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iOS 26 Liquid Glass Design Copied by Android Smartphone Maker
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They did not copy the refraction effect where the “glass” distorts the background. That made Liquid Glass look new to me.
Another swarm of opinions that completely miss the technical aspects of Liquid Glass. It's not just transparency.
Tap a button and it morphs into dropdown or a window. That's the brilliance of it, way beyond just a theme.
Android in a nutshell - been happening since the original iPhone was released.
And here we have the dilemma... if Apple sticks to the same-ol' design, people complain that they aren't "innovating". If Apple introduces sometime brand new, people complain about that. Just can't win.
Hint: Turn on "Increase Contrast" to temper the effects of Liquid Glass.
Maybe somewhere, but there ain't gonna be any Windows PCs near me!
I'm loving the work that Apple is doing, except for the ongoing train towards "Subscription Hell".
And you know the best part? They actually added a slider to change the effect to your own liking!
Haven’t you heard that complete originality does not exist? Nothing is created in isolation and everything is a variation on a theme and inspired by something that already exists or came before. Like how in the past 8 years or so the 90’s has come back hard but with a Gen-Z twist.
It’s all good man. We keep mixing our paint and tey new combo’s.
Except that there's no Liquid Glass in that UI at all, it's just frosted blur (introduced way back with iOS 7). The whole point of Liquid glass is the refraction effects near the edges of elements in the UI.
Anyone that looks closely can see that this copycat is missing that completely. So they're just copying general style, shapes and colors.
Anyone that looks closely can see that this copycat is missing that completely. So they're just copying general style, shapes and colors.
In a strange way this is simpler and works better.
Liquid Glass warps the background image imitating the way light bends and refracts through rounded glass.
This appears to be much simpler. A blurred translucent layer with a slight bevel at the edges to give the appearance of depth. It is much simpler for graphics processing and much simpler to implement as a design language. But because it is more of a flat 'frosted-glass' type effect it actually achieves greater usability/readability.
I like liquid glass, but it's too extreme in its first implementation and trying to show off how cleaver it is. I suspect just as I found iOS 7 too jarring with later versions of iOS slightly toning down the effect just a little, I suspect iOS 27 and beyond will subtly dial back the effect and find a better balance. At least I hope so.
Liquid Glass warps the background image imitating the way light bends and refracts through rounded glass.
This appears to be much simpler. A blurred translucent layer with a slight bevel at the edges to give the appearance of depth. It is much simpler for graphics processing and much simpler to implement as a design language. But because it is more of a flat 'frosted-glass' type effect it actually achieves greater usability/readability.
I like liquid glass, but it's too extreme in its first implementation and trying to show off how cleaver it is. I suspect just as I found iOS 7 too jarring with later versions of iOS slightly toning down the effect just a little, I suspect iOS 27 and beyond will subtly dial back the effect and find a better balance. At least I hope so.
I find it ironic that, because Liquid Glass has transparency, people claim it rips off older Android or even Windows Vista when at the time Windows Vista and early Android was seen to be ripping off Apple's Aqua design language from early OSX.
Design is cyclical. It's the same outside of software and technology. In the late 2010s an updated interpretation of Mid-Century Modern was the big thing in interior design and now interior design trends are seeing a revival of Post-Modernism. In the 90s baggy clothes and lots of denim was popular, in the 00s skinny was the trend and now we're seeing oversized fits making a come back.
What keeps design 'new' is that it isn't a complete copy of the previous version, it it heavily influenced by the past but adds new concepts and ideas over time. Liquid Glass is obviously reminiscent of the period that saw Apple's Aqua design language and the glass layers of Windows Vista, but it adds to it and is a modern interpretation.
I was first very excited about iOS 26, but then learned it is the same old 💩 but wrapped in a “new” branding, literal iOS 18 but worse.
Microsoft meanwhile was on the backseat of design ever since Windows 8 dropped, I still remember how mad were people about tiles and no classic start menu. Their designs are awful in terms of user experience. And Apple copies everything from them now, even fugly settings app. Sad days, sad state of tech. Well, at least these NPCs are saving me money cause I am not even inclined to get any new product anymore, only if necessity strikes (if something breaks for example)
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Hmm so maybe we can hope for “20 years anniversary collectors’ edition” from Microsoft in 2026?🤔
Like Windows 12 Aero.
Would be cool if they do it better than Apple. Looking thru the years Vista and 7 were not too bad in terms of design
Liquid glass is unfortunately not innovation, it is same old flat abomination. I expected full-blown skeuomorphic return but instead they have added even more microcontrast in UI. Interface is so cluttered that it feels I am using old touchscreen Nokia, nothing similar to simplicity of old Apple.
So yeah, Apple is not innovating at all. This is barely a skin on top of already bad design that aged poorly.
Apple was telling “you will get used to it” in 2013. Well, I still cannot get used to it! Ever since then I use my iPhone like a dumbphone - take a photo, go to Safari to access a website, write a message in messenger, launch ChatGPT, that’s it… I no more care about which wallpaper I have or how good my icons are, because they are bad ever since iOS 7. Also I no more download apps because most apps use that design philosophy. I mean I have lots of apps installed but use just 3-4.
Also competitors nowadays offer much better options. Their cameras are better, their UI is also flat but somehow more usable, though the app flawlessness will never be on the level of iOS.
But what I had noticed is lots of bugs in iOS. New iPhones work as slow as old ones, lots of glitches and such. I’ve been using 16 Pro from time to time and honestly, how people don’t feel that? It works as slow as my 11 Pro, maybe a bit more smooth because of 120Hz display (which doesn’t even work in 120Hz constantly like 60Hz displays)
It's also rubbish, and makes life harder in terms of readability at pretty much every juncture, but aside from that, yeah, it's awesome.
This is literally all they had to do to appease everyone.
I say 'all'. I don't know what technical challenges that would cause but it should have been a given. But you have to do everything the Apple way, or not at all.