What happened? Introduced at WWDC 2025, iOS 16 arrived on compatible iPhones in September 2025. At its center is one of Apple’s most polarizing design choices: liquid glass. Even though the new design language received mixed reviews, Android makers began to “take inspiration” from it.
- Chinese smartphone maker Vivo has revealed its new custom UI, built on Android 16, known as OriginOS 6.
- OriginOS 6 features translucent UI elements, circle icons, an iOS 26-style lock screen clock, smooth UI animations, and even wallpapers that can switch from 2D to 3D, all of which resemble Apple’s Liquid Glass UI.
- Icon packs inspired by Apple’s design language are already available on the Play Store, while Nothing Community members are speculating about a Liquid Glass-like theme coming to their phones.
Why is this important? Remember when Apple unveiled the iPhone X and suddenly all smartphones started featuring a gigantic notch at the top? Or when the company introduced a Dynamic Island on the iPhone 14 Pro and Android developers rushed to create a similar feature?
- Apple continues to influence design trends within the smartphone industry, with brands like Vivo (with a significant presence in markets like China and India) rushing to copy its user interface changes.
- On the other hand, Android users have the greatest freedom to customize their device, as they can also load custom launchers to change its appearance or choose the user interface that suits them best.
Why should I care? The development benefits Vivo users who like the look of the Liquid Glass design language on iOS 26 and can get a piece of it by upgrading to OriginOS 26. Other Android users can also download and install third-party apps with a translucent glass-like finish for icons and wallpapers (like this one). A).
OK, what’s next? If the Liquid Glass design language becomes popular within the Android community, you can expect more Android brands (like Xiaomi, Oppo, and OnePlus) to deploy translucent virtual elements as part of their user interface. Additionally, Android launcher developers will likely adopt the new theme in no time.
