Apple Hides Clarus the Dogcow in iOS 27
Apple has placed its classic Clarus the Dogcow icon as a hidden Easter egg in the new iOS 27 Liquid Glass settings.
Updated on Nov. 8, 2026 in Dogs
Clarus the Dogcow, a long-running Apple Easter egg dating to the early Macintosh era, has been hidden in iOS 27 and can be reached through the Liquid Glass appearance settings on iPhone and iPad. The discovery revives a nostalgic icon that was removed from Mac printing dialogs when Mac OS X arrived in 2000.
Why it matters
The hidden feature gives long-time Apple users a playful link to the company's early design history and rewards users who explore system settings. It also signals that Apple continues to keep legacy character details within its modern software.
Clarus the Dogcow was first drawn in 1983 by Susan Kare for the Cairo dingbat font and was enlarged in 1986 by Apple designer Annette Wagner for the LaserWriter's Page Setup dialog. It was removed from that screen when Mac OS X arrived in 2000, and its sound is "Moof!".
The players
Susan Kare
Susan Kare is a graphic designer best known for creating many of the original icons and fonts for the early Apple Macintosh, including the Cairo dingbat font.
Annette Wagner
Annette Wagner is an Apple designer who enlarged the Dogcow illustration in 1986 for the LaserWriter's Page Setup dialog.
Apple
Apple Inc. is a multinational technology company based in Cupertino, California, known for the Macintosh, iPhone, and iPad product lines.
The details
In iOS 27, users can open Settings, go to Appearance and then Liquid Glass, then pull the preview upward past the bottom. Continuing to scroll reveals "Moof!" in the simulated search box, and dragging further displays a 3D render of Clarus the Dogcow.
Timeline
1983: Susan Kare creates Clarus as a dingbat illustration.
1986: Annette Wagner enlarges the Dogcow for the LaserWriter Page Setup dialog.
2000: Clarus is removed from Page Setup when Mac OS X arrives.
November 8, 2026: Coverage of the iOS 27 Easter egg is published.
Legacy Icons
The iOS 27 Easter egg revives Clarus, a character first drawn for the 1980s Cairo dingbat font and later shown in the LaserWriter Page Setup dialog before Mac OS X removed it. Its return on modern iPhones and iPads links current software to the original Macintosh design era.
Users who update to iOS 27 can find the Dogcow by navigating to Settings, Appearance, and Liquid Glass and pulling the preview upward. The feature requires no extra download and takes only a few seconds to reach.
The takeaway
The hidden Dogcow shows how small design details from early computing can persist in modern software for users willing to explore. Checking settings menus may reveal similar touches across other Apple features.
Further reading
For more on canine-themed culture, browse our Dogs section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Cult of Mac.
