Apple’s huge new design language is nearly right here, and it is coming to all of Apple’s main working techniques within the fall with the official launch of iOS 26. Liquid Glass is what Apple calls its latest design philosophy, and it guarantees to carry main modifications to how all of its working techniques appear and feel. That features iOS, its most necessary working system.
Certainly, Liquid Glass does carry considerably of a serious change to iOS 26, or what we’d have referred to as iOS 18 (Apple is switching iOS numbers to years, and iOS 26 will launch within the fall). I have been utilizing the developer beta of iOS 26 for some weeks now, however now that the general public iOS 26 beta is open, I can lastly share my ideas.
The brief model? Liquid Glass might not carry fairly as huge of a shift to iOS as Apple might need you consider, however that’s in all probability not a foul factor. And whereas I am specializing in Liquid Glass, there are a ton extra iOS 26 options to take a look at.
As at all times, keep in mind that the iOS 26 beta is… a beta. So, again up your cellphone earlier than making the swap. And as Apple says in its Beta Program FAQ, “Beta software program might include errors or inaccuracies and will not perform in addition to commercially launched software program. We encourage you to submit suggestions once you encounter these points.
The fundamentals of Liquid Glass on iOS 26
The concept of Apple Liquid Glass is straightforward. As a substitute of a flat, minimalistic method to software program design, Apple is embracing layers. Software program interface parts have at all times been stacked on high of one another, whether or not you possibly can see that or not. With Liquid Glass, these layers come into focus. You possibly can see what’s behind issues like buttons and controls, due to glass-like parts which are designed to seem like actual glass. These clear touches additionally bend and refract mild.
To be clear, this is not essentially a completely new method for Apple. The corporate has at all times performed with transparency a bit of — however with Liquid Glass, transparency is extra concerned than ever.
Credit score: Christian de Looper / Apple
So, the place do these glass-like parts present up? Effectively, just about in all places. Most of Apple’s inventory apps have had controls on the backside of the display. For instance, within the Music app, you may get controls for looking out, accessing your library, and controlling presently taking part in media. Within the Information app, you get controls for at present’s information, sports activities information, and a search instrument. With Liquid Glass, all of those controls are condensed right into a pill-like form that minimizes as you scroll to maximise what you may see on the display.
The glass method signifies that whether or not the controls are in full focus or minimized, what’s behind them sort of bends and refracts like it could if actual glass was positioned on high of the display. It is a cool, futuristic impact, and it definitely seems fairly pure in my preliminary testing.
There are different locations that Liquid Glass exhibits up too. Maybe the most effective instance is the Management Heart, which now exhibits your house display behind the entire controls once you swipe down. That is true on all of Apple’s working techniques — although in fact, the controls are totally different on iOS than they’re on MacOS (and now MacOS Tahoe).
Mashable Mild Velocity
Credit score: Christian de Looper / Apple
When the iOS 26 developer betas first began rolling out, not everybody appreciated the Liquid Glass-ified Management Heart. There have been points with with the ability to see controls on the display, relying on what was behind them. Apple mounted plenty of these points forward of the general public iOS 26 beta, and it is now simpler to see what’s on the display. Nonetheless, there are different locations the place I discovered some show points. An instance are app and app folder labels — in case you have a very shiny and busy wallpaper, these labels can get a bit of exhausting to learn.
Thankfully, an enormous theme with iOS 26 is personalization, so if you wish to cut back the transparency much more than Apple already has, you are able to do so within the Accessibility part of the Settings app.
Actually, I fairly just like the visible side of Liquid Glass. I like the thought of returning to a extra skeuomorphic design method, and that does not essentially imply that Apple ought to make the Notes app seem like a notepad. It may as a substitute imply that objects on the display seem like some sort of bodily object, whether or not or not it’s glass or one thing else. And Apple has completed job at making Liquid Glass really feel clean and futuristic for this beta. It actually does translate fairly effectively once you’re scrolling.
A streamlined interface
The brand new aesthetic is about greater than transparency. The method relies round exhibiting as a lot on the display as you probably can, and generally which means taking away controls, or a minimum of streamlining them after they’re not getting used.
Credit score: Christian de Looper / Apple
As you are scrolling, lots of the controls in apps like Information, Messages, and Music reduce into one icon you could faucet. I nearly by no means have to really faucet on these icons, so I actually do not thoughts that they are now tucked away.
I felt the streamlining went too far somewhere else. Within the Digital camera app, for instance, once you first open the app, you may now solely have two choices: picture or video. In actuality, there are different choices you could swipe by, they’re simply hidden by default. It’s true that the majority customers in all probability do not swipe between all these totally different modes anyway, and easily having picture and video modes makes issues lots easier. However should you do use these additional modes, you may must keep in mind that they’re nonetheless accessible to you, and with none visible cues, you would possibly overlook.
Credit score: Christian de Looper / Apple
I am additionally hoping Apple retains tweaking the looks of the Messages app. As a substitute of a header along with your contact’s profile image and title, the again button, and the FaceTime button, there are floating bubbles on the high of the display. Relying on what’s behind these floating bubbles, you’ll both see straight by to the messages behind, or the interface will sort of fade so to see the controls.
This is perhaps a me drawback, however as a journalist, I take plenty of screenshots. Apple, should you’re listening, I do not like the additional clicks it takes to avoid wasting a screenshot.
Credit score: Christian de Looper / Apple
You possibly can customise Liquid Glass
For those who ever really feel like there’s too a lot glass in your Liquid Glass, you may change that. Along with decreasing the transparency, it’s also possible to customise app icons. And whereas the ultra-clear look bought plenty of consideration after WWDC, you do not have to make use of Liquid Glass icons, and so they’re not enabled by default. I feel that is a sensible method. Change is horrifying, and this makes it simpler on customers who aren’t prepared for the extremely clear, full Liquid Glass expertise.
Credit score: Christian de Looper / Apple
I feel Liquid Glass is an attention-grabbing design evolution for Apple, and as talked about, I like the thought of Apple shifting in the direction of software program design that appears like real-life bodily objects once more. For now, it’s important to go into the Accessibility menu to tweak the visuals to your liking, however I anticipate Apple will iron out plenty of points earlier than the official iOS 26 launch. That is the entire level of a beta, in any case.
For those who’re fascinated with attempting Liquid Glass for your self on iOS, macOS Tahoe, iPadOS, tvOS, or watchOS, you may join the Apple Beta program.
