Designer criticizes macOS toggle switches as fundamentally flawed UI
Blog post argues toggle controls lack necessary affordances and should be replaced with clearer alternatives like checkboxes.
Conversation activity · last 42 hours peak 3/hr
Summary, timeline and people extracted by Claude from 38 items across 2 sources · 17h ago. Quotes are verbatim.
A designer published an essay critiquing macOS toggle switches, arguing they are poor UI controls that originated on iOS but lack the affordances needed to communicate their state clearly. The post sparked discussion about accessibility, immediate vs. deferred effects, and whether Apple's design guidelines have regressed by replacing checkboxes with toggles.
- Toggle switches lack clear state affordances: without prior knowledge, users cannot determine if a toggle is on or off without additional visual indicators.
- Accessibility features exist but aren't default: macOS has 'On/Off Shapes' that display symbols to clarify toggle state, yet this feature remains hidden in accessibility settings.
- Design regression concern: commenters argue Apple previously used indeterminate checkbox states and immediate-effect checkboxes, and the shift to toggles across macOS settings represents declining design quality.
- Toggles vs. checkboxes serve different purposes: toggles should indicate immediate effects, while checkboxes are for form submissions, but this distinction is increasingly blurred in modern UI design.
How it unfolded
-
Commenter clarifies the feature is called 'On/Off Shapes' and displays symbols (⏽ and ⭘) to indicate states, but questions why this isn't default.
“Why this isn't the default baffles me. Well, baffles is an exaggeration — I suppose it's coming from the same place that believes in invisible scrollbars and hiding access key underlines.”
twm · Lobsters ↗ -
Report Post shared on Hacker News
Same article posted to Hacker News, reaching 15 upvotes and 8 comments.
-
Reaction Comment on design regression
Commenter argues Apple is regressing by using toggles instead of the indeterminate checkbox state it previously supported.
“macOS had 'indeterminate' checkbox state for this. Apple is regressing in UI design quality.”
kornel · Lobsters ↗ -
Analysis Context on toggle use cases
Commenter explains toggles were designed for immediate-effect settings, not form submissions requiring apply buttons, and notes this may be misuse.
“In the earlier days, it was very clearly established that toggles were for things that had immediate visible effect (rather than taking effect when you submit the form), and you should otherwise use checkboxes.”
chrismorgan · Lobsters ↗ -
Top-voted comment suggests macOS 'differentiate without color' accessibility setting helps but argues it should be the default.
“There is an accessibility setting on macOS named 'differentiate without color', which does help by showing little on/off indicators on the toggles. I would go so far as to say it should be the default.”
trousers · Lobsters ↗ -
Reaction Post shared on Lobsters community
Article posted to Lobsters discussion forum, generating 93 upvotes and 26 comments.
-
Designer publishes essay titled 'Toggles Considered Harmful' arguing that toggle switches are fundamentally bad UI controls and should not exist, citing a macOS dialog with confusing four-shade-of-grey toggles.
What people are saying verbatim
“If you don't already know that 'left' means 'off' and 'right' means 'on', you have absolutely no way to tell.”
Blog author, Designer and author · ignorethecode.net ↗
“Toggles make sense in the real, physical world because of their mechanical properties. But even there, they need additional affordances to work.”
Blog author, Designer and author · ignorethecode.net ↗
“There is an accessibility setting on macOS named 'differentiate without color', which does help by showing little on/off indicators on the toggles. I would go so far as to say it should be the default.”
trousers, Lobsters commenter · Lobsters ↗ · Aug 10, 4:46 AM
“In the earlier days, it was very clearly established that toggles were for things that had immediate visible effect (rather than taking effect when you submit the form), and you should otherwise use checkboxes.”
chrismorgan, Lobsters commenter · Lobsters ↗ · Aug 10, 5:01 AM
“macOS had 'indeterminate' checkbox state for this. Apple is regressing in UI design quality.”
kornel, Lobsters commenter · Lobsters ↗ · Aug 10, 10:31 AM
“Why this isn't the default baffles me. Well, baffles is an exaggeration — I suppose it's coming from the same place that believes in invisible scrollbars and hiding access key underlines.”
twm, Lobsters commenter · Lobsters ↗ · Aug 10, 4:39 PM
Voices from the web unedited
-
There is an accessibility setting on macOS named "differentiate without color", which does help by showing little on/off indicators on the toggles. I would go so far as to say it should be the default.
-
In the earlier days, it was very clearly established that toggles were for things that had *immediate visible effect* (rather than taking effect when you submit the form), and you should otherwise use checkboxes. This is probably an abuse of toggles in this dimension. Things have got a bit less clear as more things *do* take immediate effect and…
-
1. That's a Windows design. Apple never had an "Apply" button. 2. macOS had "indeterminate" checkbox state for this. Apple is regressing in UI design quality.
-
I agree, but there are two things one should add here. 1. Almost all forms only use checkboxes with an "apply" button. It might be unexpected that merely checking or unchecking a checkbox has immediate side-effects. Be aware of that. 2. There is another reason why toggles are flawed UI elements. Suppose you click a toggle switch and enable it…
-
On iOS that switch is named "On/Off Labels". Ironically, enabling the setting "Differentiate Without Color" appears to do nothing to the toggles themselves. The only place I have noticed is an added icon to overdue reminders. For example, an unfinished reminder that was set for yesterday has a red label, "yesterday". With "Differentiate Without…
-
It's called "On/Off Shapes" (found under Settings → Accessibility → Seeing). It shows a⏽on the "on" side of the control, and a ⭘ on the "off" side. Why this isn't the default baffles me. Well, baffles is an exaggeration — I suppose it's coming from the same place that believes in invisible scrollbars and hiding access key underlines.
-
I've never heard of it. On Mac OS X checkboxes had immediate effect wherever possible. It actively avoided Windows' design of Apply button.
-
I remember when the Settings app changed to have switches everywhere to be more like the iOS version of the App, with mixed results as far as usability. [Ars Technica did a piece](https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2022/10/macos-13-ventura-the-ars-technica-review/#:~:text=%E2%80%9CIn%20general%2C%20don%E2%80%99t%20replace%20a%20checkbox%20with%20a%20s…
-
The color argument doesn't hold up. Those switches are gray because the user's system highlight color is set to Graphite. For me they're all blue when on and pale gray when off. See for yourself at System Settings, Displays, Advanced. Fool with the highlight color in Appearance.
-
In Android world, some of them requires swiping and some of them requires tapping. With checkbox, you always know the deal.