iOS 26 is here, and we're not happy!

Introducing *Liquid Glass*: Apple’s Bold New Design Language

At WWDC 2025, Apple unveiled **Liquid Glass**, a sweeping visual redesign across iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS Tahoe 26, watchOS, tvOS, and even the Vision Pro ecosystem. It's the most dramatic UI update since iOS 7, replacing flat design elements with layered, translucent surfaces that look and feel like physical glass

What Is Liquid Glass?

A dynamic, cross-platform design language: high-transparency elements mimic refraction, shadows, and adapt to what's behind them

Implements lensing and light-play effects**: UI components organically warp, refract light, and cast deeper shadows depending on size and background content

Why Apple Went This Way

1. Visual unity across iPhone, iPad, Mac, Watch, Vision Pro—reinforcing a coherent ecosystem

2. Prepping for spatial computing and future hardware like AR glasses by blending software with real-world visuals.

3. Hardware-driven performance: built for Apple Silicon with optimizations to avoid past UI slowdowns.

Feature Showcase

iOS 26: semi-transparent menus, lock screen clock refracts wallpaper, dynamic icons with rounded, glassy frames

iPadOS 26: introduces a Mac-like multitasking system (resizable windows, Exposé-like overview) wrapped in Liquid Glass aesthetics

macOS Tahoe: transparent menus, docks, sidebars with subtle visual unity across platforms .

Watch, tvOS, Vision Pro: extensions of the same language, with UI reacting to touch, tilt, ambient surroundings

The Accessibility Debate

Pros:

Incorporates adaptive settings like high contrast, reduced transparency/motion

Apple's goal is built-in accessibility, with system-wide support

Cons:

Critics worry that text on translucent layers may be hard to read in various lighting.

Some early design comparisons likened it to visually cluttered UIs like Windows Vista

Accessibility experts caution that ensuring high contrast across many glassy layers will be vital.

The Bigger Picture

Liquid Glass builds on two decades of Apple design—from the glossy Aqua UI to iOS 7's subtle blur layers, but goes further. It introduces **content-aware metalayers** that dynamically respond to context, motion, and environment.

For developers, Apple has updated SwiftUI, UIKit, and Human Interface Guidelines to support this new aesthetic, emphasizing flat layering, minimal stacking, and smart usage of transparency.

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Final Take

Liquid Glass is ambitious, a design language meant to transcend device boundaries and usher in a more immersive, spatially aware UI era. It’s visually stunning, yet raises real questions about legibility, accessibility, and performance on older hardware. Ultimately, its success hinges on how well it's implemented and balanced in everyday use.

Want a deeper breakdown about the accessibility concerns of Liquid Glass and iOS 26? Check out this helpful video:

https://youtu.be/-tbUNQZsWO0