At WWDC 2025, Apple revealed a major new look for all its devices called Liquid Glass. This is the biggest design change since iOS 7, which switched from the old realistic style to a clean, flat look.
What is Liquid Glass?
Liquid Glass is a new design style that adds layers of semi-transparent, glass-like materials across Apple’s software. The design mimics real glass by refracting and reflecting what’s behind it. It also changes colors depending on whether you are using light or dark mode. The effect creates a sense of depth and makes the interface feel alive and responsive.
The most notable thing is that the Liquid Glass design is not just for iPhone or iOS 26. Apple is bringing this fresh, translucent look to all its platforms. This includes iPadOS 26, macOS 26, watchOS 26, tvOS 26, and even VisionOS 26 for Apple’s Vision Pro headset.
What’s new with Liquid Glass?
Liquid Glass introduces many subtle but powerful visual changes. On the iPhone Lock Screen, for example, the clock’s numbers “nestle” into the wallpaper and pick up its colors, blending naturally with the background.
On the Mac, the Dock and menu bar can become fully transparent or take on tinted looks. This lets your wallpaper, widgets, and icons shine through clearly.
Apps like Safari, Apple Music, and News use frosted glass panels for tab bars that shrink when you scroll down so you can focus on the content. When you scroll back up, these bars re-expand smoothly.
Other UI elements, such as Control Center, Notification Center, sidebars, and menus, all have frosted glass looks with rounded corners. Buttons, sliders, and sheets seem to float above the content, giving a layered and spacious feel.
Liquid Glass is also about motion. The translucent layers respond fluidly as you scroll or interact. App icons sit on squircle shapes beneath transparent surfaces that subtly bend colors from the wallpaper and animate gently when tapped.
Apple is opening this design to third-party developers with new APIs. This means apps can easily adopt Liquid Glass’s translucency and motion effects, creating a more unified look across your device.
Read: iOS 26 Beta Now Available for Developers, Public Beta Coming Soon
Which Apple devices get Liquid Glass?
Apple’s Liquid Glass design is coming to all its major platforms with the 2026 updates. On iPhones, iPads, and Macs running iOS 26, iPadOS 26, and macOS 26, you will notice a fresh new look where system panels, toolbars, sidebars, widgets, and app icons all have a translucent, glass-like appearance. These elements feature smooth rounded corners and controls that seem to float above the screen, creating a clean and spacious feel.
For the Apple Watch on watchOS 26, Liquid Glass transforms the entire interface. From watch faces to notifications, the design becomes clearer and more elegant, improving both style and readability.
The Apple TV experience on tvOS 26 also gets an upgrade. The home screen and app pages now have frosted glass backgrounds and see-through navigation bars, making the interface feel more modern and consistent with other Apple devices.
Finally, VisionOS 26 brings Liquid Glass into Apple’s spatial computing world. The headset’s floating windows and 3D icons adopt the new translucent style, creating a seamless look that ties together both the Vision Pro and other Apple devices.
Why Liquid Glass Matters
This new design language is more than just a visual refresh. It makes Apple’s ecosystem feel more connected and modern. The glass-like translucency adds depth and sophistication without distracting from the content. It adapts beautifully to different devices and screen sizes.
Liquid Glass also enhances usability by helping users focus on what matters while keeping controls easily accessible. The smooth animations and motion-responsive effects create a more natural and engaging experience.
Design is a subjective matter. So, not all people will like it. Some will surely appreciate this design overhaul, especially the Apple fanboys. Several users have already expressed their disappointment on X.
Liquid Glass is Apple’s biggest UI overhaul in over a decade. It brings a fresh, elegant, and unified look to iPhones, iPads, Macs, Apple Watch, Apple TV, and Vision Pro. With translucent layers that reflect and refract surroundings, dynamic motion effects, and developer support, Liquid Glass is set to redefine how Apple devices look and feel starting in 2026. It will be interesting to see how people respond to it.
What do you think about Liquid Glass? Let me know in the comments.
