iOS 15 Per-App Transparency Settings

Apple introduced granular visual customization in iOS 15 through the Per-App Settings menu located in Accessibility. This feature allows users to configure the "Reduce Transparency" toggle on an application-by-application basis, eliminating the need to apply contrast and opacity changes across the entire operating system.

The Per-App Settings Feature

Prior to iOS 15, the "Reduce Transparency" toggle was a global setting found under Display & Text Size. Enabling it replaced translucent backgrounds, blurred interface elements, and floating menus with solid, opaque colors across every app and system interface.

In iOS 15, Apple decoupled this requirement by introducing Per-App Settings. Within this menu, you can customize display accessibility options—including transparency, text boldness, button shapes, and motion effects—for specific apps while leaving your global preferences untouched.

How to Configure Per-App Transparency

To set custom transparency levels for a specific application:

  1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone running iOS 15 or later.
  2. Scroll down and tap Accessibility.
  3. Scroll to the bottom of the page and select Per-App Settings.
  4. Tap Add App and select the specific app you want to customize from the list. You can also select Home Screen to adjust the home screen interface independently.
  5. Tap the newly added app to open its dedicated customization menu.
  6. Select Reduce Transparency and choose your preferred setting:
    • Default: Inherits the system-wide setting.
    • On: Forces opaque backgrounds and removes blur effects in this app only.
    • Off: Maintains standard transparency and blur effects in this app, even if the system-wide Reduce Transparency toggle is turned on.

Visual Impact

Setting Reduce Transparency to "On" for a specific app replaces translucent navigation bars, tab bars, and overlay sheets with solid, opaque backgrounds. This increases contrast and improves text legibility for users who struggle with visual clarity in specific app layouts without altering the design of the rest of iOS.