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Apple Changes Liquid Glass Again in iOS 26 Beta 6

Crazy idea - how about an opacity slider when customising the lock or Home Screen.

They already have sliders to customise the Home Screen for the tinted icon aesthetic, is one more that lets those who struggle with transparency adjust the opacity to suit their preference really going to hurt?
 
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From Steve Troughton-Smith on Mastodon

"Liquid Glass with the break-glass-in-case-of-emergency accessibility options literally looks like an OS out of the 90s. Just stick a Platinum toolbar across the top. It feels like it would be a colossal mistake to frustrate users enough to force them to use this mode en masse, because once somebody get pushed into turning on an accessibility option like this they rarely go back"

1755019647807.png
 
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DickieSmith said:
Crazy idea - how about an opacity slider when customising the lock or Home Screen.

They already have sliders to customise the Home Screen for the tinted icon aesthetic, is one more that lets those who struggle with transparency adjust the opacity to suit their preference really going to hurt?
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ijordano said:
Ffs can they just introduce a transparency slider instead of changing the design every release?
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cocky jeremy said:
Why even have a clock if you're making it harder to read? Just put a ****ing slider in the options so we can choose the transparency we want instead of changing it literally every single update.
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Perhaps it’s not that simple? John Gruber and Jason Snell discussed it on his podcast and suggested it’s not something that could easily be done as Liquid Glass is complicated and not just a ‘skin’ that can be dialed up or down.
 
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turbineseaplane said:
From Steve Troughton-Smith on Mastodon

"Liquid Glass with the break-glass-in-case-of-emergency accessibility options literally looks like an OS out of the 90s. Just stick a Platinum toolbar across the top. It feels like it would be a colossal mistake to frustrate users enough to force them to use this mode en masse, because once somebody get pushed into turning on an accessibility option like this they rarely go back"

View attachment 2536852
Click to expand...
I assume he’s referring to macOS?
 
MacRumors said:


Apple is continuing to tweak the way that the Liquid Glass design looks ahead of the iOS 26 launch, and the latest beta makes a change to the Lock Screen.

ios-26-liquid-glass-lock-screen-beta-6.jpg

The Lock Screen clock has been updated with additional transparency, allowing more of the background to peek through.


ios-26-beta-6-liquid-glass-lock-screen.jpg

Beta 6 on left, beta 5 on right​

The clock also has more of a 3D, floating look, which is in line with the rest of the Liquid Glass design. Apple didn't change the Liquid Glass look of the control buttons, but the icons are larger. Lock Screen widgets haven't changed.


ios-26-liquid-glass-lock-screen-changes.jpg

Beta 6 on left, beta 5 on right​

With the updated floating design and added translucency, the clock can be somewhat harder to see on certain darker backgrounds, but it is definitely more of a Liquid Glass aesthetic.

Apple has been tweaking different iOS 26 design elements throughout the beta testing process as it aims to perfect Liquid Glass before the iOS 26 debut in September.

Article Link: Apple Changes Liquid Glass Again in iOS 26 Beta 6
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Liquid Glass hasn’t changed since Beta 1. This is another example of the app/system UI dev team changing which glass material etc. their app/UI uses.
 
As a UX/UI designer, I find the screenshots don’t really do it justice.

Using it on my phone(and iPad), there’s a number of other important visual hints that make it stand out from the backgrounds, hints that aren’t really captured in a screenshot. For example, how the edges of the figures have specular highlights that shift as you move the phone, delineating the numbers more clearly, and the clock moving ‘above’ and/or behind the background, and refracting the background inside the figures at the same time.

Besides, you can make it solid like it used to be with the flip of a switch in the lock screen settings, or change the thickness, or add a more contrasting color tint.

Lots of options to fit your preference, and ensure readability.
 
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eadnams said:
As a UX/UI designer, I find the screenshots don’t really do it justice.

Using it on my phone(and iPad), there’s a number of other important visual hints that make it stand out from the backgrounds, hints that aren’t really captured in a screenshot. For example, how the edges of the figures have specular highlights that shift as you move the phone, delineating the numbers more clearly, and the clock moving ‘above’ and/or behind the background, and refracting the background inside the figures at the same time.

Besides, you can make it solid like it used to be with the flip of a switch in the lock screen settings, or change the thickness, or add a more contrasting color tint.

Lots of options to fit your preference, and ensure readability.
Click to expand...

Unfortunately Apple doesn't allow downgrading, so it's hard to know how to proceed on all this.

I might have to go play with LG on devices in store or something, as I don't want to risk updating to it and hating it with no recourse.
 
turbineseaplane said:
Unfortunately Apple doesn't allow downgrading, so it's hard to know how to proceed on all this.

I might have to go play with LG on devices in store or something, as I don't want to risk updating to it and hating it with no recourse.
Click to expand...
As I said, lots of options to customize it and ensure readability, beyond even what I mentioned, those were just the low hanging fruit.
 
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