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

[johngordon]

People have too much time on their hands if they need to complain on this ‘redesign’ which looks pretty much identical to what the system looked before. Most people won’t even notice a thing has changed, Apple has only slightly tweaked the interface and there is no need to tone anything down unless somebody have specific conditions in which case accessibility options exist for that very reason. My complain is that Apple has not been bold enough and it missed an opportunity for a much more radical redesign. If they ‘tone down’ this already very subtle changes they might as well just give up on the whole thing.

It really doesn’t look ‘pretty much identical’

 

[Mac Fly (film)]

Just why would anyone want transparent icons on a phone ?

Come on - why stop here ? Take it to the next level and reduce the brightness to 10% and add noise to all sound output.

You're giving them more ideas. Textbook Stockholm. Deny, deny, deny... fix (dopamine). Deny, deny, deny... fix (dopamine).

 

[johnsawyercjs]

People have too much time on their hands if they need to complain on this ‘redesign’ which looks pretty much identical to what the system looked before. Most people won’t even notice a thing has changed, Apple has only slightly tweaked the interface and there is no need to tone anything down unless somebody have specific conditions in which case accessibility options exist for that very reason. My complain is that Apple has not been bold enough and it missed an opportunity for a much more radical redesign. If they ‘tone down’ this already very subtle changes they might as well just give up on the whole thing.

Where some of the differences really show is when you customize the appearance of icons on home screens (press and hold on any area not occupied by an icon, then tap the Edit button that will appear in the upper left corner). This will show you the options for Default, Dark, Clear, and Tinted.

 

[Bryan Bowler]

The glass design isn’t going anywhere in 27 either.

And the last release of iOS 18 won't be leaving my phone either. Unless readability improves where I can clearly and quickly distinguish what I'm looking for, the Glass transparency look is not going on my phone.

 

[TracesOfArsenic]

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

TBF, they trashed their own OS to start with. We're trying to un-trash it.

 

[LoCarbHotrod]

I want more glass. I hope they don't cater to the complainers.

 

[antonrg]

Hate feels an unusually strong word to use for the subject matter 🤔

I like the idea of the liquid glass option very much, though its current scope of adjustment restrict it from being far more pleasant. Hopefully the level of adjustments available will expand as the beta program progresses.

Thus far, I’ve found an issue where the Lock Screen ‘extend wallpaper’ option blends with the carrier and wifi icons significantly, as shown in the snap below.

View attachment 2519139

On reflection (see what I did there), I can’t remember whether this issue presented before liquid glass, but I’m inclined to say it didn’t, as I’ve used the same extended Lock Screen wallpaper prior to liquid glass without issue. I may be wrong!

Present in iOS 18.5
I think the issue has been around for a while.

 

[adrianlondon]

And the last release of iOS 18 won't be leaving my phone either. Unless readability improves where I can clearly and quickly distinguish what I'm looking for, the Glass transparency look is not going on my phone.

I really like both iOS 18 and MacOS Sequoia. I've got my laptop and phone configured just the way I like it, and my workflow is working well for me. I've also got loads of shortcuts, and some decent Applescripts, which are working well.

I usually jump on the betas, as I like to be cutting edge, and I'll still probably upgrade to 26/Tahoe in a few weeks, but I'm keeping a close eye on all these threads to see how they develop. I'll also be ready to restore back if necessary.

 

[Boeingfan]

Present in iOS 18.5
I think the issue has been around for a while.

Ah. Thank you for confirming! Ok, well let’s hope it’s something they look into given it is an ongoing issue. I appreciate your reply.

 

[Bazza1]

Meanwhile, I'm told if you never turn on your iPhone, that will extend how long the battery can go between charges.
Consider this info another “Squirrel!" feature...

 

[webbuzz]

Both look awful.