previously-set TintColor instead of reverting to the system default.

Root Cause

On iOS 26, Apple's LiquidGlass redesign changed how UINavigationBar.TintColor propagates to bar button items — it is no longer automatically inherited by UIBarButtonItem instances. Previously, MAUI relied on UIKit to propagate the navigation bar's TintColor to individual UIBarButtonItem instances. Starting with iOS 26, this propagation must be done explicitly by the app.

Code Review Findings

🔴 Test Snapshots Captured in Buggy State (High)

Files:

• src/Controls/tests/TestCases.iOS.Tests/snapshots/ios-26/VerifyShellForegroundColorIsAppliedToToolbarItems.png
• src/Controls/tests/TestCases.iOS.Tests/snapshots/ios/VerifyShellForegroundColorIsAppliedToToolbarItems.png

Problem: Gate verification confirmed tests pass both WITH and WITHOUT the fix applied. The reference snapshots show the toolbar items in the default system tint color (the buggy state), not in purple. As a result, VerifyScreenshot() passes whether or not the toolbar items are purple — the test doesn't verify the fix is working.

Fix required: Delete the existing snapshots and re-run the test suite on iOS 26 with the fix confirmed working (toolbar items must appear purple/in the configured ForegroundColor). The new snapshots captured from a passing state will serve as the correct baseline.

🔴 Missing TintColor Reset When ForegroundColor is Cleared (Medium)

File: src/Controls/src/Core/Compatibility/Handlers/Shell/iOS/ShellPageRendererTracker.cs

Problem: UpdateRightBarButtonItemTintColors() only sets TintColor when foregroundColor is a Color. If the user removes/unsets ForegroundColor (sets to null), the TintColor on existing bar button items is never reset — the previous color will persist permanently.

// Current code - missing the null/reset case
if (foregroundColor is Graphics.Color shellForegroundColor)
{
    var platformColor = shellForegroundColor.ToPlatform();
    foreach (var item in rightItems)
    {
        item.TintColor = platformColor;
    }
}
// Missing: else branch to reset to system default

Fix required:

if (foregroundColor is Graphics.Color shellForegroundColor)
{
    var platformColor = shellForegroundColor.ToPlatform();
    foreach (var item in rightItems)
    {
        item.TintColor = platformColor;
    }
}
else
{
    foreach (var item in rightItems)
    {
        item.TintColor = null; // Reset to system default
    }
}

🟡 Code Readability: Negative Condition (Low)

File: ShellPageRendererTracker.cs, line ~470

The negated early-return condition makes intent slightly less clear:

// Current
if (!(OperatingSystem.IsIOSVersionAtLeast(26) || OperatingSystem.IsMacCatalystVersionAtLeast(26)))
{
    return;
}

Consider using a positive guard block for readability. Minor style concern only — functionally correct as-is.

✅ Looks Good

• iOS 26+ version guard is correct — early return on pre-26 ensures no behavior change for older iOS versions
• Property change hooks are comprehensive — UpdateRightBarButtonItemTintColors() is called from UpdateToolbarItems(), HandleShellPropertyChanged, and OnPagePropertyChanged
• ForegroundColor fallback chain is correct — checks CurrentPage first, then falls back to Shell level (consistent with existing UpdateLeftToolbarItems() pattern)
• MacCatalyst 26+ included — correctly applies to both iOS 26+ and MacCatalyst 26+
• TEST_FAILS_ON_ANDROID && TEST_FAILS_ON_WINDOWS — this IS the correct standard pattern for iOS-only tests in this codebase (10+ existing tests use it). Automated reviewer concern is incorrect.
• PR title and description are accurate and include the required NOTE block.

Issues to Address