Hate iOS 26's Liquid Glass Design? Here's How to Tone It Down

[jgdeschamps]

Exactly the same reactions when Aqua came out. Not visually optimal, too bright colors, too much 3D effect, wrong colors for close, minimize and expand window buttons since they are more inline with danger and caution rather than open/close ideas, childish graphics... man, I said it before... but it's like it's 2000 all over again.
Remember it's a free beta OS this time so, you chose to go with it to give feedback at your own risk. Have comfort knowing you had to actually pay for the first Mac OS X beta with the Aqua interface.
Old man rant over. 😂
EDIT: I actually wish they tone up the Liquid Glass GUI! Like Aqua Extreme levels. I really enjoyed that over-the-top, cool and skeuomorphic interface.

 

[mblm85]

Not sure if this would mitigate your concerns, but I thought I heard this glass effect includes subtle differences in appearance as you move the phone making these look more 3D.

Interesting. If all goes well, I look forward to having a play using a late-August public beta, once the screaming stops.

 

[JohnC1959]

When one has to tweak the controls just to make it readable, then it shouldn't have been done in the first place. IMO.

I partly agree, but I know that a) this is a work in progress and Apple will likely lessen the problems and b) how well it works depends on the background image and so one might want to tweak things if they tend to noisier backgrounds like nature photos.

 

[JohnC1959]

Interesting. If all goes well, I look forward to having a play using a late-August public beta, once the screaming stops.

yep. I'll wait for the actual release. And while I suspect I'll reduce the transparency somewhat, I want to see what the final version feels like in actual use before I rush to judgement.

 

[canadianreader]

There should be frosted glass option just like in Windows 7 Aero theme or Windows Vista.

 

[skharris]

Perhaps this new look is an acquired taste but with this change, the pathetic pace at which Apple is getting AI working, there continues to make me re-evaluate going back to Android with Samsung.

 

[philosopherdog]

This UI change is ridiculous. Give us more options to turn this rubbish off. Whoever came up with this should be demoted

 

[Black Magic]

I'm sure having it mostly transparent is great IF you have a well chosen background. but if you choose a photo like many people it's going to be hard to quickly find what you want against the noise of the background photo. I strongly suspect I'll be partly reducing the transparency though I'll give it a go with full transparency for a week or so just in case Apple manages to mitigate my concerns somehow.

I'm sure Apple will throw in some stock wallpapers just to address that concern and highlight the new design language. They could go even further by installing a stock wallpaper as default during update but I'm sure that would cause an uproar.

 

[JohnC1959]

I'm sure Apple will throw in some stock wallpapers just to address that concern and highlight the new design language. They could go even further by installing a stock wallpaper as default during update but I'm sure that would cause an uproar.

They already have shown exactly that. Notice the clean look of Tahoe wallpaper vs the very textured photo of a Sequoia forest in the Sequoia version. I'm sure that's no accident

 

[JohnC1959]

Perhaps this new look is an acquired taste but with this change, the pathetic pace at which Apple is getting AI working, there continues to make me re-evaluate going back to Android with Samsung.

go for it.

 

[xizdun]

PSA:

Gentle reminder that what you're seeing is a work-in-progress and buggy software that's an early preview and not ready for prime time. People loving bashing Apple because they've got nothing better to do.

 

[klasma]

There should be frosted glass option just like in Windows 7 Aero theme or Windows Vista.

View attachment 2519142

While I'm not a particular fan of the transparency there, at least Microsoft took care to ensure a minimum contrast for text:

 

[ghostface147]

people over 45, euhhhh didn't see this icon

Biatch I see it…lol.

Funny

 

[novagamer]

I like it, I think the haters are wrong as usual and I am very afraid of what other companies who copy this but don’t get the nuances correct will wind up doing.

2 things:

1.

at 9:45 (marked), that implementation seems so wrong it might be a bug. A “hard style” for the headers works properly but you can’t have floating buttons above that layer that show the content, I’m really surprised they even put that in this video because it’s so obviously incorrect.

2. The color changing / inversion with content scrolling needs a reimplementation. They should frost the glass and not flip between light and dark, it’s too visually distracting especially when the text inverts and they need to use a similar technique to what happens when a button “raises” up etc. I think this will happen before launch.

Otherwise, bravo, I’m really looking forward to a more minimalist interface especially in Safari and more importantly what the second or third iteration of this will be once they refine it some more, like we got with the Dynamic Island which IMO is the best user interface design on a mobile device in the last decade.


This is going to go really well with future hardware, but people are sure going to lose their damn minds when desktop displays have 4 rounded corners which is absolutely coming everywhere except possibly the XDR, and even then I bet it may get that treatment too.

 

[turbineseaplane]

PSA:

View attachment 2519158

Gentle reminder that what you're seeing is a work-in-progress and buggy software that's an early preview and not ready for prime time. People loving bashing Apple because they've got nothing better to do.

Odd choice going with the Baghdad Bob meme given the point you seem to be trying to make.

 

[bhirt37]

I have lots of gripes, but my biggest is the contrast is all off. I cant read anything as well/easily as before. It makes you wonder who they tested this on? Lots of people need reader glasses. Lots of people need prescription glasses. This whole redesign feels like nobody thought/cared about actual usability. I know that cant be true, because the size/scale of Apple, but it sure feels like a bunch of 20 something with perfect eyesight created this. Plenty of old executives at apple had the chance to look at it…

I guess I need my annual eye exam earlier than normal this year.

 

[mountain.spider]

I personally do not have any issues with it like I said in a previous thread, solid color, gradients, minimal to work way better. The moment you start adding real people is when it looks a little off and funky looking either way it doesn't bother me because I don't ever use human people as my background. But it does remind me of windows Aero icons. Or whatever they were called back in the day basically translucent, almost eerie similar to this one.

 

[skiguy45]

Liquid Glass could look different by the time that iOS 26 launches to the public

Let's hope it does. This is a poorly thought out mess.

 

[jdoyle]

Hmm I hope they take on some of this feedback. First thing I felt like doing was dialling down the transparency. They should have a slide to fine tune it rather than on or off. Also being based on Vision OS I was expecting more of a frosted glass effect. This water droplet effect seems very dated to me. Like a call back to the first version of OS X.

 

[nutriousmitten]

Slapped together, and let the beta process / beta users refine it.

Not uncommon, but this change being so visual and visual interaction being a large part of the UX experience, you figured they'd have something a little bit more refined or more easily tweakable even for the first beta.

This isn't ground breaking things; Windows, Android, all have had these trial and errors sessions with UX changes like this years ago, so it does seems a bit lazy to have this rolled out with clear (pardon the pun) issues, even in a developer beta.

 

[etichi]

Don’t care for their approach. Make it a slider adjustment instead of this all or nothing option.

… I still don’t understand all the excitement over a UI change.

 

[spaxxedout]

Even if you hate the redesign (which I don’t), then getting rid of that illegible red text on gray button (think Erase All) is a win for everyone. The left alignment is also so much easier on the eyes.

 

[Kar98]

So this is the state of Apple these days? "Hate the main thing we just announced? Here's now to trash it."

2007 called, with congratulations to Apple Vista Aero Glass?

 

[klasma]

Not uncommon, but this change being so visual and visual interaction being a large part of the UX experience, you figured they'd have something a little bit more refined or more easily tweakable even for the first beta.

Yes, for something that is supposed to ship in three months, there are distressingly many things that don't seem quite though-out yet. It would be okay as an optional skin with some trade-offs.

 

[netnothing]

What is Apple’s obsession with seeing what’s behind things? This isn’t a HUD in a fighter jet. If I’m activating Control Center it’s because I want to see or engage with something. Why do I need to still have focus on what’s on the screen?

If I scroll notifications, I’d actually like to be able to read them. If I open a folder I want to see the icons clearly.

Speaking of folders, why are we still limited to 9 icons at a time in a box in the middle of the screen?