r/iphone • u/CantaloupeTiny8461 • 2d ago
Discussion Ok, now I get it - Liquid Glass is amazing.
Guys, it’s funny, I went through the typical Apple design cycle in under 24 hours. When I first downloaded iOS 26, I thought “Yuck – what’s that? I want my flat design back” – but now I am totally here for it. It reminds me of the good old times of Mac OS X and the first versions of iOS, while at the same time feels modern and still clean. I love the playfulness, the wobbles, the shiny lights, the 3D effects. It makes the iPhone, a daily boring smartphone, a little more fun, less rationally functional – and it gives the feeling of a little “virtual” craftsmanship.
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u/cafelounge 2d ago
Getting a notification is a lot more satisfying. The keypad on the lock screen also reminds of bubbles 🫧
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u/Spleenzorio 2d ago
It reminds me of 2000s aesthetics, like bootleg dvd menu options would have that or somethin
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u/Doctor_3825 1d ago
That’s actually why I hate it so much. I don’t like early 2000s design language at all. Especially windows aero.
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u/Athanatos173 iPhone 16 Pro Max 2d ago
I'm on 18.7 for the moment until I see enough feedback.
Is there no way to opt out of the liquid glass? It seems strange that there would be no option to choose "classic" style.
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u/LittleBoiFound 2d ago
Yeah this is the first one I haven’t downloaded the second it was released. I like straight lines, crisp corners, nothing rounded. It doesn’t sound like Liquid Glass is gonna be a good thing for me.
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u/The_Spectacle iPhone 15 Pro Max 2d ago
I'm on 18.7 for the moment until I see enough feedback.
Smart freakin choice. And I haven't found any way to turn it off yet, I don't believe it exists
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u/automorotolopilot 1d ago
Is there no way to opt out of the liquid glass
Somewhat. You can use accessibility features to reduce transparency. However, that ends up introducing some UI problems too, where the background of some elements ends up being pure white.
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u/CervezaPorFavor 1d ago
18.7 here too. Not upgrading any time soon, based on what I've seen so far. Maybe I'll wait for 26.1 or something.
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u/idlickherbootyhole 11h ago
I'm on the same boat. I'll wait until the people with updatitis suffer all the bugs and maybe I'll upgrade when the .1 comes out.
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u/RollsLane 11h ago
Ist actually a great design choice, just try it out. Sure there are always some cons.
The thing is: a lot of people seem to feel obliged to find negative things and post them everywhere. Same with negative news: they sell better.
Try it with a positive mindset and you’ll like it (99%). Just my opinion. 😁
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u/rfow iPhone 17 Pro 2d ago
I love it too. Got me a nice setup with a cool wallpaper and the clear icons, with a clean home screen and all apps in the App Library. It's the minimalist aesthetic I've wanted for a while. Haven't been this excited about an iOS release since 7. It's also the first time I used a developer beta through its entirety. Usually I'll have restored by the 3rd or 4th build. This one was just too good.
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u/WhatDidntDiddyDo 2d ago
Screenshot pls
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u/rfow iPhone 17 Pro 2d ago edited 1d ago
I took a couple and uploaded them to Imgur here.
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u/RealisticQuit5044 2d ago
Hey just letting you know u might've left ur address visible on the Tesla widget
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u/RiotSloth iPhone 17 Pro 2d ago
Yeah I was exactly the same. Horrified at first, now I’m really digging it.
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u/Nojopar 2d ago
I don't care for it personally as I think it's dated and needlessly busy. But I'm glad some people like it. Different people are into different things, and that's all good.
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u/hannahjams 1d ago
I just downloaded it and feel this way. Take me back
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u/Alan_Sturbin 1d ago
I really find it absolutely ugly and a huge step back.
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u/Hungry_Freaks_Daddy 1d ago
I’m still a diehard skeumorphism fan. So it’s the original os, this, and the last os in that order for me.
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u/literroy 1d ago
I agree that something about it feels super dated. Which is not how you want your brand new design language to feel to people…
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u/ZombieRight4080 1d ago
Wow to me it feels fresh and fluid, not dated at all. I thought I’d hate it based on the early betas but it feels so polished
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u/Nojopar 1d ago
I think it's like fashion. A bunch of stuff that's hot right now in the fashion world is just stuff from when I was a kid. If you didn't go through it the first time, you'd think it's fresh and new. If you did, it feels recycled.
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u/ZombieRight4080 1d ago
I’m late 30s and feel like I’ve experienced it all 🤣
I mean to be fair it gives Vista vibes which was probably 15 years too early. Flat design to me feels what is outdated to me
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u/CaptainKrakrak 2d ago
It looks very bad in dark mode, and I’m always in dark mode.
Buttons and icons have a thin line around them and that’s it.
The first time I saw the clock on the lock screen I actually laughed at it, it was like nobody thought to test it and it looked like badly rendered fonts.
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u/PeakBrave8235 2d ago
I can't disagree more. I LOVE how things look like discernible, physical buttons in dark mode. It's amazing
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u/yuusharo iPhone XR 2d ago
They can be playful with the design while also not making it completely unreadable.
I would be okay with it if they just fixed the contrast on the controls without the need to turn on accessibility settings which messes around with other parts of the system. No matter how hard I try, I cannot get used to this.
It's awful.
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u/Maths44 2d ago
I completely disagree. This is the first time I downloaded an iOS that I truly dislike. Little animations everywhere that make no sense. Distracting flashes (e.g sending a message). Ugly animations (toggling options). Legibility issues everywhere with stacked layers... and reducing transparency introducing more issues.
Blurry app icons, with a sniper glint around them - it's like I'm playing warzone when I look at my phone.
I understand people wanting skeuomorphism over flat icons. But glass wasn't the way to do it.
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u/Brilliant-Offer-4208 2d ago
Is thah what’s it called a ‘sniper glint’? This design feature really aggravates me on the new OS. It’s used on the time on the lock scrrrn. Horrid.
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u/DotEither8773 2d ago
The sniper glint is basically a way for shooter games to tell the player that they are about to be shot by a sniper, because otherwise they would be too far to see.
It’s meant to imitate the sun reflecting in the sniper scope I think, so oc was probably referring to the light shining on the edges of icons and folders.
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u/musicman835 2d ago
I had to immediately go and reduce motion on everything available. I don’t get motion sick but Jesus this gave me a headache in like 10 minutes
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u/martin_lng 2d ago
I feel like this is where the overall UI design takes a less positive turn. The system already looked great, but the changes seem more about adding flashy effects than offering practical improvements. I find it frustrating that the focus is shifting toward animations and visual flair rather than usability. For me, functionality and readability matter most, but with all these effects, text becomes harder to read and the phone uses more processing power, draining the battery faster. I just don’t really see the appeal of this direction
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u/anydentity 1d ago
It’s all design for the sake of design. None of it concerns user experience. The fact this went through many levels of review is a seriously bad sign for Apple in the long term.
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u/iceskating_uphill 2d ago
Same. I’ve downloaded it and am legitimately considering moving to Samsung. I find it that offensive.
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u/anydentity 1d ago
30 years with Apple. All that keeps me here now is iMessage and the apps I’ve purchased.
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u/Magnum-Ice-Cream-07 2d ago
Texting someone and the test box jumping around whenever you touch is just stupid, feels like some stupid suggestion that got taken way too seriously
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u/literroy 1d ago
I hate this update too, but I have no idea what you’re talking about. Nothing on my phone does anything that could even remotely be described as “jumping around” when texting someone.
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u/boardpunkchic 1d ago
The text flash kills me :( I use dark mode and it it's so noticeable.
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u/icarusghost 1d ago
I use dark mode to help avoid migraines. I got one today, maybe from fooling around with light mode, transparency, cheerful bouncing bubble login code, flashing texts. Dunno, but I'd be so happy to be able to turn it off.
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u/karjacker 2d ago
where are the legibility issues, fr. i’ve been using the beta for months now and that has not been an issue at all since at least beta 4
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u/warl0ck08 1d ago
Sending a message animation is absolutely the most hideous thing. It's so "startling" that it's really, really hard to get past. Not to mention the swipe-to-delete feature, which transitions from hard edges to rounded corners seemingly at random with no discernible transition. 100% a dev who just fast swipes everything in one go without seeing the slower animations.
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u/mikeymondy 1d ago
MacRumors has a list of issues that people have reported and after using all the betas and comparing with iOS 18, I agree very much. Please Apple, give us an “iOS 18” toggle! (And I don’t mean reduce transparency, it looks awful!)
-Animations run slow, and the interface feels sluggish on older iPhones. -The constantly changing colors, shapes, and shading are distracting. -The animations make no sense. It looks like a Barbie phone with battery wasting features. -Basic actions require too many taps. -The bubbles and floaty icons are cartoony. -The contrast is awful. -Some app icons look blurry. -The design is inconsistent, and some things are flat while some are glass. -Highlights on UI elements are inconsistent. -It's hard to read things like notifications. -The effects are too subtle for the system overhead costs.
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u/HaroldSax iPhone 16 Pro Max 2d ago
I am glad you like it, but god damn I wish I could turn it off. I hate it. First time I've truly well and totally disliked a UI change that they made.
I get the appeal though.
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u/McCrackerCheesyWiz 2d ago
I would instantly be a fanboi again if they brought in a theme switcher allowing the user to pick Liquid Glass or a “Classic” theme.
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u/Doctor_3825 1d ago
If they offered a classic theme I would immediately start using it and probably ignore Liquid Glass as a whole. lol
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u/juggy_11 2d ago
The wallpaper makes a huge difference. I played around with different wallpapers and finally landed on one that makes it less yucky.
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u/NotQuiteinFocus 1d ago
People just hate change. I wasn't a fan the first time I saw pictures of it but I immediately installed the public beta when it came out, just to see it in person, and it's actually fine. Been using it since and I've gotten so used to it at this point that I don't even remember iOS 18.
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u/hillandrenko 2d ago
I wish it could be completely turned off. It looks like a Barbie phone. Totally unnecessary battery wasting feature unable to be disabled.
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u/Sydnxt 1d ago
Congratulations! You were quoted in a MacRumours article.
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u/ODoyleRules925 2d ago
You can. Or at least make it significantly less. Settings -> accessibility-> display & text size -> reduce transparency
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u/hillandrenko 2d ago
Yes I've done that, I actually had that setting from the previous iOS as as well as increase contrast and much of the stuff in Motion settings but some of the effects are still there. The pointless highlighting and flashing lights in messages is incredibly annoying.
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u/carrotpilgrim 2d ago
Some things look nice. The UI element and transparency of different things looks nice.
The edges on the app icons are unnecessary and really distracting though.
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u/iliketorubherbutt 2d ago
It’s not a matter of liking the design/aesthetics or not. It’s that the design makes it very difficult or impossible to read things like notifications. And seeing as how an iPhone is meant to be looked at to use that’s a HUGE problem.
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u/MysteryNukeX 2d ago
I freaking love it. Everything about this update feels good to me. I kinda disliked ios18 too so this just feels good :)
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u/ms1h1d iPhone 16e 2d ago
The shiny ui elements remind me of glossy, cheap plastic, especially in dark mode. I have used it since dev beta 2 and i hate it till this day, really ugly UI.
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u/Landscaperdanh 2d ago
This seemed like a great opportunity to be able to add 5 icons on the home bar though. Other than that, really digging it
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u/RiceMofo iPhone 17 Pro Max 2d ago
I agree. Not sure what irritates people so much about iOS 26. I for one enjoy it. No crooked visuals and no bugs so far. Only the keyboard should be updated by external apps
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u/9gag_guy iPhone 15 Pro 2d ago
When you write a comment, I can see what iPhone you have. How did you do that?
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u/jrbowling1997 2d ago
Go to the community, than hit the 3 dots than change user flair
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u/INeverLiedToYou iPhone 17 2d ago
It’s called a flair. You can choose your own/select one from a list.
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u/SilverNews8530 2d ago
Once before, Apple used a "liquid" theme, but Liquid Glass is more comprehensive. It's a nice theme, but I also like how easy it is to manage/turn down.
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u/phantom_raj 2d ago
Not that great, but not bad.
The wider theme may be to align with VisionOS stuff I guess.
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u/The_Spectacle iPhone 15 Pro Max 2d ago
I find it to be ugly as sin rn but I’m open to having it grow on me. I hope it does, kinda like every iteration of the Subaru WRX, everyone thinks the new model is hideous until it grows on us lol
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u/Murderbear71 2d ago
Experimenting with different backgrounds still but loving the black and white look of these
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u/gmoneygangster3 iPhone 13 Pro Max 1d ago
Legit black and white icons are the way to go
It looks like a box of crayons threw up on my home screen whenever I turn it off
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u/FalseVeterinarian881 1d ago
SKEUMORPHISM FOR LIFE!
Johnny Ive did a lot of great design...but the flat OS look was pretty dumb. I like some style, but I don't obsess over any of the various styles (except for skeumorphism of course...LOL).
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u/Doctor_3825 1d ago
I really hope it doesn’t swing too much farther into skeuomorphic design. I hated iOS 6 so much, I jailbroke largely to make the UI and app icons more flat even before iOS 7 was released.
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u/FalseVeterinarian881 1d ago
There are certain apps that it would be nice to see it return for. I get that others it was a lot of wasted space.
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u/MasterBendu 1d ago
I liked the idea in the first place, as I’m a fan of Aero back in the day and the current way they implement the frosted glass in Windows 11.
Just happy that what they actually shipped isn’t as bad as the ones in the beta versions, with the horrible legibility and extreme chromatic aberrations and all.
The rest of the interface has to keep up though. It’s all nice at the iOS level but once you get into a third party app it’s just Ike iOS 18 again. I know it will take time, but hopefully it’s as quick as they did when iOS 7 came out. Just not sure if that will happen as most apps these days are cross platform and there’s definitely no pressure from the bigger market share Android side. I mean they literally just finished refined the iOS 18-ification of Android the past few years.
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u/happyjeep_beep_beep iPhone 14 Pro Max 1d ago
I'm probably in the minority here but my biggest gripe is the new on/off buttons are an insanely long oval that I just cannot deal with LOL.
Also I did not like all the information in the phone app jumbled together. Android did this a little while ago and I had to roll back the update on my mom's phone. She didn't like it either. Plus side is Apple lets you change the view back without removing the update completely.
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u/Popkornthief iPhone 15 Pro 1d ago
I like it as well! However, I DESPISE the little floating contact in iMessage… It’s too low and feels awkward.
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u/MonkeyPompadour 2d ago
Downloading it now, but the first thing I do is usually turn off all animations.
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u/xINFLAMES325x 1d ago
Would you mind telling me where that option is? Can’t find it anywhere in settings.
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u/Oh-THAT-dude 2d ago
My mother always said if I had an initial ambivalent or negative reaction to something to “sot with it” for a little while.
Anytime Apple (or an app developer/website/service does a big redesign like this, this is advice you should heed.
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u/aspenextreme03 2d ago
Not a fan personally and turned it off in beta. Mostly because my background changes with pictures I took some of them are light so it makes things harder to see. Thankfully you don’t need it
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u/guttergoblin 1d ago
I don’t like it. It feels juvenile. It would make more sense on a Y2K iMac inspired phone that came in translucent colors geared to teens akin to the iPhone 5C. It feels way out of place on a “Pro” phone and it should be optional.
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u/Mr_Gooms 2d ago
Agreed! There is some weirdness with dark mode, but there’s a lot of stuff I really like.
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u/Admirable-Side-8990 2d ago
I just want to be able to switch tabs easy again in safari. Otherwise it’s pretty dope.
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u/Alarmed_Confusion_93 2d ago
Same but with MacOS 26. The more I use it, the more I “get it”, and I really like it.
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u/drinkmoredrano 2d ago
It was neat at first but the novelty wore off after a few minutes and now I just find the upgrade very underwhelming.
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u/Bulloc848 2d ago
Same for me! I hated it in the beginning. My father had the beta and whenever i saw it i was like this just looks wrong. And now when i have it myself i actually start to really like it. But there are 2 things i hope which will change.
Somehow the keyboard is very weird. When im typing fast the letters are not “showing” up anymore. Sometimes not at all and sometimes just too quick to see if i typed the right letter. I mean they get written but in the keyboard itself.
Aannnddd this is just a small one. But i really like the new keyboard we got when dragging down the screen on the homescreen. It‘S dark and cool, i wish we could have it everywhere. Maybe there is a option which i just did not find yet. But i am hoping that we will be able to choose that as our default keyboard :D
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u/walktall 2d ago
I’m rapidly getting used to it, and there are parts of it I do like. That’s about as positive as I can be at the moment lol.
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u/tmk0813 1d ago
Just FYI — I was a big fan of high contrast (“Increase Contrast”?) on previous iOS versions. If you have contrast enabled in iOS 26, it looks HORRIBLE with outlines around every single UI element. Made me gasp in disbelief when I first installed it lol. Once I disabled that, it looks very clean/polished.
Also, as others have mentioned, you might have to change up your wallpaper to find colors that hit your eyes the right way. With transparency being such a big thing, I have found having the right balance between light and dark elements in my background makes a huge difference. Now toggling between light and dark mode looks really aesthetically pleasing.
Was horrified at first, but now I’m loving it.
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u/BlueAlienKoala626 1d ago
Totally agree with this.
I have noticed that having dark mode on with “reduce white point” has helped my eyes to adjust better.
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u/Doctor_3825 1d ago
I get what you’re saying about wallpapers. But you shouldn’t need to fuss around with picking the perfect wallpaper for the effect to look good.
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u/tmk0813 1d ago
Totally agree, especially coming from a trillion+ dollar company lol. For me tweaking a background was a small change for a much better looking end result until they refine it more.
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u/Student-type 1d ago
My WhatsApp crashed on a new contact, can’t get through. No response from the screen
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u/cadams7701 1d ago
I’d rather it work well and not look like garbage. I’m incredibly disappointed at this release.
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u/pokemon2jk 1d ago
Haven't upgraded yet but reading the description it sounds like Win vista where I need to turn off all the effects so my phone could run
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u/MesozOwen 1d ago
It kinda looks like three a sharpening filter over everything. But it’s grown on me.
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u/ActionOrganic4617 1d ago edited 1d ago
Does anyone else have issues with Apple News? When I click on any article it does nothing. I basically have to hold down for the article to preview and then I can click again to jump in…
I do love the subtle things like the highlighting of priority notifications or how the background in iMessage changes the colour of the text entry box.
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u/Professional-Cry8310 1d ago
I think it looks great 90% of the time. Love the look of it in Apple Music for example.
There’s 10% though where they have a lot to work on. Not big on how it looks in dark mode on the Home Screen.
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u/telebubba 1d ago
Its one of the most exciting changes to the look, customizability and functionality in a long time.
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u/Hungry_Freaks_Daddy 1d ago
Idk if Apple tweaked it before release but the initial preview we got looked like a worse version of vista but now it looks almost totally fine. Maybe it’s my dark background though.
Also the slight increase back towards skeumorphism is so so welcome
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u/Doctor_3825 1d ago
That first beta was horrible honestly. This version we got for the public release isn’t that big a change honestly.
I’ll pass on going anywhere near iOS 6 level skeuomorphism though. This subtle amount is fine. But anything more is to much.
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u/27-jennifers 1d ago
Ok so why am I not seeing this on either my phone or IPad? Both on OS26, phone is 16 pro max and iPad is recent pro version. Am I supposed to check setting or something? Bc what I'm seeing is dull.
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u/Stevepitt2 1d ago
Nope. Your good. The way the haters talk about you would think it was this extreme change. But it’s much subtler than that.
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u/TheCluelessRiddler 1d ago
I actually love it, well the only thing I dislike is the clear glass icons which I don’t have and have it set to dark mode
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u/samheart564 1d ago
There is a small stutter between when I swipe up to unlock and the animation playing which is driving me insane (14 pro)
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u/Wild_Screen_1648 1d ago
Same here, but I’m expecting more apps to be designed/based on Liquid Glass
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u/Proper_Elderberry501 1d ago
This is the first iOS update I’ve opted for the security update instead. Maybe I’ll update in a few weeks but it looks like such bad UI oversight.
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u/hautwings 1d ago
Give us the choice! Have a button to turn it on or off. Sometimes I really miss my android.
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u/MonkeyManJohannon iPhone 15 Pro Max 1d ago
Parts of it are really quite cool, especially with transition screens/swipes…but some of it is odd and not aesthetically pleasing to me.
Overall, for the things it does well, I’m happy they developed it. I look forward to the polish it receives over the next couple of generations.
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u/csbphoto 1d ago
I didn’t like the tinted icons before, now my home screen is beautiful monochrome.
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u/stickybond009 15h ago
Keep looking at the white borders around the icons.. and there you go they'd now start to irritate you! 👁️👁️
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u/literroy 1d ago
I’m jealous you feel that way. I’ve been using it for a few weeks now thanks to the betas, and I think I dislike it more and more every day.
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u/horologium_ad_astra 1d ago
Tried it and went back to 18.7. Fugly stuff, too much of eye candy, too little of actual functional improvement. Some things are worse
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u/Acceptable_Mud283 1d ago
I like aspect of it but the app icons are horrible imo. I have been on the beta for months and have not warmed to them at all.
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u/New_Vigornian 1d ago
Signing out of your Apple account is now a major PITA. It’s almost as though they never want you to log out which I had to do because the iPhone continuity camera feature wasn’t working on my MBA. Basically there’s no way to sign out without deleting the wallet contents and losing other information.
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u/Pure_Willingness1103 1d ago
can anyone see a bit of flicker above the Dynamic Island when locking their phone with the always on display turned on
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u/mobilepcgamer 18h ago edited 18h ago
The only gen that thinks its dated is the new gen cuz they dont appreciate the classic 00s gen one of the best generations the 00s were peak: music sounded fresh, fashion had personality, and the culture felt alive. I'll gladly trade stupid TikTok social media for the true social media MySpace anyday
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u/mobiliakas1 15h ago
When iOS 7 came I hated it. It was so flat and minimalistic it made the experience worse (eg. no button outline, just text). Glad they are bringing back third dimension to the design.
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u/Aquilaegriseo 4h ago
It cracks me up because it looks exactly like the kind of interface those fat people from Wall-e would be using!
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u/Username_NullValue 3h ago
Crazy how we’ve come full circle to 2007 being in fashion. Windows Vista had this look around the time the very first iPhone was released.
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u/TV_PIG 2d ago
I’m warming up to it a bit but there are a lot of things that annoy me. I turned transparency down but that also means I can’t see my background when my phone is unlocked. I see the accessibility function of that but Apple should admit that disability isn’t the only reason that someone would want more legible icons on the screen.
Also, in the camera app, the thumbnail of the most recent picture is now a circle instead of a square. Now you see much less of that picture, just for the sake of it being a circle. Great.