how can i bring search bar back to top on all apps in ios26 update

Pacmanrules wrote:

I am complaining because I am a user, regardless if I am 1 of 30,000,000,000 users, and for Steve jobs, this was important... If any apple people read this please make those type of borderline important GUI changes optional. I have already posted this to apple via the link you highlighted.

Nope, none of us are Apple employees and for Apple to read your input, then you did the right thing by sending them Feedback directly. That is where your voice will be heard and has also worked in the past with the changes found in iOS 26.1. We cannot comment on the changes found in iOS 26.2 because it is still in beta, but you may have to wait and see if you find that helpful.

The points or being new to this support site is irrelevant when it comes to your views you want to express to Apple through the feedback link. The only relevance of the points is that it means they have helped other posters resolve an issue and others had also found it helpful by upvoting the post. It really means nothing more than that. I user with more points does not have any more influence on the Feedback sent to Apple, and it also does not mean they have any special or direct contacts with Apple.

I do find it odd when people bring up Steve Jobs when making some kind of claim that this would never happen under his leadership. You may not remember his famous quote that seems to apply to what you are saying. It was also just a year ago that iOS 18 was released and you can go back on this Support Site and find the same posts where people hated it and can't believe there were changes, and now, that is the one they liked the most. In fact, that is pretty typical of every update.

“Some people say, "Give the customers what they want." But that's not my approach. Our job is to figure out what they're going to want before they do. I think Henry Ford once said, "If I'd asked customers what they wanted, they would have told me, 'A faster horse!'" People don't know what they want until you show it to them. That's why I never rely on market research. Our task is to read things that are not yet on the page.”

--Steve Jobs

vdogg78 wrote:

Good for you. But many of us like it better at the top all the time. Our eyes are used to looking there, so it takes longer and feels unintuitive to find it at the bottom, especially with the barely-there low contrast of Liquid Glass. It’s an arbitrary change that users should have control over

I like it on the bottom where it is closer to the keyboard when typing. That makes much more sense to me instead of looking at the top of the screen. Apparently we differ in our opinions, so certainly send feedback to Apple and let them know how you feel.

Mac Jim ID wrote:

vdogg78 wrote:

Good for you. But many of us like it better at the top all the time. Our eyes are used to looking there, so it takes longer and feels unintuitive to find it at the bottom, especially with the barely-there low contrast of Liquid Glass. It’s an arbitrary change that users should have control over

I like it on the bottom where it is closer to the keyboard when typing. That makes much more sense to me instead of looking at the top of the screen. Apparently we differ in our opinions, so certainly send feedback to Apple and let them know how you feel.

Me too! It's one of the better changes Apple has made as far as I'm concerned.

Not quite true. While it is for windows and android, it’s not for all OS’s. Linux allows you to customise and control every aspect, if you want. It lets YOU have control, because it wants YOU use YOUR device the way YOU want.

vdogg78 wrote:

Good for you. But many of us like it better at the top all the time. Our eyes are used to looking there, so it takes longer and feels unintuitive to find it at the bottom, especially with the barely-there low contrast of Liquid Glass. It’s an arbitrary change that users should have control over

But, just as you learned to look to the top, you'll learn to look to the bottom. It may be uncomfortable for a little while but you'll get there.

Elliot_Bojko wrote:

Not quite true. While it is for windows and android, it’s not for all OS’s. Linux allows you to customise and control every aspect, if you want. It lets YOU have control, because it wants YOU use YOUR device the way YOU want.

Linux "lets you have control" like driving a waggon with 8 horses through a shopping mall herding cats. You spend all your time making the machine work and get no actual work done.

Went there for several years, gave up and got a Mac.

LD150 wrote:

Elliot_Bojko wrote:

Not quite true. While it is for windows and android, it’s not for all OS’s. Linux allows you to customise and control every aspect, if you want. It lets YOU have control, because it wants YOU use YOUR device the way YOU want.

Linux "lets you have control" like driving a waggon with 8 horses through a shopping mall herding cats. You spend all your time making the machine work and get no actual work done.

Went there for several years, gave up and got a Mac.

Can you imagine the disaster this forum would become if users could change everything on an iPhone? It would be flooded with people who made changes, but had no clue how they made changes and expect us to figure out what they did. I shudder at the thought.

lobsterghost1 wrote:

Can you imagine the disaster this forum would become if users could change everything on an iPhone? It would be flooded with people who made changes, but had no clue how they made changes and expect us to figure out what they did. I shudder at the thought.

Do you remember ResEdit? You could do all sorts of modifications to your Mac. Lots of fun until you did something you didn't quite understand and then.... hopefully, you had a good back up.

IdrisSeabright wrote:

lobsterghost1 wrote:

Can you imagine the disaster this forum would become if users could change everything on an iPhone? It would be flooded with people who made changes, but had no clue how they made changes and expect us to figure out what they did. I shudder at the thought.

Do you remember ResEdit? You could do all sorts of modifications to your Mac. Lots of fun until you did something you didn't quite understand and then.... hopefully, you had a good back up.

My Mac days didn't start until the MacBook Pro M1 was launched, so I don't remember ResEdit, but it sounds evil! Just as evil as an iPhone 100% Linux based, would be.

so was searching on how to move the search bar back up to top, and if you hold the phone in the typical position and try to type with both hands holding the phone, you will find the bar is almost always directly JUST above your finger which is very awkward to read.

This is ODD and NOT comfortable to use.

When you type & read, Your line of sight will typically JUST be inline with the TOP of the phone which where the older search bar was.

I seriously starting to doubt Apple has actually properly tested how ergonomically feasible of their newer product design is now.

search bar for one of the major one, and the "extra multi-function button" is can now accidently goes from silence to ring due to how your hand is holding it...this is another gripe for another thread.

they can just keep the search bar ACTIVE regardless how far down of the page you are in.

This search bar disappeared in Apple is just like those websites where the top task bar disappeared when you scrolled down where it should had been active at all time on the top!

imagine you are using excel and all your ribbon disappeared because you scrolled down? NIGHTMARE!

It is not a matter at all if top or bottom is better as everyone has a different, but nevertheless valid, opinion. It is very much a matter that its location at the top was the location from the beginning and I do not recollect seeing anyone ever complain about this. In other words, it wasn't broken but was certainly fixed. The issue is for many, certainly including me, after all these years with it at the top, it has now become very awkward and annoying to use and I am not at all getting used to it (as if there was some overwhelming reason to change it and need to get used to it). I believe the smart thing for Apple to have done, assuming they saw a compelling reason to change it, was to provide an option so the all important customer/user can put it where it is best for each. I have similar thoughts about the so called Liquid Glass. It just completely eludes any logic I am able to conjure up (except possibly a marketing driven change for the sake of change thing) why the crisp easy and comfortable to read text, lines, etc. now are now wiggly and see through. Why continually strive for display technology with greater resolution when you intentionally blur the text and graphics? I am seriously hoping Apple provides an option in a very near future update to return the text to it what it was previously. These two changes have negatively impacted my experience using our phones/iPads well beyond anything I would have previously guessed and that is not at all getting better with time, especially the blurry see through text.

I’m part of the disabled community and I have to hold my phone in the palm of my hands and my thumbs don’t work. So to move the phone down to access the search bar, etc will inevitably my phone will fall out of my hands. And I assume the ppl who don’t have a issue with these changes are probably much younger and can adapt to changes that seem simple and not a big deal…and the rest of us who are probably in the older generation (me 61) I never thought age would matter when I’ve been doing things for many years, but our reaction and movement is much slower and gets slower by the day. Idk if the younger generation have ever heard this phrase before ‘you can’t teach an old dog new tricks’

I also HATE HATE HATE this glass effect. I want the old way back.

id also like to know how and why my passcode now requires 6 digit when it’s been 4 digit. I can only get into my watch by opening my phone. I hope Apple comes out with an update to fix these issues!

lexigirl08 wrote:

I’m part of the disabled community and I have to hold my phone in the palm of my hands and my thumbs don’t work. So to move the phone down to access the search bar, etc will inevitably my phone will fall out of my hands. And I assume the ppl who don’t have a issue with these changes are probably much younger and can adapt to changes that seem simple and not a big deal…and the rest of us who are probably in the older generation (me 61) I never thought age would matter when I’ve been doing things for many years, but our reaction and movement is much slower and gets slower by the day. Idk if the younger generation have ever heard this phrase before ‘you can’t teach an old dog new tricks’

I also HATE HATE HATE this glass effect. I want the old way back.

id also like to know how and why my passcode now requires 6 digit when it’s been 4 digit. I can only get into my watch by opening my phone. I hope Apple comes out with an update to fix these issues!

I'm even older than lobsterghost1 with arthritic fingers. Half of the regulars here are over 70 and we do testing of new features.

Anyhow with the search bar at the bottom it should be easier, surely? In any case you move the phone up not down to reach the bottom?

I’m 56 and disabled. My daughter is 23 and fully functional with no disabilities, she’s in college full time and working part time. We both hate the new version. I especially need the old way back or the option to use the old way.

We agree with you 100%