Apple’s big new design language is almost here, and with the official launch of iOS 26, it will enter all of Apple’s major operating systems. Liquid glass is what Apple calls the latest design philosophy, and it promises to bring significant changes to the look and feel of all operating systems. This includes iOS, which is its most important operating system.
Indeed, liquid glass does bring a big change to iOS 26, or what we call iOS 18 (Apple is switching iOS numbers to a few years, and iOS 26 will be released in the fall). I’ve been using iOS 26 developer beta for a few weeks, but now that the public iOS 26 beta is open, I can finally share my thoughts.
Short version? Liquid glass may not bring quite Apple may believe that the transition to iOS is huge, but that may not be a bad thing. There are more tons of iOS 26 features available for check-out when I focus on liquid glass.
As always, remember that iOS 26 beta is…a beta. So, back up your phone before switching. As Apple says in its Beta Program FAQ, “Beta software may contain errors or inaccuracies and may not run like software released on commercially. We encourage you to submit feedback when you encounter these issues.
iOS Liquid Glass Foundation 26
The idea of apple liquid glass is simple. Apple is not a flat, simple method of software design, but a layer of embrace. Whether you can see or not, software interface elements are always stacked on top of each other. Using liquid glass, these layers become the focus. You can see what’s behind such as buttons and controls, thanks to glass-like elements that look like real glass. These transparent touches also bend and refract light.
To be clear, this is not necessarily completely Apple’s new approach. The company has always worked with the effect of transparency – but with liquid glass, transparency is more involved than ever.
Credits: Christian de Looper / Apple
So, where do these glass-like elements appear? Well, almost everywhere. Most of Apple’s stock apps have controls at the bottom of the screen. For example, in the music app, you will get controls for searching, accessing libraries, and currently playing media. In the News app, you will gain control of today’s news, sports news and search tools. With liquid glass, all of these controls are condensed into pill-like shapes that minimizes what you can see on the screen as you scroll.
The glass method means whether the controls are fully focused or minimized, the curves and refractions behind them if the real glass is placed on the top of the screen. This is a cool future effect and it certainly looks natural in my initial test.
Liquid glass has also appeared elsewhere. Perhaps the best example is Control Center, which now shows the home screen behind all controls as you swipe. This is true on all Apple’s operating systems, although of course, iOS’s controls are different from MacOS (now Macos Tahoe).
Mixable light speed
Credits: Christian de Looper / Apple
When iOS 26 developer Beta first launched, not everyone loved the liquid glass control center. Depending on what is behind it, you can see the problem with the controls on the screen. Apple solved many of these issues before the public iOS 26 Beta, and now it’s easier to see what’s on the screen. However, there are other places where I found some display issues. One example is the App and App Clip Tags – if you have particularly bright and busy wallpapers, these tags can be hard to read.
Fortunately, one of the big themes of iOS 26 is personalization, so if you want to have less transparency than Apple already, you can do so in the “Accessibility” section of the Setting Up app.
Honestly, I really like the visual aspect of liquid glass. I like the idea of returning a more sensitive design approach, which doesn’t necessarily mean that Apple should make the Notes App look like Notes. Instead, this might mean that objects on the screen look like some kind of physical object, whether it’s glass or something else. Apple does a great job of keeping the liquid glass feeling smooth and futuristic about this Beta. It really translates well when you scroll.
Simplified interface
The new aesthetic is much more than transparency. The method is based on as much as you might show on the screen, sometimes meaning taking controls away, or at least simplifying them when not in use.
Credits: Christian de Looper / Apple
Many controls in applications like news, messages, and music minimize the icons you can click on while scrolling. I hardly had to actually use these icons, so I really didn’t mind that they were hidden now.
I think the streamlined places are too much elsewhere. For example, in the Camera app, when you first open the app, you now have only two options: Photos or Videos. Actually, there are other options that can be swiped, and by default they are just hidden. Indeed, most users may not slide between all these different modes, and having just the photo and video mode makes things easier. However, if you do use these extra patterns, you must remember that they are still usable and without any visual hints that you may forget.
Credits: Christian de Looper / Apple
I also hope Apple continues to tweak the appearance of the Message app. There are floating bubbles at the top of the screen instead of the profile picture and name with the contact, the back button and the title of the FaceTime button. Depending on the differences behind those floating bubbles, you either see the message behind directly or the interface fades so that you can see the controls.
This may be my problem, but as a reporter I have taken a lot of screenshots. Apple, if you’re listening, I don’t like the extra clicks needed to save the screenshot.
Credits: Christian de Looper / Apple
You can customize liquid glass
If you think there is also There are many glasses in liquid glasses that you can change. In addition to reducing transparency, you can also customize the application icons. Although the ultra-clear appearance has attracted a lot of attention after WWDC, you don’t have to use the liquid glass icons and they are not enabled by default. I think this is a wise approach. The changes are frightening, which makes it easier for users who are not ready for a clear, complete liquid glass experience.
Credits: Christian de Looper / Apple
I think liquid glass is an interesting design evolution for Apple, and as mentioned before, I like the idea of Apple’s software design towards what looks like real physical objects. Currently you have to go to the Accessibility menu to adjust the visuals, but I hope Apple will fix a lot of issues before the official iOS 26 releases. After all, that’s the point of Beta.
If you are interested in trying liquid glass on iOS, macos tahoe, iPados, tvos, or WatchOS, you can sign up for the Apple Beta plan.
