Liquid Glass, Apple’s massive new design language, is lastly rolling out. Liquid Glass is basically a brand new design idea that is constructed on the concept of layering software program parts that appear to be precise glass, making for a design that appears extra pure, relatively than fully digital.
It is a fairly neat concept. The idea has truly been refined quite a bit over the previous few months in the course of the beta part, after Apple introduced the brand new design language at its WWDC 2025 convention. Liquid Glass nonetheless is not excellent, however it has lots going for it. Listed here are a few of the issues I like most about it, and one factor that also wants some work.
Simplified controls are good
The Safari browser in iOS 26.
Credit score: Christian de Looper
A part of the Liquid Glass redesign is making controls a little bit extra simplified, which is sensible. Having translucent controls on a display screen is cool, but when they’re too massive and too in your face, it might begin to be a little bit annoying. There are a selection of areas the place Apple has severely refined controls, and whereas it might take some getting used to, after utilizing the iOS 26 beta for some time, I fairly just like the adjustments.
A great instance of that is in Safari. In iOS 26, Safari has new Liquid Glass controls which are just like the outdated controls if you first open the app, displaying a URL bar, again and ahead buttons, and a menu for added settings. When you begin scrolling, nevertheless, the controls decrease to a small URL bar on the backside of the display screen, serving to maximize how a lot of an online web page you’ll be able to see at a time. It seems to be glorious. To entry the controls once more, merely faucet on the URL bar on the backside or begin scrolling up a little bit and so they’ll present up. Once more, it takes a little bit little bit of getting used to, however it works properly.
The brand new Digital camera app in iOS 26.
Credit score: Christian de Looper
One other instance is within the new digicam app. If you open the app, you will solely see two completely different taking pictures modes: Photograph and Video. That is useful for common customers who needn’t entry different photograph modes, particularly now that issues like portrait settings can be found in pictures taken outdoors of portrait mode. The excellent news is that for nerds like me, these modes are nonetheless accessible. You simply must scroll to at least one facet to entry them. It is simply as simple to entry them if you already know they’re there – and the change helps make the Digital camera app rather less daunting if you open it up.
Mashable Mild Velocity
Lock screens look nice
The beautiful new Liquid Glass lock display screen.
Credit score: Christian de Looper
Liquid Glass has come to the lock display screen too, and I actually like the way it seems to be. Issues like notifications and widgets have at all times had some translucency, however the Liquid Glass impact helps make them look much more refined.
The entire digital parts on the lock display screen can have the Liquid Glass impact, together with the clock, lock display screen widgets, and notifications. They are often clear glass, however they can be coloured, which might look fairly cool relying on the picture that you have chosen to your lock display screen background.
Together with including Liquid Glass to the lock display screen, there’s additionally the brand new spatial scenes characteristic, which provides pictures a parallax impact that helps make them seem three-dimensional if you tilt your telephone. It is a tremendous cool characteristic and works very properly. And there is a new full-screen music characteristic that exhibits the album artwork and controls on the lock display screen if you’re listening to music. It may be enabled or disabled by merely tapping on the album artwork, however I prefer it lots.
Apple’s software program feels extra constant
Liquid Glass can be coming to macOS Tahoe 26 and iPadOS 26.
Credit score: Apple
Among the finest issues about Liquid Glass is not merely about the way it seems to be on iOS 26, however extra about the way it seems to be throughout Apple’s total ecosystem of merchandise. Liquid Glass helps tie collectively iOS 26, macOS 26, watchOS 26, and iPadOS 26 in a means that earlier variations of those working methods did not. Certain, Apple’s software program has at all times been extra cohesive than others, however Liquid Glass helps take it to the subsequent stage.
That is not essentially to say that the redesigns of those working methods are superb. There’s a lot to be mentioned about macOS 26 and the adjustments that Apple has made, however on the very least, I like that it has the Liquid Glass design constructed into it. And I actually like how Apple has modified iPadOS partly with Liquid Glass and partly with new productiveness options that assist make the iPad really feel rather more like an precise laptop computer.
Apple hasn’t fairly found out Messages but
Credit score: Christian de Looper
As you’d count on, the Messages app is getting a liquid glass overhaul too, however I am not fairly positive that all the adjustments made to Messages are that nice. Like in different apps, menu bars have been changed with floating controls. And in chats, you will now get floating liquid glass again buttons, FaceTime buttons, and a label for the identify of the contact or group chat.
The floating bubble to your contact form of seems to be a bit foolish, particularly contemplating how far down the display screen the picture and label prolong in comparison with the again and FaceTime buttons. And, maybe to higher spotlight these controls, Apple has added a form of fade to chats, the place they’re going to fade to white on the high of the display screen if there is a gentle background, or get darker if there’s a picture or one thing else. It is actually not an enormous deal, however I feel it is a little bit bit sloppy.
