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, in fact, however added performance has positively been sidelined in favor of the design refresh.
We have compiled a walkthrough of Liquid Glass, so what to anticipate while you set up iOS 26. Loads of what’s right here can be relevant to iPadOS 26 and macOS Tahoe too.
Understand that Apple continues to be refining Liquid Glass and a few of the design might 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 mild and shade to filter by way of, so you may see bits of the background behind buttons, menus, and different interface parts.
Gentle is subtly mirrored off of Liquid Glass buttons, which is noticeable while 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 seem like layered glass, giving them a refined depth. Apps like Messages, Climate, Images, and Maps have a prime layer icon design over a backside shade, for instance, so you possibly can see a touch of a 3D look.
Apple designed icons to have the identical common colours as iOS 18, however there’s an choice to activate an all-glass icon look by selecting the “Clear” choice within the Dwelling 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 choice 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 together with your wallpaper. In the event you use a photograph wallpaper, the time readout will change in dimension to suit contained in the empty house on the show.
Widgets which are 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.
Dwelling Display screen
App icons have the aforementioned layered look with the choice for totally clear icons, and widgets have the identical design. Whenever you activate the clear icon choice, 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 smooth, frosted Liquid Glass design that modifications tint based mostly in your wallpaper. The App Library has the same look.
As you tilt and transfer your iPhone, you possibly can see refined glints of sunshine reflecting off of the app icons, dock, folders, and search bar.
iOS 26: What’s Modified With the iPhone’s Dwelling Display screen
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, bettering readability.
Management Middle buttons now have a frosted glass look, however you possibly can 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 acquired a Liquid Glass replace, and you will see Liquid Glass virtually anyplace there is a button, bar, or menu. Apple needed navigation bars and menus to seem 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 may see a few of the app’s background behind them, particularly when scrolling. Interface parts are inclined 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 under.
Safari – Safari’s Tab Bar makes use of Liquid Glass, and there is additionally a brand new Compact choice. Whenever you scroll, the Tab Bar collapses down, and you will solely see the web site deal with. Scrolling again up brings it again. The interface for swapping between tab teams has modified, and all buttons additionally use Liquid Glass.
Images – Images 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 thru your photos, and all buttons have a rounded look.
Digicam – The Digicam app options some of the notable design updates. Navigation has been distilled down into only a Video and a Photograph button, although you possibly can 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 exhibits the background by way of the bar.
Telephone – The Telephone app has an opt-in unified view with Liquid Glass-style buttons.
Climate – There is no extra backside bar within the Climate app, and as a substitute, there are Liquid Glass buttons for altering areas and accessing settings.
Mail, Notes, Reminders, Well being, Information, and different Apple apps all have comparable modifications, primarily within the type of buttons which are slimmed down, rounder, and barely extra translucent.
Functionally, it is solely the Digicam app, the Images app, and the Telephone app (if utilizing the unified view) which have important navigation modifications. For essentially the most half, app buttons are in the identical place and work in the identical method, regardless that they’ve a unique 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 may very well be troublesome to learn.
iOS 26 beta 1 on left, iOS 26 beta 2 on proper
Virtually the entire interface was clear, with shade exhibiting by way of behind every thing. 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 acquired 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 Dwelling 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 proper
Within the fourth beta, a few of the translucency was reintroduced, and now we have now 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 proper
With each beta replace, there have been complaints from individuals who assume there’s an excessive amount of transparency, and people who need extra transparency. Apple continues to be working to discover a stability, and we might see additional modifications sooner or later.
Criticism
Folks have sturdy opinions about Liquid Glass. Some love the novelty of a recent look, and others assume that it is a usability nightmare that is virtually unreadable in some conditions.
Apple to this point hasn’t managed to strike sufficient of a stability to fulfill everybody, and to this point, it would not seem like the corporate plans to compromise with a slider for customizability.
Do you just like the Liquid Glass design, or do you need 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 comparable translucency for varied interface parts. iPadOS 26 is the closest to iOS 26, that includes the identical common design throughout the working system and in Apple apps.
Apple needed to enhance design cohesiveness for its software program throughout completely different units, so you may see Liquid Glass on all your Apple merchandise while you replace to the most recent working methods within the fall.
Learn Extra
For extra on the options which are included in iOS 26, try our iOS 26 roundup.
