what's new in iOS 18 navigation stack

In iOS 18, the navigation stack has seen several enhancements, particularly in the context of UIKit and SwiftUI integrations. Here are some of the key updates:

1. Fluid Transitions: iOS 18 introduces a new zoom transition that works with both navigation and presentations. This transition is continuously interactive, allowing users to grab and drag it around from the beginning or during the transition. This feature enhances the sense of continuity in your app by keeping the visual context intact during navigation. For more details, you can check out the session What’s new in UIKit.

2. Updated Tab and Sidebar: The tab bar and sidebar have been refreshed to provide a more integrated appearance. The tab bar now shares a safe area with the navigation bar, and items from the navigation bar will automatically move to overflow if there's not enough room. Additionally, the new UI Tab and UI Tab group APIs enable apps to describe their structure to build a tab bar and sidebar, adapting for a native experience on both Mac Catalyst and visionOS. More information can be found in the session Elevate your tab and sidebar experience in iPadOS.

3. SwiftUI Updates: In SwiftUI, the new tab view syntax makes it easier to catch common errors at build time. You now declare a tab struct with a title, image, and its content view, ensuring that all tabs have the same selection type and that the type matches the tab view itself. This new syntax helps in maintaining consistency and reducing errors. This is covered in the session Elevate your tab and sidebar experience in iPadOS.

4. Customization Features: Users can now personalize the sidebar and tab bar through drag and drop. This feature allows for a more tailored user experience, enabling users to customize what's in their tab bars. This is discussed in the session Platforms State of the Union.

These updates aim to streamline the user interface and make navigation more intuitive and responsive in iOS 18.