See the iOS 26 Liquid Glass Design in Action

[Cunir]

all of this stuff will be fine as long as it comes with accessibility tweaks.

Just thought of a way for apple to make loads of money... they should sell skins to make their latest iOS look like the older versions

 

[ghostface147]

Isn't that achieved by simply turning off "Depth Effect"?

I want depth effect.

 

[TheSynchronizer]

i simply don’t understand the clear icons. why is it system wide clear. it’s literally disabling colour on your 2025 display.

the other transparency seems excessive in places too. gotta hope the gpu draw isn’t high…

other than that, it does look nice. in some ways.

 

[Sowelu]

It really is hard to believe that this is what they're actually releasing, and knowing Apple, they probably agonized over every tiny detail for ages, and still decided that this was the look and feel they were going for. Just look at this!

It just looks so messy with the home screen or any screen behind glass elements as they're barely blurred out or darkened. It's busy and gives a bit of anxiety, yet they claim that this design fades the OS into the background, but in my view, it's just showing double layers and achieving the complete opposite of the desired effect.

All the 'Liquid Glass' typestyle used in the promotional material for WWDC was in a frosted glass, so I was like, oh, nice, frosted 'sea glass' style and texture may finally give iOS some warmth and depth, and would look great in macOS, but the 'Liquid Glass' used in every OS is mostly clear and the icons still look very flat. Not to mention the cartoonishly roundy-rounded corners.

And, not sure if this is true in person, but with some angles it's hard to discern whether the glass is raised, flat, or depressed/inverted. I know it's all supposed to look raised, but in some shots and videos it appears depressed, flat or a combination of the three depending on which glass button or item you're looking at. The clear Liquid Glass over black backgrounds, screens and other OS elements are particularly awful to my eyes.

If they insist on using clear glass for menus and overlays, they should at least heavily darken and or blur whatever lies beneath. Everyone keeps saying that 'this is only a developer beta, it will get better', but how often does Apple actually change the design that was introduced during keynotes and as published on the respective OS sites?

 

[BGrifter]

Suddenly Android is looking very attractive.

The Pixel 9a is closer to what I want than any current iPhone… but Android.

Ecosystem lock-in feels bad man.

 

[Kardinal1911]

I've been using it since the launch and it's purely a new innovation that will change over time... in subsequent beta's it'll evolve

 

[Kardinal1911]

It really is hard to believe that this is what they're actually releasing, and knowing Apple, they probably agonized over every tiny detail for ages, and still decided that this was the look and feel they were going for. Just look at this!

View attachment 2519108

It just looks so messy with the home screen or any screen behind glass elements as they're barely blurred out or darkened. It's busy and gives a bit of anxiety, yet they claim that this design fades the OS into the background, but in my view, it's just showing double layers and achieving the complete opposite of the desired effect.

All the 'Liquid Glass' typestyle used in the promotional material for WWDC was in a frosted glass, so I was like, oh, nice, frosted 'sea glass' style and texture may finally give iOS some warmth and depth, and would look great in macOS, but the 'Liquid Glass' used in every OS is mostly clear and the icons still look very flat. Not to mention the cartoonishly roundy-rounded corners.

And, not sure if this is true in person, but with some angles it's hard to discern whether the glass is raised, flat, or depressed/inverted. I know it's all supposed to look raised, but in some shots and videos it appears depressed, flat or a combination of the three depending on which glass button or item you're looking at. The clear Liquid Glass over black backgrounds, screens and other OS elements are particularly awful to my eyes.

If they insist on using clear glass for menus and overlays, they should at least heavily darken and or blur whatever lies beneath. Everyone keeps saying that 'this is only a developer beta, it will get better', but how often does Apple actually change the design that was introduced during keynotes and as published on the respective OS sites?

It looks much better in person... Camera can't possibly capture the reality of the beauty of the OS

 

[DogHouseDub]

Suits: "our processors are so powerful that users will never see the hardware as a bottleneck. We'll never get customers to upgrade."
Software engineers: "hold my appletini..."

 

[Kardinal1911]

Yarp. That Apple is pushing the Liquid Glass stuff instead of real improvements to the OS or other useful features tells me what they think is important. Just like them making Genmoji the talking point of their AI project.

All sizzle and no steak. I guess it appeals to the younger crowd. The technology version of bread and circuses.

I'm old. I just want a clean UI with minimal distractions, which is why the new MacOS and Windows are so gawd awful in my eyes. I like the distraction free look of MacOS 9, the classic Windows look. Sizzle is fine, but steak is what's important.

Go buy a PC then LOL

 

[Kardinal1911]

This is the first time I’ve ever agreed with the “Apple take something old and push it as new”

Accessibility and legibility has taken a massive nosedive. Control centre is a cluster.

You control what's on your control center and you can have multiple pages in CC for your OCD needs

 

[Armadillo21]

Apple's new Liquid Glass design is the big news of the week, because it's the first major design change we've had to iOS in years, and because it's the first design that extends across all of Apple's platforms. Liquid Glass is sure to evolve over the coming months, but we thought we'd share a first look for those who are excited to see what it looks like in action right now.

Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos.​

After updating to iOS 26, Liquid Glass is the first thing that you'll see. The Lock Screen features a new Liquid Glass design for the clock (opt-in, of course), and the time is able to be expanded so you can make it take up more of the display to better fit your wallpaper.

Widgets that you have on the Lock Screen have the same translucent look, as do the quick access buttons on the bottom. Notifications are glassy and see through, and you can see hints of your wallpaper behind them.

Moving on to the Home Screen, the search bar, dock, and app folders are translucent. By default, app icons have a new layered glass look that gives them dimension, but there's also a new option for "clear" glass-like icons. This setting turns your app icons transparent, and widgets too. So if you want the full glass effect, it's available.

Control Center is entirely Liquid Glass, with see-through icons that reflect the color of the background. Liquid Glass elements are in apps, too. Safari has a new compact Tab bar that uses Liquid Glass, and it's also in Photos, Camera, Mail, Podcasts, TV, Apple News, Messages, and more.

In apps, Apple has also tweaked the look of buttons and menu bars, making them more rounded, and navigation has been simplified. When you tap on some buttons, such as in the Camera app, it'll expand into a popup Liquid Glass menu that makes it easy to see all of the available options in one spot. It's a more minimal look than we had before, with more focus on minimizing the display space that UI elements take up.

Liquid Glass extends to iPadOS 26, macOS 26, watchOS 26, and tvOS 26. iPadOS 26 looks a lot like iOS 26, and macOS 26 has a translucent menu bar and dock background, plus it uses Liquid Glass for buttons, side bars, navigation bars, and the Control Center.

watchOS uses Liquid Glass for navigation and buttons, and there's a Liquid Glass clock option for some watch faces. You'll see Liquid Glass in tvOS 26 primarily in apps like Apple TV. Overall, the design changes are more subtle in watchOS 26 and tvOS 26, and even in macOS and iOS, there are places where Apple needs to emphasize and refine the Liquid Glass design.

This is the first beta, and Liquid Glass is still in development. There will undoubtedly be updates made before iOS 26 and the other updates launch to the public this fall, and it's even something that we're going to see updated for years to come. Apple says that Liquid Glass will be the basis for the next decade of software design.

Article Link: See the iOS 26 Liquid Glass Design in Action

The Ad is almost as long as the video!!!! c'mon guys.

 

[TMRJIJ]

I'm old. I just want a clean UI with minimal distractions

You call this clean UI?

 

[cardfan]

Yarp. That Apple is pushing the Liquid Glass stuff instead of real improvements to the OS or other useful features tells me what they think is important. Just like them making Genmoji the talking point of their AI project.

All sizzle and no steak. I guess it appeals to the younger crowd. The technology version of bread and circuses.

I'm old. I just want a clean UI with minimal distractions, which is why the new MacOS and Windows are so gawd awful in my eyes. I like the distraction free look of MacOS 9, the classic Windows look. Sizzle is fine, but steak is what's important.

I took it as a distraction hopefully to hide the fact they’re way behind on AI. Buys another year is their goal here. Thing is what looks good on Vision Pro doesn’t translate well to a tablet or phone.

So android of Apple to apply this Vision Pro ui all of its devices. Software/hardware? What happened to Apple?

 

[boswald]

Yes, because Apple can’t find enough people amongst its 164,000 employees to do two things at once

RIP Dave Brockie.

 

[wbeasley]

Apple Vista looks great

Didnt Vista copy Aqua?

End of the day, people whinged Apple design was stale. It worked. Now it just looks a bit more modern...

 

[SGW24]

Apple's new Liquid Glass design is the big news of the week, because it's the first major design change we've had to iOS in years, and because it's the first design that extends across all of Apple's platforms. Liquid Glass is sure to evolve over the coming months, but we thought we'd share a first look for those who are excited to see what it looks like in action right now.

Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos.​

After updating to iOS 26, Liquid Glass is the first thing that you'll see. The Lock Screen features a new Liquid Glass design for the clock (opt-in, of course), and the time is able to be expanded so you can make it take up more of the display to better fit your wallpaper.

Widgets that you have on the Lock Screen have the same translucent look, as do the quick access buttons on the bottom. Notifications are glassy and see through, and you can see hints of your wallpaper behind them.

Moving on to the Home Screen, the search bar, dock, and app folders are translucent. By default, app icons have a new layered glass look that gives them dimension, but there's also a new option for "clear" glass-like icons. This setting turns your app icons transparent, and widgets too. So if you want the full glass effect, it's available.

Control Center is entirely Liquid Glass, with see-through icons that reflect the color of the background. Liquid Glass elements are in apps, too. Safari has a new compact Tab bar that uses Liquid Glass, and it's also in Photos, Camera, Mail, Podcasts, TV, Apple News, Messages, and more.

In apps, Apple has also tweaked the look of buttons and menu bars, making them more rounded, and navigation has been simplified. When you tap on some buttons, such as in the Camera app, it'll expand into a popup Liquid Glass menu that makes it easy to see all of the available options in one spot. It's a more minimal look than we had before, with more focus on minimizing the display space that UI elements take up.

Liquid Glass extends to iPadOS 26, macOS 26, watchOS 26, and tvOS 26. iPadOS 26 looks a lot like iOS 26, and macOS 26 has a translucent menu bar and dock background, plus it uses Liquid Glass for buttons, side bars, navigation bars, and the Control Center.

watchOS uses Liquid Glass for navigation and buttons, and there's a Liquid Glass clock option for some watch faces. You'll see Liquid Glass in tvOS 26 primarily in apps like Apple TV. Overall, the design changes are more subtle in watchOS 26 and tvOS 26, and even in macOS and iOS, there are places where Apple needs to emphasize and refine the Liquid Glass design.

This is the first beta, and Liquid Glass is still in development. There will undoubtedly be updates made before iOS 26 and the other updates launch to the public this fall, and it's even something that we're going to see updated for years to come. Apple says that Liquid Glass will be the basis for the next decade of software design.

Article Link: See the iOS 26 Liquid Glass Design in Action

Mostly visuals, basic improvements outside of that which is being done way better by competitors.

Sad times…

 

[macduke]

Apple Vista looks great

I keep seeing comparisons about Apple ripping off Windows Vista from 2007, but a lot of the youngs around here seem to forget that Apple had their Aqua UI in 2000 which was very glassy but before you could do real-time optical distortion and light refraction.

Main thing is Apple needs to clean up legibility and some other rough edges. But a lot of people seem to have already forgotten the iOS 7 beta and how that improved over time and the design really came into its own in the coming years through various iterations.

 

[wbeasley]

I keep seeing comparisons about Apple ripping off Windows Vista from 2007, but a lot of the youngs around here seem to forget that Apple had their Aqua UI in 2000 which was very glassy but before you could do real-time optical distortion and light refraction.

Main thing is Apple needs to clean up legibility and some other rough edges. But a lot of people seem to have already forgotten the iOS 7 beta and how that improved over time and the design really came into its own in the coming years through various iterations.

some just like being smart and dont know the OS history and various iterations

this will evolve. any big interface change needs tweaking. Windows did it and continues to with every release.

we forget that MacOS is more like Win7 in some ways.
I have friends who have old PCs and they often find it easier to go to a Mac than Win 10 from their old XP or 7 devices.

 

[platinumaqua]

Let’s hope that this “Aero Glass 2.0” done well by Apple will stimulate also other platforms - see Windows and Linux - to return to the beautiful desktop environments of many years ago: flat and ugly design, go home…! For example, Ubuntu with Unity (and 3D effects, etc.) was much more appealing visually than it is today (rather dull)…

I booted Ubuntu 20.04 recently, and I find the GNOME interface more visually appealing compared to other operating systems (font choice notwithstanding)

 

[polyphenol]

If you say that this liquid glass looks good, I might agree. Watching a video of it is visually pleasant.

But that is because I am watching someone else playing with it. If I need to use it, I want to be able to read things. White (or was it very pale grey?) text on pale grey background rapidly becomes illegible.

I'm a firm believer in multiple layers of distinction. Icons that have different shapes, colours, if they incorporate text then different fonts, etc. Each distinctive feature combines with the other distinctive features to make something that is, hopefully, ever more immediately recognisable. Any reduction or change of icons moves away from that. Transparency diminishes speed and ease of recognition.

And some things really jarred - like having some of the clock digits partially hidden!

 

[MrGimper]

You control what's on your control center and you can have multiple pages in CC for your OCD needs

Well done on missing the point.

It “looks” awful. It’s illegible on the whole.

 

[MrGimper]

I keep seeing comparisons about Apple ripping off Windows Vista from 2007, but a lot of the youngs around here seem to forget that Apple had their Aqua UI in 2000 which was very glassy but before you could do real-time optical distortion and light refraction.

Main thing is Apple needs to clean up legibility and some other rough edges. But a lot of people seem to have already forgotten the iOS 7 beta and how that improved over time and the design really came into its own in the coming years through various iterations.

Tbh Apple have forgotten how iOS 7 evolved too. They should’ve learned not to release something with so many legibility issues. It’s terrible. CC just looks like outlines where the widgets just failed to stream in the actual colours.

 

[Jashar7]

They should have just adopted the visionOS 1 and 2 glass interface instead of doing it a bit differently.

Or just provide options like Windows Vista Aero or Windows Vista Basic or Windows 7 or Windows 7 Basic just like back in the day.

Windows ones look trash tho

 

[tmmacops]

There are options in accessibility to turn it off.

I’m willing to see how it unfolds. It’s the first release, beta, so plenty of time to polish it up…

 

[wbeasley]

Tbh Apple have forgotten how iOS 7 evolved too. They should’ve learned not to release something with so many legibility issues. It’s terrible. CC just looks like outlines where the widgets just failed to stream in the actual colours.

why are we judging a first developer release as if it is a FINAL shipping product?

the aim, as always, is to test it with a wider group and tune it based on feedback. like every year...
this is just a bigger visual change than most years so of course more will need to be fixed.
system wide, across all devices... what a massive UX challenge.

we have months and many iterations before this becomes the real OS26.

i would expect very rapid tweaking before the public even see it on their devices for testing.

the few screenshots i've seen so far have some great things and a lot of faint, low contrast, difficult to read bits.
there is no way it stays like this.
or most people will just stick with their current Light or Dark schemes.