The most notable change for iOS 26 is the redesign of liquid glass design, which is the first major iOS design update since Apple deployed iOS 7 in 2013. There are new features in ios 26, of course, but additional features have certainly been sidelined in favor of design refreshment.
We have compiled a step -by -step liquid glass procedure, so you know what to expect when you install ios 26. A large part of what is also applied to iPados 26 and MacOS Tahoe.
Keep in mind that always refines liquid glass and that part of the design could see other modifications, but we will update this guide to each revision.
Preview
The liquid glass is translucent, and it is supposed to behave in the same way with the real glass. It allows the light and the color to filter, you will therefore see background pieces behind the buttons, the menus and other interface elements.
Light is subtly reflected in liquid glass buttons, which is noticeable when you move your iPhone. Apple says that liquid glass is designed to use real -time rendering to dynamically react to movement with reflections.
Application icons
The icons of the application are supposed to look like glass in layers, which gives them a subtle depth. Applications such as messages, weather, photos and cards have a design of upper layer icons on a lower color, for example, you can see a hint of a 3D look.
The icons designed by Apple have the same general colors as iOS 18, but there is an option to activate an all -glass icon look by choosing the “Claire” option in the personalization interface of the Home screen.
Locking screen
Liquid glass is undoubtedly from the moment you take a iPhone Running ios 26. The locking screen includes liquid glass control buttons (which are customizable as before), an option for a liquid glass design for the clock and translucent notifications that use a more frosted variant of liquid glass.
The clock is particularly interesting, because Apple has designed it to merge more transparent with your wallpaper. If you use a photo wallpaper, time reading will change size to hold inside the empty space of the screen.
The widgets that are on the locking screen also have a liquid glass design, with widgets, the buttons in the control center and time reflecting light with the movement of your iphone.
Home screen
The icons of the application have the aforementioned layer look with the option of fully clear icons, and the widgets have the same design. When you turn on the clear icon option, widgets also adopt a much more translucent liquid glass design.
The platform is transparent and blends into the background behind, and the same goes for the search interface. Application files have a frozen and soft liquid glass design that changes the shade according to your wallpaper. The application library has a similar look.
When you tilt and move your iPhone, you can see subtle lights reflecting on the icons of the application, the quay, the folders and the search bar.
Control center
When Apple released the first beta version of ios 26, the control center was so translucent that it was almost illegible. Apple has rendered the central control buttons darker and more opaque, improving readability.
The central control buttons now have a frosted glass look, but you can still see clues of what is in the background behind them.
Applications
In applications, liquid glass is noticeable in menu bars, navigation bars and pimples. Most Apple applications have received a liquid glass update, and you will see a liquid glass almost wherever there is a button, a bar or a menu. Apple wanted the navigation bars and the menus to seem to float on the content of the application, and there is a distinctive layer look on the navigation elements.
The applications navigation bars are translucent and you can see part of the application background behind them, especially when scrolling. Interface elements tend to fade more in the background to focus on content. Liquid glass is accompanied by design modifications in the form of exhaust menus, rounded button conceptions and navigation bars disappeared in selected applications, with some of the most notable modifications listed below.
- Safari – The safari tab bar uses liquid glass, and there is also a new compact option. When you scroll, the tab bar collapses and you will only see the address of the website. The scrolling upwards brings it back. The interface for the exchange between groups of tabs has changed and all buttons also use liquid glass.
- Photos – photos no longer has a unified design, and there are distinct library and collection tabs, as well as a dedicated search button. The navigation bars disappear when you browse your images, and all the buttons have a rounded look.
- Camera – The application of the camera has one of the most notable design updates. Navigation has been distilled in a video and a photo button, although you can slide to access other modes. The tap on a button displays the flow menu with a liquid glass design.
- Messages – The messages seem largely the same, but the buttons have a frosted glass look and the edges of the keyboard are rounded. The pimples and bars have the same rounded look as the rest of the ios 26.
- Cards – The cards also resembles the ios 18 version of the application, but with more rounded interface elements and a little more translucent.
- App Store – The App Store application has a maximum navigation bar at the bottom with a frosted glass look. It can be almost translucent on darker backgrounds.
- Music apple – Apple Music has the same translucent navigation bar as the App store, with a design that shows the background through the bar.
- Phone – The telephone application has a unified opt-in view with liquid glass style buttons.
- Weather report – There is no longer a lower bar in the weather application, and instead, there are liquid glass buttons to modify the locations and access the settings.
Mail, notes, reminders, health, news and other Apple applications all have similar changes, mainly in the form of buttons that are brought, round and slightly more translucent.
Functionally, it is only the application of the camera, the photos application and the telephone application (if you use the unified view) that have significant navigation changes. For the most part, the application buttons are in the same place and work in the same way, even if they have a different look.
How liquid glass has evolved
In the first beta developer, Liquid Glass has focused on translucidity. So much so that the text in areas such as the notification center and the control center could be difficult to read.
Almost the whole interface was transparent, with colors showing behind everything. With the white text and the apple having little or no control over the background colors of the wallpapers and content, conviviality was a problem.
In the second beta developer who was released on June 23, Apple addressed the translucidity of the control center, which was one of the areas that received strong initial criticisms. Apple has increased the opacity of the buttons in the control center and has scrambled the background more. The translucidity of the interface elements on the lock screen and the Home screen have also seen minor adjustments.
Apple has made other modifications to the third beta developer, backing up part of the liquid glass translucidity in the bars and application menu buttons.
In the fourth beta version, part of the translucidity has been reintroduced, and now we have a design that is not as transparent as the liquid glass that has been demonstrated in WWDC, but it is not as opaque as what we had in the third beta.
Each beta update, there have been complaints of people who think that there is too much transparency and those who want more transparency. Apple is always working to find a balance, and we could see other changes in the future.
Critical
People have strong opinions on liquid glass. Some like the novelty of a fresh look, and others think that it is a nightmare of conviviality which is almost illegible in certain situations.
So far, Apple has not managed to find enough balance to satisfy everyone, and so far, it does not seem that the company plans to compromise with a cursor for personalization.
Do you like the liquid glass design, or do you want to see Apple group it? Let us know in the comments.
iPados 26 and MacOS Tahoe
The design of liquid glass extends to ipados 26, MacOS Tahoe, Watchos 26 and TVOS 26, all updates adopting similar translucidity for various interface elements. Ipados 26 is closest to ios 26, with the same general design through the operating system and in Apple applications.
Apple wanted to improve design cohesion for its software on different devices, you will therefore see a liquid glass on all your Apple products when you update to the latest operating systems in the fall.
Learn more
To find out more about the features that are included in ios 26, consult our Roundup iOS 26.
