Replacement for ToolbarItems with .bottomBar placement in iOS 26 TabView?

I believe Apple has long discouraged using a bottom toolbar together with a tab bar, as it can "make an app feel cluttered and difficult to navigate." Instead, the recommendation has been to place actions in the navigation bar, use menus or swipe gestures, or occasionally introduce a floating or modal UI element.

With the new UI changes in iOS 26, this guidance still seems to hold. I've seen some developers repurpose the search tab item as a button rather than a true tab to achieve a floating-action-style shortcut — though this is more of a creative workaround than an officially endorsed pattern.

Ultimately, it's up to you how you design your app, but I'd suggest leaning on Apple's previous advice to avoid mixing bottom bars. In any case, filing an enhancement request (or I guess waiting for someone from Apple to respond here) is a good way to get some clarity.

That's a helpful insight - thanks for taking the time to educate me on this topic ✌️

I still think it would be helpful if Apple provided a clearer way to incorporate frequent actions into the tabview.

As you pointed out, some tabs focus on search — but others might center around a different primary action. It’d be great if the UI could support that more directly.