The 5 Most Important Apple Software Features Introduced This Year

[Mat Jam Car]

The subtle changes introduced with Liquid Glass aren’t nice at all in my opinion.
Wish we had the option to turn it off completely.

 

[I7guy]

It does, when using the compact tool bar. The problem is fixed divs don't utilise the space underneath the compact address bar, and there is an erratic behaviour where if on the odd occasion they do, they flood the area with a colour which then doesn't go away when the div is removed. You have to refresh the page.

Maybe people don't care about issues like this, but as a developer I do because it detracts from the UX for a lot of people and I have to pay extreme attention to the smallest details (and isn't that the problem with iOS26 - the smaller details are either unfinished or ignored)

As a developer, I have logged this issue (and others) for all the beta releases, and each release dot version. It's persisted from the beginning.

This is just one issue, using MacRumours as an example given that it's one you asked for. There are many more examples of issues with Safari (some worse).

I sometimes wonder if Apple are aware that they can get away with things like this because people don't care about the quality they are chucking out with their annual releases. Well, my clients certainly do!

As a consumer I don’t have an issue with the way the toolbar functions, because it gets out of the way when one starts scrolling. I do not consider this to be an issue at all. Now we can have a debate about the veracity of the implementation, but in my opinion I do not have an issue with the way Apple implemented this.

I happen to like the way controls morph and change. Very subtle and elegant.

 

[macwebguy]

As a consumer I don’t have an issue with the way the toolbar functions, because it gets out of the way when one starts scrolling. I do not consider this to be an issue at all. Now we can have a debate about the veracity of the implementation, but in my opinion I do not have an issue with the way Apple implemented this.

That is in no way, shape or form anything to do with the issue I showed you.

It makes you wonder if people just refuse to see the issues, even when put on a plate for them, and so therefore they don’t exist. This enables Apple to ignore them also.

Going from a transparent area to one of a solid colour you can’t get rid of until you refresh the page can no way be described as elegant morphing. It makes websites look clunky and buggy, where as in fact it’s the Apple software that is clunky and buggy.

 

[I7guy]

That is in no way, shape or form anything to do with the issue I showed you.

It makes you wonder if people just refuse to see the issues, even when put on a plate for them, and so therefore they don’t exist. This enables Apple to ignore them also.

Going from a transparent area to one of a solid colour you can’t get rid of until you refresh the page can no way be described as elegant morphing. It makes websites look clunky and buggy, where as in fact it’s the Apple software that is clunky and buggy.

It makes me wonder if people are being super-critical and making issues where there aren’t any. I do not have any issues with the way safari works with the MR website as I’ve said.

I sometimes wonder if we argue in essence about: “how many angels can fit on head of a pin”?

 

[neotint]

If MacRumors in December 2025 just copy pastes Apple marketing junk about Liquid Glass rather than reporting the full story that it was a design fail of epic proportions given Apple's history for solid HCI, UX, and UI... as judged by a ton of users and more importantly highly regarded Apple staff, and digital design professionals, and that the leader responsible for it (was ousted?) left the company (a move celebrated by Apple staff who knew better), then there's little reason to keep reading MacRumors in 2026. Just read Apple marketing directly if you want that. Find other blogs that do actual journalism and reporting, not copy-pasta of Apple Marketing.

 

[macwebguy]

It makes me wonder if people are being super-critical and making issues where there aren’t any. I do not have any issues with the way safari works with the MR website as I’ve said.

I sometimes wonder if we argue in essence about: “how many angels can fit on head of a pin”?

I think thats hard to backup and clutching at straws when there is plenty of visual evidence that there are many, many issues.

And if people are paying top dollar for a device, why shouldn't they be super critical of the quality of the software thats on it, when it's the only software they are able to install. I'd much rather people were critical of my software if it has issues than just pretending it's all good. That doesn't progress anything.

 

[I7guy]

I think thats hard to backup and clutching at straws when there is plenty of visual evidence that there are many, many issues.

And if people are paying top dollar for a device, why shouldn't they be super critical of the quality of the software thats on it, when it's the only software they are able to install. I'd much rather people were critical of my software if it has issues than just pretending it's all good. That doesn't progress anything.

There is not plenty of visual evidence. There are opinions about the UI, some people have screenshots of glitches that cannot be reliably reproduced over different hardware.

Nobody is not saying to be super critical and also nobody is not saying that we shouldn’t say “good job apple”.

These convos go around in circles.

 

[macwebguy]

There are opinions about the UI, some people have screenshots of glitches that cannot be reliably reproduced over different hardware.

And that is inherently a huge problem with the quality of the software. These arent devices that are manufacturer by different vendors. The software and hardware is all created by the same company so this shouldn't be happening with a bit of QC.

Whilst there are some opinions flying around, to post a screenshot of menus overlapping, text being illegible (to the point of invisible), icons not being visible, things appearing when they shouldn't and not disappearing when they should isn't an opinion. It's a visual example of how poorly planned and unfinished 26 is. No doubt a result of the rushed annual cycle of software releases.

 

[I7guy]

And that is inherently a huge problem with the quality of the software.

Been the case since iOS 1 and windows suffers the same thing.

These arent devices that are manufacturer by different vendors. The software and hardware is all created by the same company so this shouldn't be happening with a bit of QC.

Motherhood and apple pie so to speak. In a perfect world, which this isnt stuff happens and stuff will always happen.

Whilst there are some opinions flying around, to post a screenshot of menus overlapping, text being illegible (to the point of invisible), icons not being visible, things appearing when they shouldn't and not disappearing when they should isn't an opinion.

I cannot replicate much of what is posted. Some things are subjective about what is acceptable and what is nice and not nice.

It's a visual example of how poorly planned and unfinished 26 is. No doubt a result of the rushed annual cycle of software releases.

There are glitches and I go back to, can I finish a task. If the answer is no, there is a bigger issue. But because people are reporting glitches to me it doesn’t mean that overall iOS 26.2 is not a solid release. One would be hard pressed to find a zero glitch or zero bug system.

 

[iHorseHead]

I upgraded today on my MacBook Air M1 and iPhone 14 and iPad 9th gen and honestly see nothing wrong with it. Performance is still great.
Great improvement. They finally introduced the Journaling app on a Mac which should've been there years ago tbh

 

[RedWeasel]

They finally introduced the Journaling app on a Mac which should've been there years ago tbh

In another couple of years they'll maybe also add suggestions like there are in iOS. Or maybe even synchronize the suggestions between devices.

 

[JaydenA]

The skinning? I think the author's LLM made a small activation error there, substuting "important" where they mean "divisive".