At WWDC 2025, Apple unveiled Liquid Glass, its most ambitious visual overhaul in over a decade. More than just a fresh coat of paint, Liquid Glass rethinks how translucent, context‑aware design can make your iPhone, iPad, and Mac feel simultaneously futuristic and intuitive.
What Is Liquid Glass?
Liquid Glass is a brand‑new design material that combines the optical properties of real glass—transparency, reflection, and refraction—with dynamic fluidity. Rather than static panels, controls and interface elements now:
- Adapt Their Color: They subtly sample hues from background content.
- Shift with Movement: Subtle specular highlights follow your swipes and taps.
- Bridge Light & Dark Modes: Liquid Glass seamlessly transitions between themes. apple.com
Where You’ll See Liquid Glass in iOS 26
Core Interface Elements
- Lock Screen & Home Screen: Tab bars, widgets, and notifications “float” on a glossy pane that changes tint based on your wallpaper.
- Control Center & Quick Toggles: Slides, switches, and buttons are rendered in frosted‑glass layers for a sense of depth. techcrunch.com
Native Apple Apps
- Messages & Mail: Navigation bars and action sheets feature Liquid Glass backgrounds that improve legibility by intelligently blurring busy content behind them.
- Photos & Music: Media controls (play/pause, scrub bars) now appear on glass‑like strips, echoing real‑world touchpoints.
Benefits and Challenges
| Benefit | Challenge |
| Cohesive Ecosystem Feel | Initial readability concerns in bright sunlight macrumors.com |
| Modern, Premium Aesthetic | Potential performance impact on older devices |
| Context‑Aware Adaptation | Developers must update apps for optimal compatibility developer.apple.com |
Developer & User Tips
1. For Developers:
- Adopt the new Liquid Glass API to ensure your app’s icons and controls render correctly. developer.apple.com
- Test on both Light and Dark modes to verify contrast ratios meet accessibility standards.
2. For Users:
- If you find elements too translucent, go to Settings > Accessibility > Display & Text Size, and toggle Reduce Transparency to restore opacity. macrumors.com
- Explore dynamic wallpapers that complement Liquid Glass by providing vibrant backdrop hues.
When & How to Get Liquid Glass
- Developer Beta: Available now to registered developers via the Apple Developer portal.
- Public Beta: Expected in July 2025 through Apple’s Beta Software Program.
- General Release: Ships with iOS 26, iPadOS 26, and macOS Tahoe 26 this September.
FAQ
Q1: Will Liquid Glass slow down older iPhones?
A1: Apple has optimized the rendering to run on devices as early as the iPhone 13, but you can disable transparency if you notice performance dips.
Q2: Can third‑party apps use Liquid Glass?
A2: Yes—Apple’s new Human Interface Guidelines provide APIs and templates to help developers integrate Liquid Glass seamlessly.
Q3: Is Liquid Glass purely cosmetic?
A3: No—it enhances usability by drawing focus to active controls and adapting to the content context, improving both form and function.
References
Apple Newsroom, “Apple Introduces a Delightful and Elegant New Software Design,” June 9, 2025. apple.com
TechCrunch, “Apple redesigns its operating systems with ‘Liquid Glass’ at WWDC 25,” June 9, 2025. techcrunch.com
MacRumors, “Hate iOS 26’s Liquid Glass Design? Here’s How to Tone It Down,” June 11, 2025. macrumors.com
Apple Developer Documentation, “Adopting Liquid Glass,” 2025. developer.apple.com
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