Abstract
- Apple’s Liquid Glass overhaul for iPhones, Macs, and different units is mostly welcome, however has some design selections that create usability issues.
- Customers want the choice to regulate transparency ranges themselves, and Apple ought to repair the readability of its fonts, which generally mix in too simply.
- It may additionally stand to tone down the bounciness of its animations, which generally is a little extreme or (within the case of unlocking an iPhone) look outright dangerous.
At its 2025 Worldwide Builders Convention, Apple made a giant present of a design overhaul for all its working programs, often known as Liquid Glass. This makes many buttons, menus, and different objects both translucent or clear, exhibiting extra of what is beneath. Usually this stuff are floating and minimalist, with animations that make them stretch and bounce — therefore the “liquid” half. Builders have already got their palms on an early model of the tech, and if you wish to strive it too, public betas of iOS 26, macOS 26, iPadOS 26, watchOS 26, and tvOS 26ought to be out in July.
As an entire, I am into it — it has been some time since Apple’s software program has had a brand new aesthetic, and any good interface tries to remain out of your method. However there are a couple of issues with Liquid Glass because it stands, all of which actually need to be polished earlier than the completed software program updates arrive within the fall. These are the modifications I would suggest — hopefully somebody at Apple is taking notes.
- Model
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Apple
- SoC
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A18 Professional (3nm)
- Show
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6.3-inch 1,206 x 2,622 pixel decision 120Hz LTPO Tremendous Retina XDR OLED, 120Hz, HDR10, Dolby Imaginative and prescient, 1000 nits (typical), 2000 nits (peak)
- Storage
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128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB
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1
Put transparency ranges on a slider
For app icons, if nothing else
Apple
It is sensible for a lot of issues in Liquid Glass to be close to or utterly clear, akin to textual content selectors or the borders round tab menus. However generally this goes too far, akin to within the case of the brand new Management Heart, which may appear like a jumbled mess relying on what’s within the background behind it. And for those who select the Clear icon look in your iPhone, iPad, or Mac, chances are you’ll generally should stare for a second or two longer to determine the app you are looking for, or learn knowledge from a widget. There’s not a lot level in utilizing a Reminders widget to see your every day duties if it is likely to be quicker to open the app.
It could be good to have clear icons with out feeling like my iPhone and iPad homescreens are haunted by the spirits of useless apps.
In Apple’s protection, it was ready for these issues with a Cut back Transparency choice. In iOS 26, it is situated underneath Settings > Accessibility > Show and Textual content Dimension. However all this does is add a darker background to objects just like the Management Heart and app icons — some issues are left untouched, and you will have to be proud of Apple’s definition of “decreased.” A greater resolution can be a number of transparency sliders, letting us resolve simply how clear we want issues to be. I would not less than like to have the ability to management icon transparency — it will be good to have clear icons with out feeling like my iPhone and iPad homescreens are haunted by the spirits of useless apps.
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2
Repair font sizes and colours
Readability is primary
Apple / Pocket-lint
One thing critics have been fast to note — myself included — is that Apple is making odd selections with textual content in some locations. If you happen to’re enjoying a music in Apple Music, as an example, the artist identify within the iOS 26 miniplayer is a light-weight grey, making it mix in all too effectively with the encompassing menu. Even black or darkish grey textual content on Liquid Glass buttons can generally be laborious to learn, as soon as once more relying on what’s within the background.
Maybe the worst state of affairs includes the Notification Heart — for those who’ve obtained light-colored wallpaper, the default white textual content of your notifications could be illegible, nearly blinding. Right here Apple’s selections appear explicitly aimed toward making Liquid Glass look cool, slightly than usable.
There are a couple of methods Apple may clear up this downside, probably the most primary being to swap font colours the place crucial, and daring button labels in order that they stand out it doesn’t matter what. I should not have to show to Accessibility settings as a crutch. Maybe colours could possibly be made dynamic, enhancing distinction on the fly.
These particulars are the kinds of issues I am anticipating Apple to tweak earlier than the autumn. However there may additionally be a powerful case for Apple to lastly supply a built-in method of modifying system fonts, throughout all platforms — there ought to be some degree of flexibility that will not danger breaking apps or violating home type.
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3
Tone down the brand new animations
Bounce, bounce, bounce
In the mean time, Liquid Glass may be very bouncy, with interface parts sliding, popping, and glooping round. It isn’t a nasty factor general, however it may be a bit extreme often, even cartoonish. Maybe the worst instance is the transition from the iOS 26 lockscreen to the homescreen — icons bounce a lot that they fly over (and thru) one another. You’d suppose there was an invisible trampoline.
The animation additionally takes lengthy sufficient that it would cease you from launching an app for a second or two, although you would make an analogous criticism about iOS 18. Regardless, I am not a toddler watching YouTube movies — I do not want fixed movement to maintain me entertained.
I am assuming the lockscreen transition will in all probability be scaled again, and that customers will have the ability to nix some or all of those animations utilizing Accessibility settings. In any other case, although, I doubt there’s a lot in the way in which of change coming. Lowering the quantity of bouncing and morphing in any critical method would undo the liquid a part of Liquid Glass — and for advertising and marketing, promoting, and growth causes, Apple might be locked into that for a very long time.
On the earliest, I would not count on any revamps till the following spherical of main OS updates, inevitably getting their preview at WWDC 2026. Altering course would not be utterly unprecedented. In truth, contemplate how a lot Apple is downplaying Apple Intelligence this yr, when it was hanging all the things on it in 2024. The corporate isn’t so cussed as to hurt its backside line or destroy its popularity.
We’ll have to attend and see how most people reacts to Liquid Glass. If it is the butt of jokes on late-night discuss reveals this fall, some kind of motion is assured.
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