This is not intended to be a serious debate - just something i've always been curious about. Do a lot of people still think that the default gloss added by Xcode looks good? I notice so many new apps coming out still have this gloss effect and I can't understand why. I've always thought (this is just a personal opinion of course) that it kind of made the icon look cheap and ugly. Also, I just glanced over the top 100 paid/free apps and the vast majority don't use this effect - it seems to be an outdated look to me. Any thoughts on this? I'd like to hear some pro-gloss opinions :) Of course, I guess there's a chance I'm the only one who focuses on such insignificant details

I look at it this way... sometimes I make a not so good looking icon, and on those days, it gets glossed, makes my imperfections look... faded :-) But I must admit, I still like the gloss, sometimes it get's in the way, sometimes it works out, really 50/50 here, glad it's an option. Def interested in what others think? Good topic! Cheers, David https://buzztouchmods.com

Sometimes it works (like Twitter), and sometimes it doesn't (like Facebook [they ditched the gloss]). It's 50/50. My apps don't work very well because they are actual photos, but some graphics look good with gloss.

From Apple point of view it is an attempt to icon standardisation. I am actually surprise that they make it optional. Visually, I agree with MrDavid and Annandale Apps it depends on the icon used. In my view it is actually NOT a detail, the icon is the first think people see about your app. It might be a slight exaggeration but it might be the difference between having a download or not (in competitive markets anyway). My personal opinion is that the gloss doesn't make the icon look better but it gives it a native feel. Cheers, Farcat

Yeah, I guess that's a good point...I notice that every Apple app still uses the effect so I guess they still feel the same way