Probably the most notable change to iOS 26 is the Liquid Glass design overhaul, which is the primary main iOS design replace since Apple rolled out iOS 7 again in 2013. There are new options in iOS 26, after all, however added performance has positively been sidelined in favor of the design refresh.
We have compiled a walkthrough of Liquid Glass, so you already know what to anticipate if you set up iOS 26. Lots of what’s right here can also be relevant to iPadOS 26 and macOS Tahoe too.
Take into account that Apple remains to be refining Liquid Glass and a few of the design may see additional modifications, however we’ll replace this information with every revision.
Overview
Liquid Glass is translucent, and it is meant to behave equally to actual glass. It permits gentle and colour to filter by means of, so you may see bits of the background behind buttons, menus, and different interface parts.
Mild is subtly mirrored off of Liquid Glass buttons, which is noticeable if you transfer your iPhone. Apple says that Liquid Glass is designed to make use of real-time rendering to dynamically react to motion with reflective highlights.
App Icons
App icons are supposed to appear like layered glass, giving them a delicate depth. Apps like Messages, Climate, Pictures, and Maps have a high layer icon design over a backside colour, for instance, so you’ll be able to see a touch of a 3D look.
Apple designed icons to have the identical normal colours as iOS 18, however there’s an choice to activate an all-glass icon look by selecting the “Clear” possibility within the Residence Display screen customization interface.
Lock Display screen
Liquid Glass is unmistakable from the second you choose up an iPhone operating iOS 26. The Lock Display screen options Liquid Glass Management buttons (that are customizable like earlier than), an possibility for a Liquid Glass design for the clock, and translucent notifications that use a extra frosted variant of Liquid Glass.
The Clock is especially fascinating, as a result of Apple designed it to merge extra seamlessly along with your wallpaper. For those who use a photograph wallpaper, the time readout will change in measurement to suit contained in the empty area on the show.
Widgets which can be on the Lock Display screen even have a Liquid Glass design, with widgets, the Management Middle buttons and the time reflecting the sunshine with the motion of your iPhone.
Residence Display screen
App icons have the aforementioned layered look with the choice for fully clear icons, and widgets have the identical design. While you activate the clear icon possibility, widgets additionally undertake a way more translucent Liquid Glass design.
The dock is clear and blends into the background behind it, and the identical is true of the search interface. App folders have a tender, frosted Liquid Glass design that modifications tint primarily based in your wallpaper. The App Library has the same look.
As you tilt and transfer your iPhone, you’ll be able to see delicate glints of sunshine reflecting off of the app icons, dock, folders, and search bar.
Management Middle
When Apple launched the primary beta of iOS 26, Management Middle was so translucent it was virtually unreadable. Apple made the Management Middle buttons darker and extra opaque, enhancing readability.
Management Middle buttons now have a frosted glass look, however you’ll be able to nonetheless see hints of what is within the background behind them.
Apps
In apps, Liquid Glass is noticeable in menu bars, navigation bars, and buttons. Most of Apple’s apps have obtained a Liquid Glass replace, and you may see Liquid Glass virtually wherever there is a button, bar, or menu. Apple needed navigation bars and menus to look like floating over the content material within the app, and there’s a distinctive layered look to navigation parts.
Navigation bars in apps are translucent and you’ll see a few of the app’s background behind them, particularly when scrolling. Interface parts are likely to fade extra into the background to place the concentrate on content material. Liquid Glass is accompanied by design modifications within the type of come out menus, rounded button designs, and disappearing navigation bars in choose apps, with a few of the extra notable modifications listed beneath.
- Safari – Safari’s Tab Bar makes use of Liquid Glass, and there is additionally a brand new Compact possibility. While you scroll, the Tab Bar collapses down, and you may solely see the web site handle. Scrolling again up brings it again. The interface for swapping between tab teams has modified, and all buttons additionally use Liquid Glass.
- Pictures – Pictures now not has a unified design, and there are separate Library and Assortment tabs, together with a devoted search button. Navigation bars disappear as you flick through your photographs, and all buttons have a rounded look.
- Digital camera – The Digital camera app options some of the notable design updates. Navigation has been distilled down into only a Video and a Photograph button, although you’ll be able to swipe to get to different modes. Tapping on a button shows come out menu with a Liquid Glass design.
- Messages – Messages appears largely the identical, however buttons have a frosted glass look and the keyboard’s edges are rounded. Buttons and bars have the identical rounded look as the remainder of iOS 26.
- Maps – Maps additionally appears much like the iOS 18 model of the app, however with extra rounded interface parts and barely extra translucency.
- App Retailer – The App Retailer app has a slimmed down navigation bar on the backside with a frosted glass look. It may be virtually translucent on some darker backgrounds.
- Apple Music – Apple Music has the identical translucent navigation bar because the App Retailer, with a design that reveals the background by means of the bar.
- Cellphone – The Cellphone app has an opt-in unified view with Liquid Glass-style buttons.
- Climate – There is not any extra backside bar within the Climate app, and as a substitute, there are Liquid Glass buttons for altering places and accessing settings.
Mail, Notes, Reminders, Well being, Information, and different Apple apps all have related modifications, primarily within the type of buttons which can be slimmed down, rounder, and barely extra translucent.
Functionally, it is solely the Digital camera app, the Pictures app, and the Cellphone app (if utilizing the unified view) which have vital navigation modifications. For probably the most half, app buttons are in the identical place and work in the identical manner, though they’ve a distinct look.
How Liquid Glass Has Developed
Within the first developer beta, Liquid Glass had a heavy emphasis on translucency. A lot in order that textual content in areas just like the Notification Middle and the Management Middle might be tough to learn.
iOS 26 beta 1 on left, iOS 26 beta 2 on properVirtually the entire interface was clear, with colour exhibiting by means of behind all the pieces. With white textual content and Apple having little to no management over the background colours of wallpapers and content material, usability was an issue.
Within the second developer beta that got here out on June 23, Apple addressed the translucency of the Management Middle, which was one of many areas that obtained heavy preliminary criticism. Apple elevated the opacity of the buttons within the Management Middle, and additional blurred the background. Translucency for interface parts on the Lock Display screen and the Residence Display screen additionally noticed minor tweaks.
Apple made additional modifications within the third developer beta, rolling again a few of the Liquid Glass translucency in app menu bars and buttons.
iOS 26 beta 2 on left, iOS 26 beta 3 on proper
iOS 26 beta 2 on left, iOS 26 beta 3 on properWithin the fourth beta, a few of the translucency was reintroduced, and now now we have a design that is not fairly as clear because the Liquid Glass that was demonstrated at WWDC, however that is not as opaque as what we had within the third beta.
Beta 4 on proper, beta 3 on left
Beta 4 on left, beta 3 on properWith each beta replace, there have been complaints from individuals who assume there’s an excessive amount of transparency, and those that need extra transparency. Apple remains to be working to discover a stability, and we may see additional modifications sooner or later.
Criticism
Folks have sturdy opinions about Liquid Glass. Some love the novelty of a contemporary look, and others assume that it is a usability nightmare that is virtually unreadable in some conditions.
Apple up to now hasn’t managed to strike sufficient of a stability to fulfill everybody, and up to now, it would not appear like the corporate plans to compromise with a slider for customizability.
Do you just like the Liquid Glass design, or do you wish to see Apple scrap it? Tell us within the feedback.
iPadOS 26 and macOS Tahoe
The Liquid Glass design extends to iPadOS 26, macOS Tahoe, watchOS 26, and tvOS 26, with the entire updates adopting related translucency for numerous interface parts. iPadOS 26 is the closest to iOS 26, that includes the identical normal design throughout the working system and in Apple apps.
Apple needed to enhance design cohesiveness for its software program throughout totally different units, so you may see Liquid Glass on all your Apple merchandise if you replace to the newest working techniques within the fall.
Learn Extra
For extra on the options which can be included in iOS 26, take a look at our iOS 26 roundup.