Revisit Settings information architecture and section hierarchy

[muhiro12]

Priority assessment — 2026-09-29

• Owner priority: 2/5
• Final priority: 2/5
• Rationale: The Settings information architecture would benefit from cleanup, but the current structure is functional and this is not a release, security, privacy, or data-safety blocker.
• Sequencing: Defer unless a very small low-risk cleanup naturally fits before release.

Context

Cookle's Settings screen is already built with native SwiftUI List / Section semantics and MHUI chrome. The goal is to keep that native foundation, not redesign Settings into custom cards.

The current SettingsSidebarView has grown incrementally and now presents:

• subscription,
• iCloud,
• recipe-suggestion notifications,
• data management,
• Debug / Licenses / Show tips again,
• Shortcuts.

Some section boundaries and labels are historical rather than obviously task-oriented. For example, the subscribed iCloud section uses a generic "Settings" header, the subscription row is an unlabeled standalone section, and Debug/Licenses/tip reset are grouped in an unlabeled general section.

Goal

Review the Settings information architecture now that the app has grown, and make the ordering/grouping feel intentional while preserving native platform behavior.

Proposed scope

• Inventory all current Settings rows, actions, conditional states, headers, and footers.
• Group related settings by user task rather than by the order features were added.
• Re-evaluate whether subscription and iCloud belong together or should remain conditionally separate.
• Keep notification controls and their explanatory footer semantically grouped.
• Give low-frequency app/support actions (Licenses, Show tips again, Debug when enabled) a deliberate location.
• Keep Shortcuts discoverable without making it visually compete with core preferences.
• Preserve native List, Section, controls, Dynamic Type, VoiceOver order, and localization.
• Avoid changing persistence, subscription, notification, backup, or routing behavior as part of the layout cleanup.

Acceptance criteria

• The final section order and grouping have a documented rationale.
• Generic or ambiguous section labels are replaced or removed where appropriate.
• Conditional subscribed/unsubscribed states remain coherent.
• Notification and data-management sections preserve their current functional behavior.
• Debug-only controls remain available without dominating production Settings.
• iPhone and iPad Settings remain readable at representative Dynamic Type sizes.
• No custom settings-card system is introduced solely for this cleanup.

Related: #110 established broader screen hierarchy and is complete; this issue is a focused follow-up for the current Settings surface.