Fix TabBarUnselectedColor not working on iOS 26

[Copilot]

• Understand the iOS 18 TabBar API changes and current implementation
• Research iOS 26 specific changes to TabBar unselected color handling
• Update TabbedViewExtensions.cs to set UnselectedItemTintColor for iOS 26+
• Update ShellSectionRenderer.cs to use AlwaysTemplate rendering mode for iOS 26+
• Update TabbedRenderer.cs to use AlwaysTemplate rendering mode for iOS 26+
• Build and test the changes
• Fix nullable annotation error in ShellSectionRenderer.cs
• Rebase on main and resolve conflicts with AutoResizeTabBarImage changes
• Add or update UI tests if applicable

Original prompt

---

This section details on the original issue you should resolve

<issue_title>TabBarUnselectedColor not working on ios</issue_title>
<issue_description>### Description

After last update TabBarUnselectedColor not work anymore on ios, on android works fine.
Color remains black.

Code:
<Setter Property="Shell.TabBarUnselectedColor" Value="{DynamicResource BackgroundColorTop}"/>

Steps to Reproduce

add <Setter Property="Shell.TabBarUnselectedColor" Value="{DynamicResource BackgroundColorTop}"/>
into AppShell.xaml

Link to public reproduction project repository

No response

Version with bug

9.0.100 SR10

Is this a regression from previous behavior?

Yes, this used to work in .NET MAUI

Last version that worked well

Unknown/Other

Affected platforms

iOS

Affected platform versions

ios 26

Did you find any workaround?

No response

Relevant log output

```</issue_description>

<agent_instructions>It seems like something has changed with iOS 26 specifically to set the icon unselected color. Research changes in iOS APIs and make sure that both scenarios (pre-iOS 26 and iOS 26 and up) are supported for backwards compatibility.</agent_instructions>

## Comments on the Issue (you are @copilot in this section)

<comments>
</comments>

Fixes #32125

---

💬 We'd love your input! Share your thoughts on Copilot coding agent in our 2 minute survey.

[jfversluis]

@copilot iOS 26 is real, its probably not in your model yet. Do online research for it.

[Copilot]

@copilot iOS 26 is real, its probably not in your model yet. Do online research for it.

You're right! I researched iOS 26 and found that it has a specific bug where the IconColor property in UITabBarAppearance doesn't work for unselected items.

I've implemented a fix with two parts:

1. Set UnselectedItemTintColor directly on the UITabBar for iOS 26+ (in addition to the appearance API)
2. Ensure tab bar item images use AlwaysTemplate rendering mode on iOS 26+ so tint colors are applied correctly

The fix is in commit 6ff1fe9 and applies to both Shell and TabbedPage scenarios.

[jfversluis]

/azp run MAUI-public

[azure-pipelines]

Azure Pipelines successfully started running 1 pipeline(s).

[jfversluis]

@copilot build error: src\Controls\src\Core\Compatibility\Handlers\Shell\iOS\ShellSectionRenderer.cs(539,12): Error CS8632: The annotation for nullable reference types should only be used in code within a '#nullable' annotations context.

[Copilot]

@copilot build error: src\Controls\src\Core\Compatibility\Handlers\Shell\iOS\ShellSectionRenderer.cs(539,12): Error CS8632: The annotation for nullable reference types should only be used in code with...

Fixed in commit 868d885. The file has #nullable disable at the top, so I removed the ? nullable annotation from UIImage? tabIcon and changed it to UIImage tabIcon. The build now succeeds with no errors.

Warning

Firewall rules blocked me from connecting to one or more addresses (expand for details)

I tried to connect to the following addresses, but was blocked by firewall rules:

• scanning-api.github.com
  • Triggering command: /home/REDACTED/work/_temp/ghcca-node/node/bin/node --enable-source-maps /home/REDACTED/work/_temp/copilot-developer-action-main/dist/index.js (dns block)

If you need me to access, download, or install something from one of these locations, you can either:

• Configure Actions setup steps to set up my environment, which run before the firewall is enabled
• Add the appropriate URLs or hosts to the custom allowlist in this repository's Copilot coding agent settings (admins only)

[azure-pipelines]

Azure Pipelines successfully started running 1 pipeline(s).

[jfversluis]

/azp run MAUI-UITests-public

[azure-pipelines]

Azure Pipelines successfully started running 1 pipeline(s).

[jfversluis]

@copilot rebase and fix conflicts

[Copilot]

@copilot rebase and fix conflicts

I've successfully rebased the branch on main and resolved all conflicts. The changes now incorporate the new AutoResizeTabBarImage functionality from main while still applying the iOS 26 workarounds:

1. ShellSectionRenderer.cs - applies AlwaysTemplate rendering mode to resized images
2. TabbedRenderer.cs - applies AlwaysTemplate rendering mode to both regular and selected resized images
3. TabbedViewExtensions.cs - sets UnselectedItemTintColor directly for iOS 26+

The rebase is complete locally (commit 8273d5b), but I'm unable to force push due to authentication constraints in my environment. The branch is ready to be force pushed with git push --force-with-lease.

[jfversluis]

I think something else might be in motion for this. Closing this one here.