I am all for Apple’s Liquid Glass makeover

At its 2025 Worldwide Builders Convention, Apple made an enormous present of a design overhaul for all its working techniques, referred to 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 fingers 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 a complete, 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 approach. However there are a number 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 adjustments I might advocate — hopefully somebody at Apple is taking notes.

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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 fully clear, reminiscent of textual content selectors or the borders round tab menus. However generally this goes too far, reminiscent of within the case of the brand new Management Heart, which may appear to be 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, it’s possible you’ll generally need to stare for a second or two longer to determine the app you are looking for, or learn information from a widget. There’s not a lot level in utilizing a Reminders widget to see your every day duties if it is perhaps quicker to open the app.

In Apple’s protection, it was ready for these considerations with a Scale back Transparency possibility. In iOS 26, it is positioned underneath Settings > Accessibility > Show and Textual content Measurement. 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 pleased with Apple’s definition of “lowered.” A greater resolution could be a number of transparency sliders, letting us resolve simply how clear we want issues to be. I might at the least 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 fundamental

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. For those who’re taking part in 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 onerous 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 received light-colored wallpaper, the default white textual content of your notifications might be illegible, nearly blinding. Right here Apple’s selections appear explicitly geared toward making Liquid Glass look cool, somewhat than usable.

There are a number of methods Apple might clear up this downside, essentially the most fundamental being to swap font colours the place needed, and daring button labels so that they stand out it doesn’t matter what. I should not have to show to Accessibility settings as a crutch. Maybe colours might be made dynamic, enhancing distinction on the fly.

These particulars are the types of issues I am anticipating Apple to tweak earlier than the autumn. However there may also be a powerful case for Apple to lastly provide a built-in approach of modifying system fonts, throughout all platforms — there ought to be some degree of flexibility that will not danger breaking apps or violating home model.

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3

Tone down the brand new animations

Bounce, bounce, bounce

In the meanwhile, Liquid Glass could be very bouncy, with interface parts sliding, popping, and glooping round. It is not a nasty factor total, 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 assume there was an invisible trampoline.

The animation additionally takes lengthy sufficient that it’d cease you from launching an app for a second or two, although you possibly can make the same 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 most likely be scaled again, and that customers will be capable to nix some or all of those animations utilizing Accessibility settings. In any other case, although, I doubt there’s a lot in the best way of change coming. Lowering the quantity of bouncing and morphing in any severe approach would undo the liquid a part of Liquid Glass — and for advertising and marketing, promoting, and improvement causes, Apple might be locked into that for a very long time.

On the earliest, I would not anticipate any revamps till the following spherical of main OS updates, inevitably getting their preview at WWDC 2026. Altering course would not be fully unprecedented. In actual fact, contemplate how a lot Apple is downplaying Apple Intelligence this 12 months, when it was hanging every little thing on it in 2024. The corporate is rarely so cussed as to hurt its backside line or destroy its status.

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 exhibits this fall, some form of motion is assured.

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