Apple Touch Icon
The apple-touch-icon is a file used by Apple's iOS and macOS operating systems to represent a website when it is added to the home screen on an iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch. This functionality enhances the user experience by allowing websites to look more like native apps when accessed from the device's home screen.
History and Evolution
Introduced by Apple in 2007 with the release of the first iPhone, the apple-touch-icon was part of Apple's effort to integrate web content more seamlessly into the iOS user interface. Initially, there was no specific icon size recommended, but over time, Apple provided guidelines for different icon sizes:
- 2007: Introduction with no specific size.
- 2010: iOS 4.2 recommended a 57x57 pixel icon.
- 2011: With the release of the iPhone 4 and its Retina display, a 114x114 pixel icon was suggested for high-resolution devices.
- 2012: Apple introduced the iPad 3rd generation with a Retina display, suggesting a 144x144 pixel icon.
- 2013: With iOS 7, the recommended size increased to 120x120 pixels for iPhone and 152x152 for iPad.
- 2014: iOS 8 introduced support for larger icons for the iPhone 6 Plus (180x180 pixels).
Usage
To implement an apple-touch-icon:
Here are some important points to note:
- If multiple icons are provided, Apple's devices will choose the most appropriate one based on screen resolution.
- If no icon is specified, iOS will attempt to use the favicon or generate one from the webpage's content.
- Apple recommends using a square icon without rounded corners or precomposed effects, as the system will apply these effects automatically.
Current Guidelines
As of the latest updates, Apple suggests using icons with the following dimensions:
- 57x57 pixels for older non-Retina devices.
- 60x60 pixels for iPhone with iOS 7+.
- 72x72 pixels for iPad with iOS 7+.
- 76x76 pixels for iPad with iOS 7+.
- 114x114 pixels for iPhone with Retina Display.
- 120x120 pixels for iPhone with iOS 7+.
- 144x144 pixels for iPad with Retina Display.
- 152x152 pixels for iPad with iOS 7+.
- 180x180 pixels for iPhone 6 Plus and later.
Apple also provides a fallback mechanism where if no icon is found, the device will attempt to use the site's favicon or generate an icon from the webpage's content.
External Links
Related Topics