iOS 26's Liquid Glass Design Draws Criticism From Users

[BelgianChoklit]

I love it to death, it's almost as refreshing as iOS7 was, not as much because iOS 6 and before were awful looking imo but I really really love it

 

[cgs1xx]

Really not liking the liquid glass effect...
Why has the search bar moved to the bottom of the screen? Like who said this would be better and why? It's so annoying.

Also, yes, everything looks kind blurry.

Automix is awful when you're playing a playlist with songs of different genres and beats per minute.

And so many things now take extra steps... try blocking an email address in Mail ...

 

[delsoul]

Well done, Tim and software team! Bravo! Another…win…for Apple 😂 🙄

 

[Royksöpp]

Well this certainly took the conversation off of Apple Intelligence, so mission accomplished?

 

[atomwork]

I’ve been an Apple user and stockholder since the 90’s. IMHO the iPhone is becoming nothing more than a fidget toy with all the endless cute little colors, emojis, animations, etc.

Yeah we are getting older However, you hitting a good point. Todays engineers and designers spend a lot of time deciding "how" it should "feel" vs "perform". Back in the 90s/00 form followed function more. Although the aqua transition had its hiccups too.

 

[Siliconguy]

"you'll get used to it."

That is NOT a ringing endorsement.

 

[Wieslawo]

iOS 7 was created when Ive was in a strong position, and the entire project was likely discussed with Jobs at some level. Today, Tim Cook is at the helm, a man without vision who bows rather easily to criticism.

 

[Rogifan]

Most of what I’m seeing on social media is engagement bait trying to pass off as legitimate criticism.

 

[Tomhauber]

People tend to forget how much design complaints are really about familiarity. When Apple changes the look of iOS, the first reaction is often negative because the old design feels comfortable and the new one feels strange. Psychologists call this status quo bias: people prefer what they already know, even if the change is objectively better in usability or aesthetics. The same happened when iOS 7 dropped skeuomorphism, when macOS went flat, and when Safari moved its address bar. Each time, forums filled with frustration, and yet within a year most users accepted the new style as normal. What feels jarring today often becomes invisible tomorrow. That does not mean all criticism is invalid, but it does suggest that the intensity of the reaction is often more about adjustment than about actual flaws in the design. If the design truly gets in the way of function, adoption numbers and long-term complaints will show it. Until then, some of this criticism may just be our brains clinging to what they already know.

I would call it, "if it isn't broken don't fix it" or "why are you changing it if you aren't making it better?".

 

[yellowbunny]

Reduce transparency on. Better than before but still feels pretty bad. Visual gimmicks instead of creative ideas.

 

[neuropsychguy]

I like it but then again I’ve never disliked any updated version of iOS, macOS, Windows, Ubuntu, etc. I like change though.

Some of the transparency effects are slightly jarring in certain situations but overall, it’s great.

I also like how smoothly the OS works. I’ve not seen any bugs on my iPhone, iPad, or Macs. Plus, everything feels just as fast as before.

Solid update so far in my opinion.

 

[Mrkevinfinnerty]

As soon as you saw it, you just knew..

 

[DVD Plaza]

I LOVE it on iOS.

I'm even more blown away at how much it has been implemented on watchOS.

I'm HORRIFIED that the almighty Mac hardware and macOS gets a %&*#^$ cutdown version of it. Buttons on iOS reflect all sorts of light and enlarge when touched, buttons on watchOS likewise reflect all sorts of light as you slide then and shrink a little when touched... macOS.... oh.... same old flat buttons that do nothing. Same old flat progress bars (bring back the animated aqua ones). Same old flat scroll bars. Flat dialogs. Flat everything. Did they even bother really?

Weird given to develop iOS and watchOS they would be using macOS, and it has the most capability of anything, but yeah nah didn't pour more than 5 minutes effort into it... 🤷

 

[Hammerd]

It's a surprisingly sloppy release that needs a ton of polishing. And reducing translucency and increasing contrast only helps a little bit - it should help more.

How do you reduce translucency?
I can only find one setting in accessibility that removes it totally and put a black background, making it looks awful

 

[ZombiePete]

I like it a lot. I think it looks fresh without being an overwhelming change, and I really like the unified design across all my devices. I love the magical little experiences like pulling down the notification shade and having it cascade over the screen almost like a clear sheet of water. I have zero complaints about it; in fact the more I’ve used it the more I genuinely like it.

 

[junkmail509]

It is what it is.. Maybe a toggle to disable it all would be helpful if that was even possible.

I don't care, I like it

Killing battery on iPhone 13 Mini and iPad Pro 12.9” A-series. About the best possible “fixes” right now:

Settings -> Accessibility ->

• Display & Text Size ->
  • Reduce Transparency
  • Increase Contrast
• Motion ->
  • Reduce Motion
  • Prefer Cross-Fade Transitions

 

[seanmcbay]

Some things need to be ironed out but I think it’s an improvement over the flat design we’ve had for a decade that infected everything.

 

[macman01101]

Not upgrading. Last year it was Apple Intelligence and Liquid Glass should be called Apple Arrogance.

If anyone has parents over the age of 50, good luck. You’re going to be tech support

 

[01241984]

iOS 26 feels not ready... weird visuals...over lapping graphics... doesn't feel finished....beta feeling

 

[maxdefcon]

You can. Reduce transparency in Accessibility

^this!

I understand that it’s human nature to complain, and most people will comply even if they don’t fully agree. I respect that some may not like Liquid Glass, but I’m thoroughly enjoying it. I think it looks fantastic and hope they don’t reduce its transparency. If you don’t want the glass effect, simply turn on the “Reduce Transparency” option, and you’ll revert to your frosted look.

 

[InVinoVeritasty]

Apple was once the king of design. Then came Liquid Herpes. Blisters are all I can see.

 

[TJFDenver]

It’s 1/2 baked and not ready for prime time … the RC needed another 4-6 months of improvements

Not iApples best

 

[pualo5]

I think the new UI looks really good. It makes using my phone more enjoyable just because it's so pretty to look at. I hope they don't listen to the criticism much.

 

[timborama]

I knew this was gonna be an issue

You must be psychic /s

 

[maxdefcon]

I would call it, "if it isn't broken don't fix it" or "why are you changing it if you aren't making it better?".

Then, you encounter the other side, who presents the opposite perspective. It’s important to remember that no company can satisfy every single user. Everyone has their own preferences, and generally, people tend to dislike change. I hope they keep the current the design as I'm loving it.