Why do all these articles never recommend Reduce Motion, as I've posted before, Reduce Motion keeps transparency but turns off the distracting distortions of liquid glass, returning it to the pre-26 ios look.
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iOS 26: Reduce Transparency of Apple's Liquid Glass Design
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Indeed. Apple is currently worth approximately $3.34 trillion, and as of the quarter ending June 30, 2025, Apple has approximately $55.4 billion in cash. With just a tiny fraction of a tiny fracition of that money, Apple could rehire the UI visionary Scott Forstall as well as other exceptionally talented people who were on the iOS 6 UI team in 2012, and then go back to having the most artistic, cultured, and user-friendly UI in the entire industry. But that won't happen because Tim Cook is a clueless and mediocre bean-counting corporate suit with an MBA degree, and thus he doesn't appreciate those things.
transposing AR interface/UI to non AR devices wasn't the smartest move in the first place.
heck, even the vision Pro, which is AR, is frosted glass and more readable than whatever the hell they pulled with this mac/ios redesign
heck, even the vision Pro, which is AR, is frosted glass and more readable than whatever the hell they pulled with this mac/ios redesign
Liquid Glass is a disease that Apple wants you to contract and then it proposes ridiculous ways to mitigate it.
Sticking to 18 and switching to Material when it runs out of gas.
Sticking to 18 and switching to Material when it runs out of gas.
Transparency generally s*cks in user interfaces. A tiny grain of it can make the UI look stunning and interesting. Too much of it and everything brakes.
But Tim was never a product guy and he never will be. Apple is failing. Finally.
But Tim was never a product guy and he never will be. Apple is failing. Finally.
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When I try reducing transparency in dark mode on my iPad, the word "search" in the search box on the left becomes a lot harder to read. That doesn't bode well for other elements.
As a long time Apple user with a vast array of their devices I'm disappointed in OS 26 and how it will impact my daily workflow.
Yes I'm aware it's not finished yet, but it doesn't seem to be trending in a direction that's an improvement over current iOS, iPadOS and macOS, the three primary operating systems I rely on.
My workflow requires I carry two phones, for years I've chosen one iPhone and one Android phone. This has kept me abreast of what's happening with the competition and I must say I truly enjoy my Galaxy S25 Ultra. This Android phone easily integrates with my Apple ecosystem and provides a very satisfying experience.
Time will tell just how these new changes Apple is implementing work out. Perhaps they'll turn out better than this early impression appears. If not they're not the only game in town.
Yes I'm aware it's not finished yet, but it doesn't seem to be trending in a direction that's an improvement over current iOS, iPadOS and macOS, the three primary operating systems I rely on.
My workflow requires I carry two phones, for years I've chosen one iPhone and one Android phone. This has kept me abreast of what's happening with the competition and I must say I truly enjoy my Galaxy S25 Ultra. This Android phone easily integrates with my Apple ecosystem and provides a very satisfying experience.
Time will tell just how these new changes Apple is implementing work out. Perhaps they'll turn out better than this early impression appears. If not they're not the only game in town.
Great that we will be able to turn this off. Liquid glass for me at least right up there with Touchbar, elimination of MagSafe, Trashcan (can’t innovate my ass) et cetera. Sometimes, leave well enough alone could be considered.
Maybe I’m the only one, but with the app icons set to “Default”, I really like the bits of glass effect which are left. I would have it turned on for the icons if they didn’t turn all of the app icons white. Not why they couldn’t keep the colour in the icons while having the glass effect.
But then I liked the transparency in Windows Vista too.
But then I liked the transparency in Windows Vista too.
By default, the power button ends calls. You can change it in Accessibility settings. I can understand the need for people to use it if they have a disability but it should not be the default setting because people do hit the power button by accident.
Check your settings to see if it is enabled:
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I have been toggling the settings on my Apple devices for years. I am in the visually impaired cadre.
From an unemotional perspective, Apple has demonstrated its arrogance and disregard for users. Reasonable management would have given two choices. Liquid Glass, or Original/Standard.
Apple pretending to listen to their user base, offering only a toned-down LG, and acting like they are doing the user base a favor, is the height of arrogance.
Apple pretending to listen to their user base, offering only a toned-down LG, and acting like they are doing the user base a favor, is the height of arrogance.
I love continuity! I wish it was more reliable. Too often just doesn’t work and there’s no clear reason why or how to fix it
Please can you describe how you have that set? I've just tried to test this on my iPhone 15 and it's making no difference at all, that I can tell.
Do you have anything else set? Maybe other options within the Motion section?
This is and has always been Apple’s business model. It’s got them where they are today.
Agreed but look and feel are not the only features that could be sold.
For instance, imagine a system whereby iOS learns not to repeat an action if it hears '**** you, iPhone' uttered (or screamed) by the user, or perhaps a particularly pronounced shaking of the phone. 😆 Apple aren't really using AI, or the hardware specialised for it, to good effect.
You could say that the design of previous iOS was "pure". iOS 26 is the opposite of pure - it looks clumsy, random, inelegant, unpolished, unprofessional.
I noticed multiple times in Apple built-in apps that a button was displayed in one style then a second later transformed into glassy look. Amateurish.
I think people in the design "department" came up with a great idea but people who had to implement it did a bad job.
I also hate the radius of rounded windows on macOS. Windows look like blobs. I will probably get used to it (I have to), but I don't like it one bit.
After using iOS 26 and macOS 26 for a couple of days, the only new feature that I can recally is Sleep Score (it's very good). I can't think of anything else exciting or even notable.
I noticed multiple times in Apple built-in apps that a button was displayed in one style then a second later transformed into glassy look. Amateurish.
I think people in the design "department" came up with a great idea but people who had to implement it did a bad job.
I also hate the radius of rounded windows on macOS. Windows look like blobs. I will probably get used to it (I have to), but I don't like it one bit.
After using iOS 26 and macOS 26 for a couple of days, the only new feature that I can recally is Sleep Score (it's very good). I can't think of anything else exciting or even notable.
I am not usually one to jump into rash or overzealous criticism. In fact, this is the first time I find myself fundamentally at odds with Apple’s direction.
Design is a discipline. It is an art that demands mastery. You guide the eye through color, form, clarity, movement—all with one goal: to allow users to work with focus, free from distraction and novelty gimmicks. The more complex the system, the harder it is to hold it together as a unified whole. And at Apple, that unity is now fracturing—disastrously.
Distracting, meaningless frills have even crept into the venerable macOS. Menu items cluttered with gratuitous icons have left many of us laughing bitterly. But one does not need to be a GUI designer to feel a sense of shock at what is unfolding. It seems as though the professional, cross-disciplinary guardians of order have been sidelined—or worse, sabotaged.
The inconsistency is glaring. Compare the Apple Music app icon with that of Apple Music Classical, and you’ll see it instantly. These uneven levels of execution appear two or three times on every single screen—a phenomenon unthinkable in Apple’s past.
Of course, there will always be contrarians who find the new chaos “livelier.” Yet in serious design, the rule has long been clear: use as few attractors as possible. Advertising thrives on noise; design thrives on restraint. Apple’s former strength lay in its calm, professional aesthetic. Even younger audiences quickly learn to appreciate the power of an unflustered, distraction-free environment. The outside world is noisy enough—Apple should not mirror that jittery zeitgeist with a sloppy, inconsistent GUI.
It was better before.
And in decades of using Apple products, I never imagined I would have to say that—so fundamentally.
Design is a discipline. It is an art that demands mastery. You guide the eye through color, form, clarity, movement—all with one goal: to allow users to work with focus, free from distraction and novelty gimmicks. The more complex the system, the harder it is to hold it together as a unified whole. And at Apple, that unity is now fracturing—disastrously.
Distracting, meaningless frills have even crept into the venerable macOS. Menu items cluttered with gratuitous icons have left many of us laughing bitterly. But one does not need to be a GUI designer to feel a sense of shock at what is unfolding. It seems as though the professional, cross-disciplinary guardians of order have been sidelined—or worse, sabotaged.
The inconsistency is glaring. Compare the Apple Music app icon with that of Apple Music Classical, and you’ll see it instantly. These uneven levels of execution appear two or three times on every single screen—a phenomenon unthinkable in Apple’s past.
Of course, there will always be contrarians who find the new chaos “livelier.” Yet in serious design, the rule has long been clear: use as few attractors as possible. Advertising thrives on noise; design thrives on restraint. Apple’s former strength lay in its calm, professional aesthetic. Even younger audiences quickly learn to appreciate the power of an unflustered, distraction-free environment. The outside world is noisy enough—Apple should not mirror that jittery zeitgeist with a sloppy, inconsistent GUI.
It was better before.
And in decades of using Apple products, I never imagined I would have to say that—so fundamentally.
Someone tell me what is the benefit of this Glass UI; and what is the benefit of hiding menu items?
(If you open a folder, the background blurs. There is a frosted rectangle with blurred background on top of the blurred background, and app logos within the rectangle. None of it makes any sense, nor does it look good. It certainly does not look like glass sheets, at all).
(If you open a folder, the background blurs. There is a frosted rectangle with blurred background on top of the blurred background, and app logos within the rectangle. None of it makes any sense, nor does it look good. It certainly does not look like glass sheets, at all).