So people expressing their opinion that doesn't agree with yours is considered negative? I hate to break it to you but the world isn't your little bubble. The comments on here are people's opinions, just like you have yours and they will never 100% be what you want them to be.
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Apple Announces All-New 'Liquid Glass' Software Redesign Across iOS 26 and More
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Of course.
But anyone who has ever been the de-facto tech support for an extended family knows that most people don't understand what they are doing on their phone and it doesn't take too long for them to paint themselves into a corner with settings.
Even with many of the "accessibility" features turned on right now today, some things are still really hard to see: like the teeny 'back' arrow at the top left that often disappears into the background even with "reduce transparency" and "button shapes" is on.
If this level of new transparency in Liquid Glass is what it is being advertised at - they *really* need to make sure there are good options to reduce it or turn it off.
This stuff is really hard to see sometimes if you have bifocal/progressive glasses, or its bright outside, or you have sunglasses on, or you're in a moving vehicle, or ...
I am really glad many people see these things as not a problem. Good for you!
But too much transparency doesn't make the phone _easier_ for *anyone* - it just simply looks cool.
Personally, ever since iOS 7, I loved the flat design. So I like this new design as well. Can't wait to use it on my iPhone 15 Pro Max
I wonder with this Liquid Glass UI change, it could a potential preview of a return of 3-D Touch on a future iPhone model, now that the technology won't need a significantly thicker screen to implement it?
There are so many people on here that are angry at others for not loving this ugly design. I swear if apple released the ugliest, most bug ridden software, some fan boys and girls would still gush all over it and say it's amazing. Pretty incredible.
I'm colorblind. It was already hard enough to distinguish things with the transparency in Sequoia. This literally throws people with disabilities under the bus and talks about how beautiful it looks. I miss when Apple would include functionality instead of just brag about how attractive their operating systems are.
I really expected the glass look to also extend to things like the traffic light buttons, confirmation buttons and progress bars. But they’re still as flat and dull as ever. Here’s hoping those will be updated next year.
It really looks nothing like Aqua.
There’s a “Reduce Transparency” toggle in Settings that gets rid of most transparency on both macOS and iOS. Use it if you’re experiencing said issues.
I’m trying to learn not to jump in with both feet with an opinion until I’ve experienced something or seen more of it.
It’s not an easy thing for me to do. I usually have an immediate (over)reaction, which I later come to regret 🙈.
Therefore, the jury is still out!
It’s not an easy thing for me to do. I usually have an immediate (over)reaction, which I later come to regret 🙈.
Therefore, the jury is still out!
I do use that, but it's disappointing that I have to go in and set additional settings like that, when macOS used to be usable without such changes.
I just hope it works well in the new OS.
Don't underestimate the ability of octogenarians to accidentally set arbitrary settings. Thank god for FaceTime screen sharing!
Personally I think everything but Graphite is extremely distracting but I understand that’s not the case for everyone. As such I also have no issue spending like ten seconds to change the accent color on a new system setup once in a blue moon to something that does work for me. I see no real point in being disappointed by something that can be so easily addressed.
Agreed. Apple does tend to make a big point out of Accessibility so right now I have no real reason to think otherwise.
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Certainly it is a step backwards aesthetically, philosophically and even when it comes to basic accessibility.
I admit it’s probably a big engineering feat to achieve this and have a material that is aware of its surroundings like that. But it doesn’t feel like the proper way or place to use it.
Everything is glowing with an outline and fighting for attention while the previous OS materials perfectly did the job of elevating content where separation was needed (and did it in a much less obtrusive way) and proving contrast (and also did that better).
Home screen folders and the dock are a good example of this. Currently, attention is drawn towards the dock and folder’s glowing edges and highlights. While before the material did its job to provide separation beautifully by drawing not attention to itself but by focusing the eye on the content it holds.
The result now is a scattered and inconsistent look that feels toyish, cheap and distracting at best and opens the door to potential accessibility problems at worst. It feels and acts as a worse experience, designed not with clear UX philosophy but to flex an engineering muscle. Ideally the OS disappears and lets the content through but this OS is now shining and fighting for attention on top of the content.
It’s clear that designing for play and delight is becoming important for Apple though giving elements a certain physicality such as the dynamic island but I think things can be flat and less obtrusively separated while still preserving the sense of play and physicality this new UI provides.
It’s a good system material to have up your sleeve but philosophically it should only be used on the topmost of elements but not as the background of containers that themselves nest more of this bordered shiny glass. Notifications are such a container, so are folders and it is just distracting.
Imo - it should get matte throughout and less shiny. Or in short - get reverted to the old system materials as they make much more sense in every single way.
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I think it is hard for people to be empathetic, to realize that not everyone shares their same experiences and situations.
In this example - for people with great young eyesight, it may be a beautiful design language. Those people have never had to struggle just to see a UI component they need to tap.
Just like many people have never been an immigrant, or never lived outside their birth gender, or been in a school shooting, or lived in a community that is being bombed regularly...
Humans just tend to kind of have a mentality that everyone's life and situation works just like theirs does.
Best we can do here is assume good intent.
I hope people are not actually angry over this silly of a thing, and it is just simply the fact that these discussion threads make it hard to convey actual emotion and whatnot - so people here are maybe just sharing their thoughts in friendly ways and hopefully not really angry at the others.
Man, these screen shots people are posting....
Looks truly terrible. I have to think that some tweaking is going to be done.
Looks truly terrible. I have to think that some tweaking is going to be done.
I was all for a redesign, even à la VisionOS… but I didn’t expect this!
I’m sorry to say that it actually looks quite ugly. All the reflections, the drooling colors, the deformations… It looks so busy and amateurish IMO. Like a bad and wonky jailbreak theme.
There is quite some tweaking to be made.
I was hoping for a sleek and classy frosted glass not unlike some parts of the current OSs but more global like within VisionOS. Instead we have this Y2K liquid thing which seems really gimmicky and already very dated.
Very surprised they chose that path.
And all that just to distract everybody from their AI failure. What a mess.
I’m sorry to say that it actually looks quite ugly. All the reflections, the drooling colors, the deformations… It looks so busy and amateurish IMO. Like a bad and wonky jailbreak theme.
There is quite some tweaking to be made.
I was hoping for a sleek and classy frosted glass not unlike some parts of the current OSs but more global like within VisionOS. Instead we have this Y2K liquid thing which seems really gimmicky and already very dated.
Very surprised they chose that path.
And all that just to distract everybody from their AI failure. What a mess.
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This doesn't seem like a radical new iOS, but more of a big theme update making everything transparent or "liquid".
iOS needs a major revamp, it sucks compared to stock Android or Pixel UI. Even with the new "Liquid glass" update it's still the same cluttered ugly outdated iOS.
Even the app icons are the same, I thought with iOS 26 Apple would create all brand new fully redesigned new app icons with a different shape and style. But nope.
iOS needs a major revamp, it sucks compared to stock Android or Pixel UI. Even with the new "Liquid glass" update it's still the same cluttered ugly outdated iOS.
Even the app icons are the same, I thought with iOS 26 Apple would create all brand new fully redesigned new app icons with a different shape and style. But nope.
How does this throw people off the bus when the existing icons will still be around? And do we even know what the accessibility options will be?
The beta literally just came out today and the handwringing is already insane.
This cracked me up - LOL
Another one ... I don't know what's worse ... the fact this exists in the UI, or the fact they highlight it like it's a positive.
You can't even read what's going on.
This seriously feels like April fools.