iOS 26: Liquid Glass Design in Action
Apple’s new Liquid Glass design is the big news of the week, as it’s the first major design change to iOS in years and the first design to span all Apple platforms. After updating to iOS 26, Liquid Glass is the first thing you’ll see. The lock screen features a new clock design (optional). The time can be expanded to take up more space on the display and better match your wallpaper.
Widgets on the lock screen, as well as the shortcut buttons at the bottom, have the same transparent design in iOS 26. Notifications are glassy and transparent, and your background image is visible behind them.
On the iOS 26 home screen, the search bar, Dock, and app folders are transparent. By default, app icons have a new, layered glass design that gives them more dimension. There’s also a new option for “clear” glass-like icons. This setting makes your app icons and widgets transparent. So if you want the full glass effect, it is available.
The Control Center is made entirely of Liquid Glass, with transparent icons that reflect the color of the background. Liquid Glass elements can also be found in apps. Safari features a new compact tab bar with Liquid Glass and can also be found in Photos, Camera, Mail, Podcasts, TV, Apple News, Messages, and more.
In apps, Apple has also optimized the appearance of buttons and menu bars, making them more rounded. Navigation has been simplified. Tapping some buttons, such as in the Camera app, displays a Liquid Glass pop-up menu that clearly displays all available options. The look is more minimalist than before, and the focus is more on minimizing the space required by UI elements.
Liquid Glass available for iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS 26, watchOS 26, and tvOS 26
Liquid Glass is now also available for iPadOS 26, macOS 26, watchOS 26, and tvOS 26 are available. iPadOS 26 is very similar to iOS 26, and macOS 26 features a transparent menu bar and Dock background. Liquid Glass is also used for buttons, sidebars, navigation bars, and the Control Center.
watchOS uses Liquid Glass for navigation and buttons. Some watch faces have a Liquid Glass clock option. Liquid Glass is used in tvOS 26 primarily in apps like Apple TV. Overall, the design changes in watchOS 26 and tvOS 26 are more subtle, and even in macOS and iOS, there are areas where Apple needs to emphasize and refine the Liquid Glass design.
This is the first beta, and Liquid Glass is still in development. There will undoubtedly be updates before iOS 26 and the other updates are released this fall, and we’ll continue to see updates for years to come. Apple says Liquid Glass will be the foundation for software design for the next decade.
