I’ve been utilizing and testing Apple’s iOS 26 Liquid Glass design on the iPhone ever since iOS 26 beta 1 was launched, and I’m completely happy to report that it didn’t take me lengthy to get used to the brand new design language. Nonetheless, I did warn you that the brand new design is likely to be a great cause to skip testing iOS 26 beta 1 by yourself iPhone.
The Liquid Glass UI is thrilling to have a look at, and I can see why Apple is constructing the design into all of its working programs. That mentioned, there’s no solution to absolutely deactivate it. You possibly can scale back the transparency, however that setting applies to all the iPhone.
After days of utilizing an iPhone working iOS 26, I’ve come to appreciate that I need Apple to make sure tweaks to the transparency of the iOS 26 design. Additionally, I believe Apple would possibly need to rethink the usability of the iPhone. It’ll take some time for longtime iPhone homeowners to get used to the simplified menus and discover every thing. I can’t even think about what somebody who struggles with iOS 18 will undergo as soon as they inevitably replace to iOS 26.
Why Apple wants Liquid Glass
I defined greater than as soon as that the redesign indicators that Apple is getting ready its software program to run on new system classes. Apple desires to supply prospects a well-known consumer interface throughout units, whether or not it’s an iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Imaginative and prescient Professional.
The fluidity of Liquid Design must also make it simple for Apple to modify between iPhone/iPad and iPad/Mac experiences on the upcoming foldable iPhone and foldable iPad. Extra importantly, the brand new, clear look ensures that iPhone customers are accustomed to Liquid Glass lengthy earlier than the primary AI/AR sensible glasses from Apple arrive.
A take a look at the next picture is sufficient to perceive the place we’re going:
The picture above is a take a look at Android XR. We see an individual utilizing AI/AR sensible glasses to learn an incoming message and instructing Gemini to reply.
The digital UI components type a layer that’s projected on prime of the actual world. You continue to should see the actual world when sporting AR sensible glasses, so the UI has to have some transparency. Liquid Glass prepares us for that future.
Issues with Liquid Glass
Nonetheless, the Liquid Glass expertise in iOS 26 beta 1 isn’t that nice, and I say that as somebody already testing the brand new OS. Beneath, I’ll present you a number of of the large issues that Apple wants to repair by September.
Notifications on the Lock Display
Clear menus are wonderful to expertise in iOS 26, however they don’t work all over the place. The Lock Display is one place the place the Liquid Glass expertise is horrible. It’s troublesome to learn notifications, particularly when you have a brilliant background.
The poor distinction will make it lots tougher for older folks and people affected by eyesight circumstances to learn notifications. Lock Display widgets may need the identical downside, particularly those who have textual content overlaid on a brilliant wallpaper.
The answer shouldn’t be having to alter your wallpaper. As a substitute, Apple ought to give us a brand new setting to deal with the glass opacity of notifications on the Lock Display. Once more, the accessibility possibility to scale back transparency at the moment applies to all the UI.
Management Middle
The Management Middle is a fair larger visible mess. I’m a longtime iPhone consumer and I customise my Management Middle expertise. I do know the place to seek out the settings I have to tweak. I can discover the buttons even when the background makes it tougher to see them.
However some folks can have issues telling the Management Middle buttons other than the background. Additionally, seeing all of the layers of the iPhone like that offers me nervousness. Every part is simply too crowded, overloading my senses. One thing comparable occurs within the Music app, and I don’t prefer it one bit.
I favor the blurred background of iOS 18, one thing Apple ought to contemplate for Management Middle in iOS 26. We don’t really want that a lot transparency right here.
One factor that’s nice about iOS 26 app menus is that they’re a lot less complicated than earlier than. They don’t take up all the backside of the display screen, which implies you get to see extra content material. However meaning Apple needed to cover menu choices in its try and simplify them.
The Music app (above) is an effective instance. I struggled to seek out music saved in my Library as I used to be going forwards and backwards within the menu.
The identical applies to the Well being app. This time, the transparency isn’t the issue. It’s the unintuitive “Search” icon that incorporates every thing within the app. I’m trying to find one thing particular, however the search icon doesn’t match right here. I affiliate it with on-line search or system search. It took me some time to appreciate that was the button to press to seek out what I used to be in search of.
The identical search button confused me within the Music app. Swap to Safari and also you’ll discover a three-dot button as a substitute of search.
Blurry app icons
Again to the Liquid Glass design, I’ve one other challenge with the transparency results. This time, it considerations app icons. Right here’s a zoomed-in take a look at the Images icon, the place you’ll be able to discover the layers of glass. It seems to be good like that.
However you don’t see the zoomed-in model of the icon whereas utilizing your iPhone. As a substitute, you’ll see one thing like this, which distorts the glass impact:
Now, the icon seems to be blurry to me. It’s out of focus. It doesn’t look good. I really feel like I want to scrub the show, as my mind tells me it have to be soiled.
The identical applies to different Apple apps that characteristic layered photographs. Discover My, Mail, and the App Retailer are some examples of that.
And sure, I attempted the utterly clear app icon design. I can’t deal with it. It’s an excessive amount of.
App icon design isn’t as large of a difficulty as the looks of notifications on the Lock Display. Some folks would possibly even just like the Liquid Glass icons. I’d love an possibility to scale back transparency only for the icons, although, which at the moment isn’t accessible.
Disappointing battery life
Unsurprisingly, battery life took a success after I up to date my iPhone 14 Professional to iOS 26 beta 1. It occurs with early betas, and my iPhone is approaching its third birthday.
However I’m beginning to wonder if the Liquid Glass design in iOS 26 is impacting battery life. I disabled movement in iOS years in the past, however all of the transparency and the best way that iOS 26 handles gentle might theoretically influence my telephone’s battery life.
We’ll want in-depth battery exams to see how a lot battery life Liquid Glass consumes. In any case, utilizing the always-on show additionally consumes vitality. However that’s an elective alternative. Liquid Glass isn’t. A repair right here could be the choice to show off transparency utterly.
