I like all kinds of novelty and iOS 26 is no exception, really enjoying it! 👍
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iOS 26's Liquid Glass Design Draws Criticism From Users
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Only for a short time, people generally dislike change as it means adapting and many are generally lazy and don’t want to learn something new. All this sentiment is normal, give it some weeks and it will all be history. Some die hard Will probably still complain for attention.
Not possible. After AI flop, they had to release this unfinished, badly designed product. Imagine Apple postponing LiquidGlass for like 26.4? It would be proper decision but it would be also end of Tim Cook as CEO (which I hope will happen anyway).
You have just described the established new media 😝
To those Dino’s the world seems to be going to **** but if you don’t get depressed about it how will they sell drugs to pacify you while the same drug companies sponsor the news.
If it’s all happy news or no news then who is going to buy those depression inducing drugs. /s 😝
These are forced “pluses” that definitely don’t make up for the downgrade in usability that this update caused. Ridiculous. Makes boring phone fun to use? Seriously? Like you have to be really bored. Doing things on this is frustrating.
Haven’t found any usability issues so far, some minor learning curve to figure it out but nothing crazy, some bugs here and there but it’s software and expected for a version 1.0
I really had to get used to it during the beta period... but now that my iPhone 14 Pro runs buttery smooth with the final release it's really fun to use. Same with macOS - though there are still some bugs and glitches to be fixed. Feels fresh and different.
I can understand that there are people who dislike it - especially on macOS it suddenly felt so "mighty" after all these years with the flat design. But after all this time I think it was worth the risk for Apple to do something new. Just like with iOS 7 people will get used to it over time and will shout for it to stay with the new HyperSmoothFurryFluff interface on iOS 35. 😁
I can understand that there are people who dislike it - especially on macOS it suddenly felt so "mighty" after all these years with the flat design. But after all this time I think it was worth the risk for Apple to do something new. Just like with iOS 7 people will get used to it over time and will shout for it to stay with the new HyperSmoothFurryFluff interface on iOS 35. 😁
If you have any kind of motion sickness, that UI is a trigger at every screen. The fact that all the icons are skewed even when you disable motion is just nuts. Opening folders taking 3 seconds to animate is also something, why waste so much time, just pop it up and show me the content. In 18 it was instantaneous, in 26 it takes too much. This is not about adapting, this is about bad design choices.
I personally LOVE it.
That said, I understand that it won't be everyone's cup of tea - so maybe the solution is a slider for the effect that takes it from 0-100 and let's people set their own level.
That said, I understand that it won't be everyone's cup of tea - so maybe the solution is a slider for the effect that takes it from 0-100 and let's people set their own level.
It’s the cheapest and the most tacky design Apple ever did. The only thing that is an actual improvement is the keyboard design. The rest looks like a Xiaomi from 10 years ago. As if it was done by fresh graduates obsessed with just one design cue that to them looks futuristic. It’s honestly repulsive, especially on macOS with those humongous sidebars that sacrifice usability and space for the sake of somebody fulfilling their sick obsession.
We’ve been through: unpolished (early OS X), perfect (Mountain Lion), pretentious (Yosemite), acceptable(Big Sur) to now reach tacky (Tahoe). I hope in the upcoming years Apple relearns other materials: wood, metal, fabric and we finally return to glory days, with playful and sensible design of ML. I crave metal dock with reflections
We’ve been through: unpolished (early OS X), perfect (Mountain Lion), pretentious (Yosemite), acceptable(Big Sur) to now reach tacky (Tahoe). I hope in the upcoming years Apple relearns other materials: wood, metal, fabric and we finally return to glory days, with playful and sensible design of ML. I crave metal dock with reflections
I’d agree with the above … 99%.
I’m definitely noticing a slowdown on my 16e with some animations obviously causing a gpu spike.
And my phone is only from 7 months ago (minus the extra gpu core that the 16 has) and I can notice the difference.
Further optimisation is definitely needed.
Liquid Glass was obviously built with iPhone air in mind.
I wonder if iOS is going to jarr with the more utilitarian look (this is a good thing!) of the pros, which are getting more and more like the ‘corvette’ of the iPhone world.
I loved the animated northern lights one. Until I realised it seemed to utilising a big chunk of cpu and gpu time, to slowly animate.
I’m not sure.
I remember jobs was very excited to introduce macOS x 10.0 aqua.
Lots of pinstripes everywhere - even in menus - which made text hard to read.
Then on top of that - or underneath? - lots of translucency everywhere.
All the buttons and other UI controls looked like translucent glass.
Wait… isn’t this sounding familiar ?
I do believe that we’ve come full circle.
As an example they completely messed up Safari tabs control. It’s now counterintuitive.
"Have to" more like. Especially when you purchase new iPhone or when Apple will stop signing iOS18.
BTW. Phone/computer OS is not about being "fine". It's about aesthetics, usability, speed, no bugs, etc. iOS26 lacks a lot of that as of today.
EDIT: "Have to" seems to be more proper word than "must" (non-English speaker here).
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I've upgraded most if not all my devices to IOS 26, IPadOS 26, and Mac OS Tahoe. It's not bad and Im using the icon transparency, kind of feels nostalgic from the days of Windows 7 and jailbroken iPhone themes.
But I guess my underlying thought whenever Apple does a major UI redesign is why?. Why is this forced onto users? Like back in the day, you upgraded to Windows XP or Vista or 7, you could switch back to a "Classic" theme if you didn't like the new UI. You had the choice. Now in order to have consistent security protection (or if you simply buy a new device) you're forced to update and get all the baggage that comes with it. I think about the tech illiterate people who are now confused by the changes, I think about the people who might get headaches from the new design and essentially testing it until it's redefined. Users should have the choice to switch back to a familiar UI and that should be easily accessible. It should be like the Halo MasterChief Collection where a button press gets you the old graphics.
My big point is that we use these devices to improve our lives, but this unnecessary, forced changes aren't a great user experience. I've said it before and I'll say it again, we don't need new major system releases every single year. Let's go back to the days of staggered releases every few years. That will give more time for testing, more time for polishing, more time for users/organizations to get comfortable with a system rather than the yearly shock we have today. I'm a big proponent of the idea that technology should enhance our lives not confuse and bother us.
But I guess my underlying thought whenever Apple does a major UI redesign is why?. Why is this forced onto users? Like back in the day, you upgraded to Windows XP or Vista or 7, you could switch back to a "Classic" theme if you didn't like the new UI. You had the choice. Now in order to have consistent security protection (or if you simply buy a new device) you're forced to update and get all the baggage that comes with it. I think about the tech illiterate people who are now confused by the changes, I think about the people who might get headaches from the new design and essentially testing it until it's redefined. Users should have the choice to switch back to a familiar UI and that should be easily accessible. It should be like the Halo MasterChief Collection where a button press gets you the old graphics.
My big point is that we use these devices to improve our lives, but this unnecessary, forced changes aren't a great user experience. I've said it before and I'll say it again, we don't need new major system releases every single year. Let's go back to the days of staggered releases every few years. That will give more time for testing, more time for polishing, more time for users/organizations to get comfortable with a system rather than the yearly shock we have today. I'm a big proponent of the idea that technology should enhance our lives not confuse and bother us.
With all the negative reactions on here I was kindofa dreading it, but the exact opposite, find it pretty cool.
I'm more worried about a BUG in iOS 26: the background/wallpaper for App Library is black and not the background/wallpaper set for viewing Apps.
Aqua was extremely innovative and exciting back then, and set a whole design aesthetic that went far beyond the computer industry - liquid glass is just a cheap rehash that doesn’t go nowhere as far - please do not use today’s standards as a parameter to judge things in hindsight.
That’s like criticizing Humphrey Bogart for smoking in movies back in the 1940s.
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.
Update:
Surprisingly, I’ve made peace with the new GUI. After a deep dive into the settings—guided by the ever-reliable MacRumors—I’ve managed to wrangle macOS, iPadOS, and iOS back into shape. Most of the flashy new fluff has been switched off, toned down, or banished entirely.
Now everything feels blissfully boring again—just the way I like it. I can work quickly, calmly, and without being visually assaulted every time I open a window. Even the reading glasses are off again—both literally and metaphorically. Inner peace has been restored.
Thankfully, Apple still gives us the option to turn off the more “exciting” changes. Let others enjoy the bells, whistles, and bouncing widgets—at least Apple didn’t then redesign everything for nothing.
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.
Update:
Surprisingly, I’ve made peace with the new GUI. After a deep dive into the settings—guided by the ever-reliable MacRumors—I’ve managed to wrangle macOS, iPadOS, and iOS back into shape. Most of the flashy new fluff has been switched off, toned down, or banished entirely.
Now everything feels blissfully boring again—just the way I like it. I can work quickly, calmly, and without being visually assaulted every time I open a window. Even the reading glasses are off again—both literally and metaphorically. Inner peace has been restored.
Thankfully, Apple still gives us the option to turn off the more “exciting” changes. Let others enjoy the bells, whistles, and bouncing widgets—at least Apple didn’t then redesign everything for nothing.
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Thank you sir, for clarification. I just never thought, I will not update to the new iOS …