Loving Liquid Glass—but macOS needs to catch up

[iFanaddic]

(Hi everyone! I know we’re still in the beta phase, but my thoughts are also based on what we saw in the keynote.)

Count me in the “love it” camp when it comes to the new Liquid Glass design language, it’s sleek, modern, and full of potential.

That said, after spending time with both iOS and macOS, I’ve noticed that the new design feels far more cohesive and impressive on iOS than it does on macOS.

Here’s why; Liquid Glass really shines—literally—when there’s dynamic content like media, images, or bold colors behind it. On iOS, the design is brought to life through album art, emojis, wallpaper, and videos. It creates this vibrant, layered effect that feels fluid and fresh.

On macOS, though, the experience feels flatter. Most apps still layer their buttons and menus over static white sidebars or menu bars, which dulls the glossy, translucent effect. It feels like many Mac apps haven’t fully embraced the new design language yet. The transparency is minimal, and aside from a few updated elements like widgets and icons, and specific apps such Safari and Apple Music, macOS Tahoe doesn’t capture the same energy.

Personally, I’d love to see Apple push the transparency and dynamic layering further across macOS—it has so much potential, but right now it feels like it’s only halfway there. Honestly, it wouldn’t hurt if windows on macOS borrowed a bit more of that glassy-blurred, dimensional feel we saw back in the Windows Vista era—love it or hate it, it had a striking aesthetic that made UI elements feel more alive.

What do you think? Would you like seeing Mac apps get even more Glass like elements and (blurred) transparancy?

 

[Aoligei]

(Hi everyone! I know we’re still in the beta phase, but my thoughts are also based on what we saw in the keynote.)

Count me in the “love it” camp when it comes to the new Liquid Glass design language, it’s sleek, modern, and full of potential.

That said, after spending time with both iOS and macOS, I’ve noticed that the new design feels far more cohesive and impressive on iOS than it does on macOS.

Here’s why; Liquid Glass really shines—literally—when there’s dynamic content like media, images, or bold colors behind it. On iOS, the design is brought to life through album art, emojis, wallpaper, and videos. It creates this vibrant, layered effect that feels fluid and fresh.

On macOS, though, the experience feels flatter. Most apps still layer their buttons and menus over static white sidebars or menu bars, which dulls the glossy, translucent effect. It feels like many Mac apps haven’t fully embraced the new design language yet. The transparency is minimal, and aside from a few updated elements like widgets and icons, and specific apps such Safari and Apple Music, macOS Tahoe doesn’t capture the same energy.

Personally, I’d love to see Apple push the transparency and dynamic layering further across macOS—it has so much potential, but right now it feels like it’s only halfway there. Honestly, it wouldn’t hurt if windows on macOS borrowed a bit more of that glassy-blurred, dimensional feel we saw back in the Windows Vista era—love it or hate it, it had a striking aesthetic that made UI elements feel more alive.

What do you think? Would you like seeing Mac apps get even more Glass like elements and (blurred) transparancy?

I feel Mac's Liquid Glass is more consistent than iOS. In my option, layers on iOS feel messy, especially when icons overlaying on top of each other and not aligned. I also feel iOS need to increase translucency even more.

 

[iFanaddic]

I agree with the translucency feature on iOS, the Control and Notification Center are giving me headaches. I need more blurriness, translucency, or semi-transparency to effectively establish content hierarchy.

 

[BotchQue]

Not quite sorta off-topic, but this "liquid glass" looks a lot like a much-earlier version of Windoze (~ten years ago?), when the buttons took on a 3-D, translucent effect; they dropped it again before I retired in '20. I'm sure there will be more tactile/visual feedback cues as is Apple's specialty (I'll be waiting until Fall)

 

[iFanaddic]

Not quite sorta off-topic, but this "liquid glass" looks a lot like a much-earlier version of Windoze (~ten years ago?), when the buttons took on a 3-D, translucent effect; they dropped it again before I retired in '20. I'm sure there will be more tactile/visual feedback cues as is Apple's specialty (I'll be waiting until Fall)

You probably mean Windows Vista yeah, although dated, somehow this feels so like liquid glass done right compared to what i’m seeing now

 

[redcarian]

Aero in Windows Vista and Windows 7 was better than the current state of Liquid Glass.

For all that it was a bit gaudy (you could tone it down, though), you could see all your UI elements and by and large, things you clicked on and interacted with looked like things you clicked on and interacted with.

My Mac has nice wallpaper now (the Tahoe wallpaper is the best for a long time) but the rest of the UI looks like a half-baked Linux theme.

 

[n-evo]

Like I said in another thread: I think it’s a real shame we didn’t get more of the old Aqua vibes back. I kinda expected glassy traffic light (window control) buttons, progress bars, confirmation buttons, checkboxes, etc. But as you said it’s all still mostly what we had before. Let’s hope it’ll change in future macOS versions.

 

[Scrooge MacDuck]

Like I said in another thread: I think it’s a real shame we didn’t get more of the old Aqua vibes back. I kinda expected glassy traffic light (window control) buttons, progress bars, confirmation buttons, checkboxes, etc. But as you said it’s all still mostly what we had before. Let’s hope it’ll change in future macOS versions.

Send feedback! If done often enough it could make a difference.

 

[n-evo]

Tbh I’m done doing that. Since the introduction of the Mac App Store with Mac OS X Snow Leopard Apple still hasn’t fixed In-App Ratings & Reviews turning back on with every restart. Nor did they fix AirDrop disappearing from the Finder sidebar, which started happening since the macOS Sequoia betas. Apple doesn’t even respond to those bug reports anymore, they used to up until a few years ago.

Don’t plan on installing the DP/PB either.

 

[StellarVixen]

Like I said in another thread: I think it’s a real shame we didn’t get more of the old Aqua vibes back. I kinda expected glassy traffic light (window control) buttons, progress bars, confirmation buttons, checkboxes, etc. But as you said it’s all still mostly what we had before. Let’s hope it’ll change in future macOS versions.

The entire thing looks like it's somewhere halfway between this new design and old design. I think design will become more consistent as the time goes on.

 

[n-evo]

The entire thing looks like it's somewhere halfway between this new design and old design. I think design will become more consistent as the time goes on.

Agreed and yeah probably.

 

[rin67630]

The next evolution of Liquid Glass: Aqua...
Maybe they will discover something radically new: Skeumorphism !

 

[n-evo]

Maybe they will discover something radically new: Skeumorphism !

Let’s hope not. At least not to the degree we had on OS X Lion and iOS 6. Things went completely off the rails by then.

 

[rin67630]

I love your sig "Once you go mac you never come back"
I just noted hat you have omitted the commas.
"Once you go, mac, you never come back" feels right.

 

[rin67630]

Let’s hope not. At least not to the degree we had on OS X Lion and iOS 6. Things went completely off the rails by then.

In fact, at times of Snow Leo and Vista, the design was pleasant and nobody complained about it.

 

[n-evo]

In fact, at times of Snow Leo and Vista, the design was pleasant and nobody complained about it.

That was before things with skeumorphism went too far. I absolutely hated the faux leather appearance of Calendar of OS X Lion.

In any case Aqua was lovely, they should’ve stuck with that and modernize it instead of going completely flat out.

 

[Pudlo]

(Hi everyone! I know we’re still in the beta phase, but my thoughts are also based on what we saw in the keynote.)

Count me in the “love it” camp when it comes to the new Liquid Glass design language, it’s sleek, modern, and full of potential.

That said, after spending time with both iOS and macOS, I’ve noticed that the new design feels far more cohesive and impressive on iOS than it does on macOS.

Here’s why; Liquid Glass really shines—literally—when there’s dynamic content like media, images, or bold colors behind it. On iOS, the design is brought to life through album art, emojis, wallpaper, and videos. It creates this vibrant, layered effect that feels fluid and fresh.

On macOS, though, the experience feels flatter. Most apps still layer their buttons and menus over static white sidebars or menu bars, which dulls the glossy, translucent effect. It feels like many Mac apps haven’t fully embraced the new design language yet. The transparency is minimal, and aside from a few updated elements like widgets and icons, and specific apps such Safari and Apple Music, macOS Tahoe doesn’t capture the same energy.

Personally, I’d love to see Apple push the transparency and dynamic layering further across macOS—it has so much potential, but right now it feels like it’s only halfway there. Honestly, it wouldn’t hurt if windows on macOS borrowed a bit more of that glassy-blurred, dimensional feel we saw back in the Windows Vista era—love it or hate it, it had a striking aesthetic that made UI elements feel more alive.

What do you think? Would you like seeing Mac apps get even more Glass like elements and (blurred) transparancy?

Yeah I think for now they updated Finder Safari and Mail. You can spot updated apps by new icons. For me actually MacOS looks much more promising then iOS but for now it is just an early alpha stage. And agree that some transparency added to windows (very subtle) would help for example only for not full screen desktops. But I think Apple will be much more conservative and just keep white backgrounds everywhere.

Love that they are trying to properly redesign all sidebars but sad that by accident they have kinda destroyed the safari sidebar by adding that edge pop and no customization for bookmark list.

 

[Scrooge MacDuck]

Yeah I think for now they updated Finder Safari and Mail. You can spot updated apps by new icons. For me actually MacOS looks much more promising then iOS but for now it is just an early alpha stage. And agree that some transparency added to windows (very subtle) would help for example only for not full screen desktops. But I think Apple will be much more conservative and just keep white backgrounds everywhere.

Love that they are trying to properly redesign all sidebars but sad that by accident they have kinda destroyed the safari sidebar by adding that edge pop and no customization for bookmark list.

Honestly, it all looked great before Yosemite. Easy way out that is 'flat design' was the worst idea ever, IMO, - and, because of Apple's 'reality distortion field', it propagated throughout the entire market. Lazy, sterile, 'un-personal computing'.

 

[n-evo]

Honestly, it all looked great before Yosemite. Easy way out that is 'flat design' was the worst idea ever, IMO, - and, because of Apple's 'reality distortion field', it propagated throughout the entire market. Lazy, sterile, 'un-personal computing'.

Microsoft was actually the one who kicked off the whole flat trend with Windows Phone 7. Apple followed like 3 years later with iOS 7 because people at the time were in general pretty positive about Windows Phone’s clean flat look.

 

[Scrooge MacDuck]

Microsoft was actually the one who kicked off the whole flat trend with Windows Phone 7. Apple followed like 3 years later with iOS 7 because people at the time were in general pretty positive about Windows Phone’s clean flat look.

Agreed. However, compared to Apple, Microsoft are more likely to roll back on controversial initiatives if pushed back fiercely enough (remember Start button?)

Also, Windows Phone never quite had that cosy appearance of iOS. In any case, flatness has seriously overstayed its welcome. I get that younger users don't mind, but that's likely due to their growing up with it.

 

[redcarian]

Microsoft was actually the one who kicked off the whole flat trend with Windows Phone 7. Apple followed like 3 years later with iOS 7 because people at the time were in general pretty positive about Windows Phone’s clean flat look.

Metro was great. Everything that was supposed to look like a UI element looked like a UI element. It was contrasty and stylish at the same time, without the compromises macOS has to make to become accessible, because it started from a better UI position.

Everything that moved had weight and inertia without being silly about it, and was it satisfying af to use. I loved the live tiles which gave me widgets and app icons in one, so I could increase the information density on my phone without it being overwhelming and it looked the tits.

Yeah, I miss Metro. 2025 macOS could learn a lot from it, but ya know. NIH syndrome.

 

[n-evo]

Agreed Windows Phone 7's Metro was amazing. I really loved my Nokia Lumia 7. Which never got an upgrade to Windows Phone 8, even though the phone was still sold as new less than six months before its release. By Windows Phone (or was it Mobile again?) 10 it became a mess because Microsoft tried to move more towards the traditional interfaces of iOS and Android.

2025 macOS could learn a lot from it

It has to be in a completely different form though. Metro never translated well to the desktop. Hell, Microsoft themselves tried with Windows 8 and failed miserably.

 

[inequals]

regarding the OP, I mean, the new look and beta has literally just dropped. Even if Apple doesn't continue to refine the design of the OS and Apple apps - and please god I hope they do, iterate and refine and fix Apple for the love of GOD - third party developers are absolutely going to do their best to make the clearest of a cluttered situation.

 

[nathansz]

I'm finding Tahoe to be pretty unattractive

it looks a linux desktop theme trying to look like a futuristic macOS

messages is horrible. lots of wasted space and smaller text

all the floating stuff everywhere makes it all seem super cluttered

windows are too round and app icons are just ugly

finder sidebar is atrocious

mail.app looks like an hourglass

spotlight is interesting, seems more like Alfred but not sure if it can do everything or not

 

[verniesgarden]

I feel Mac's Liquid Glass is more consistent than iOS. In my option, layers on iOS feel messy, especially when icons overlaying on top of each other and not aligned. I also feel iOS need to increase translucency even more.

Honestly think Mac is the worst of the liquid glass implementations. the weird floating buttons are just awful. I didn't realize how much I didn't like it until I went back to my work machine and it felt more modern