SwiftUI-Backports

✨ A lightweight way to use the latest SwiftUI modifier APIs while gracefully supporting older iOS versions.

Solving the N-1 Problem

Every fall, a new version of iOS ships with shiny new SwiftUI APIs. However, a lot of apps will continue to support the last version of iOS (i.e., N-1). That often leads to code that looks like this:

if #available(iOS 26.0, *) {
    SomeView().glassEffect()
} else {
    SomeView()
}

Multiply that across your entire codebase, and suddenly you’re tangled in #available checks and duplicated code.

The Solution

This project offers a simple Backport type that lets you use new SwiftUI APIs with a fallback — without cluttering your UI code.

• ✅ Write modern SwiftUI code that reads cleanly
• ✅ Seamlessly backport newer iOS modifiers to earlier versions
• ✅ No more nested if #available blocks
• ✅ Just one Swift file — easy to drop in and maintain

It’s based on Dave DeLong’s elegant approach to backwards compatibility in Swift. Definitely read that before diving in.

Example

Instead of writing:

if #available(iOS 26.0, *) {
    MyView().glassEffect()
} else {
    MyView()
}

You can write:

MyView()
    .backport.glasseffect()

And the Backport type handles the fallback internally. Since iOS version checks occur at compile time, you aren't hit with SwiftUI performance penalities from if/else checks. Here, the left side is using a thin material, while the right uses a glass effect on iOS 26 and above:

Installation

Swift Package Manager (Recommended)

You can add this repo as a dependency in Xcode:

1. Open your project.
2. Go to File > Add Packages…
3. Enter the URL: https://github.com/superwall/iOS-Backports
4. Choose the latest version and add it to your app target.

Then, import the package:

import Backport

struct MyView: View {
    var body: some View {
        AwesomeView()
            .backport.glassEffect()
    }
}

Manual

Just copy the Backport.swift file into your project. That’s it.

Backported Modifiers

iOS Version	Modifier	Description
iOS 18.0	presentationSizeForm()	Applies .presentationSizing(.form)
iOS 18.0	zoom(sourceID:in:)	Applies a zoom navigation transition
iOS 18.0	matchedTransitionSource(id:in:)	Marks a view as a matched transition source
iOS 18.1	imagePlayground(_:completion:)	Presents an image playground sheet
iOS 26.0	glassEffect(_:in:isEnabled:)	Applies a glass effect
iOS 26.0	glassEffect(_:in:isEnabled:fallback:)	Glass effect with fallback for unsupported OS
iOS 26.0	glassButtonStyle()	Applies the glass button style
iOS 26.0	glassEffectTransition(_:isEnabled:)	Animates glass transitions
iOS 26.0	glassEffectID(_:in:)	Tags glass views for matched animations
iOS 26.0	backgroundExtensionEffect()	Extends background beyond safe areas
iOS 26.0	scrollEdgeEffectStyle(_:for:)	Customizes scroll view edge effects
iOS 26.0	scrollEdgeEffectDisabled(_:for:)	Disables scroll edge effects
iOS 26.0	symbolColorRenderingMode(_:)	Sets symbol image rendering mode
iOS 26.0	symbolVariableValueMode(_:)	Sets variable value rendering mode

Contributing

Got a new SwiftUI modifier you'd like to backport? Open a PR or file an issue — contributions are welcome!

License

MIT

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Made with ❤️ by Superwall