The iOS 26 Liquid Glass design is Apple’s boldest visual refresh in years. It brings depth, translucency, and responsive lighting to everyday apps, making interfaces feel as if they’re suspended under a thin layer of glass. In this analysis, we break down how iOS 26 Liquid Glass works, why it matters, and the best apps already using it. You’ll learn how to enable and tune the effect, the performance and battery trade-offs, and what designers and developers should consider as they adopt the new language.
What is the Liquid Glass design in iOS 26?
Liquid Glass is Apple’s new design language in iOS 26 that blends realistic glass-like materials with dynamic blur, color sampling, and lighting. It updates familiar components with translucency and subtle reflections that respond to wallpaper, ambient color, and motion.
Key principles behind Liquid Glass
- Depth and translucency: Surfaces feel layered, letting background color and texture softly bleed through.
- Adaptive color: UI elements sample your wallpaper and surrounding UI to maintain contrast and legibility.
- Subtle motion: Micro-animations and parallax create a sense of physicality without being distracting.
Where you’ll notice it first
- Navigation bars and tab bars that use translucent materials.
- Widgets and cards with frosted edges and realistic highlights.
- Context menus and sheets that float above content with glassy depth.
The best apps showcasing Liquid Glass today
More than 30 third-party apps shipped day-one updates to embrace the iOS 26 Liquid Glass look. Here are standout implementations and what they get right.
1) Craft
Craft’s notes and document cards gain frosted layers that separate metadata from body text. The new sidebar glass helps keep focus on the page while still feeling connected to navigation.
2) Things
The to-do app’s task inspector floats above lists with a soft, glassy backdrop. Accents adapt to your wallpaper for excellent contrast in both Light and Dark Mode.
3) Fantastical
Calendar sheets and the quick event composer now use translucent panes, making your schedule feel more spatial. The effect is subtle enough to keep event colors readable.
4) Halide
Halide’s controls sit on a translucent overlay that changes with the scene, keeping focus on the viewfinder while improving legibility in low light.
5) Overcast
Playback controls and the queue drawer use frosted cards that slide naturally over episode art. Haptics reinforce the physical, glassy feel.
6) CARROT Weather
CARROT layers hourly and daily cards with tinted glass that mirrors sky conditions. It’s one of the most playful uses of Liquid Glass.
7) Flighty
Status panels and alerts float above maps, using adaptive translucency so critical info remains readable against complex backgrounds.
8) Spark Mail
Compose sheets and the triage toolbar get polished with glass effects, making multi-account work feel lighter and more organized.
9) Notion
Database views and the quick action bar pick up subtle glass and shadow, which helps distinguish layers without heavy borders.
10) Bear
Bear’s tag browser and note info panels now blend with your theme using gentle blur. Typography remains crisp against the translucent backdrop.
How to enable, adjust, and troubleshoot Liquid Glass
Liquid Glass is on by default in iOS 26, but you can fine-tune it for comfort and battery life.
Enable or reduce transparency
- Open Settings > Accessibility > Display & Text Size.
- Toggle Reduce Transparency to limit glass effects system-wide.
- Try Increase Contrast for stronger text and separators on glass surfaces.
Adjust motion and depth
- Settings > Accessibility > Motion > Reduce Motion to limit parallax and UI animations.
- Limit Frame Rate (on Pro models) can help if animations feel choppy.
Wallpaper tips for better legibility
- Pick wallpapers with gentle gradients instead of high-contrast patterns.
- Avoid busy textures behind widgets and dock.
- Use Depth or Live wallpapers thoughtfully; test your Home Screen layout after switching.
Liquid Glass vs. previous iOS design languages
Liquid Glass builds on iOS’s modern “flat” era by adding depth where it helps comprehension. Here’s how it compares.
| Design era | Visual style | Depth & translucency | Motion | Legibility |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| iOS 7–12 (Flat) | Minimal, flat colors | Low | Light parallax | High, but sometimes stark |
| iOS 13–25 (Modern Material) | Refined, soft gradients | Moderate blur and vibrancy | Smoother, context-aware | High with Dark Mode support |
| iOS 26 (Liquid Glass) | Glass-like surfaces, highlights | High, dynamic translucency | Micro-physics, subtle depth | Very high via adaptive contrast |
Performance and battery: what our testing suggests
On A17 and newer chips, iOS 26 Liquid Glass feels smooth. Apple’s compositing engine offloads blur and vibrancy to the GPU, which minimizes CPU spikes in typical use.
Expected impact by device class
- Latest flagships (Pro/Pro Max): Negligible impact. 120Hz animations remain consistent.
- Standard models (60Hz): Occasional frame dips in heavy multitasking; acceptable in daily use.
- Older supported devices: Reduce Transparency and Reduce Motion recommended for best responsiveness.
Battery considerations
- Translucency and blur increase GPU work during animations, but idle power is similar.
- Always-On Display wallpapers with dynamic elements may drain slightly more; consider static wallpapers.
Design guidance: when to use Liquid Glass vs solid surfaces
Not every surface should be translucent. Use Liquid Glass to clarify hierarchy and context, not as decoration.
Use Liquid Glass for
- Transient UI like sheets, modals, and contextual menus.
- Cards and widgets where background influences context.
- Navigation bars to connect content and chrome.
Prefer solid surfaces for
- Dense data views (tables, code, spreadsheets).
- Critical alerts and destructive actions.
- High-contrast reading environments.
Pros and cons of iOS 26 Liquid Glass
Pros
- Improves visual hierarchy and spatial awareness.
- Feels premium and modern without heavy skeuomorphism.
- Adaptive contrast protects legibility in most contexts.
- Accessibility controls give users real choice.
Cons
- Can reduce text contrast if developers overuse translucency.
- Mild GPU overhead on older devices during complex animations.
- Busy wallpapers may clash with frosted surfaces.
Privacy and accessibility considerations
Liquid Glass can reveal faint hints of content underneath. For sensitive screens, developers should increase opacity or blur. Users can rely on Reduce Transparency to harden surfaces and Improve legibility.
- Use bold text and increased contrast in Accessibility settings for persistent clarity.
- Developers should honor system toggles and test with Smart Invert and Color Filters enabled.
Final verdict
The iOS 26 Liquid Glass design elevates everyday interactions with tasteful depth and motion. When used thoughtfully, it improves comprehension and makes iPhone feel more tactile. Choose balanced wallpapers, tweak accessibility settings if needed, and favor apps that adopt Liquid Glass with restraint. As more developers iterate, expect even better legibility and performance in the months ahead.
Try these next: iOS 26: 50 New Features You Should Try First · iPhone Air: First Impressions and Buying Advice · Apple September 2025 Event Recap
FAQs
What is the iOS 26 Liquid Glass design?
It’s Apple’s updated design language that adds realistic glass-like materials, adaptive translucency, and depth to system and app UI.
Can I turn Liquid Glass off?
You can’t disable it fully, but Reduce Transparency and Reduce Motion significantly dial it back for a more solid look and better performance.
Does Liquid Glass hurt battery life?
In normal use, the impact is modest. If your phone feels warm or battery dips during animations, enable Reduce Transparency and use a static wallpaper.
Why does text sometimes look low-contrast on glass?
Busy wallpapers can leak through. Increase Contrast, use bolder fonts, or switch to a simpler background to improve readability.
Which apps show the best Liquid Glass implementations?
Craft, Things, Fantastical, Halide, Overcast, CARROT Weather, Flighty, Spark, Notion, and Bear are excellent examples today.
Is Liquid Glass available on iPadOS and watchOS?
iPadOS adopts related translucency updates in select areas; watchOS uses a simplified variant due to display and power constraints.
How should designers decide when to use Liquid Glass?
Use it to clarify hierarchy (sheets, cards, nav) and avoid it on dense, text-heavy views. Always test with accessibility settings enabled.
Does Liquid Glass support Dark Mode?
Yes. Materials adapt to Dark Mode, adjusting tint and vibrancy for consistent contrast and legibility.
Sources
- 9to5Mac: 30+ apps that feature Liquid Glass for iOS 26
- Apple Developer: Human Interface Guidelines – Visual Design
- Apple Developer: WWDC Sessions on iOS UI materials and performance
