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Meet Apple's Liquid Glass - WWDC25

  • Writer: Chiranjit
    Chiranjit
  • 1 day ago
  • 2 min read
TV display with "Fountain of Youth" poster; laptop, tablet, smartphone, and smartwatch showing apps. Bright, tech-focused scene.

What is Apple Liquid Glass?

  • Unified design language across iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS Tahoe 26, watchOS 26, tvOS 26, and visionOS — Apple’s most extensive visual overhaul since iOS 7.

  • A translucent, real‑time rendered material that mimics optical glass: reflective, refractive, and adaptive to environmental lighting.

  • Apple's executive Alan Dye described it as their “broadest software design update ever”.

Blue podcast icon design with layers labeled "1_person," "2_circle2," "3_circle1." Interface shows opacity, blur, and translucency settings.

Key Features & Behaviors

Adaptivity & Interactivity

  • Dynamic responses: UI elements visually shift specular highlights and transparency based on movement, light/dark modes, and context.

  • Fluid control transitions: buttons, sliders, and navigation bars float and morph during interaction for a smooth, tactile feel.

Core UI Enhancements

  • Applies across system areas like Lock Screen (with 3D parallax), Control Center, Safari, Camera, FaceTime, Music, News, and Photos.

  • Edge-to-edge layouts and shrinking floating tab bars in Safari, offering immersive browsing and content focus.

  • Lock screen resizing: time scales dynamically; notifications swipe in with glassy depth.

Laptop, tablet, smartphone, and smartwatch with gradient blue screens displaying weather, apps, and widgets. Clean, modern tech setup.

Developer Adoption

  • Apple Developer Resources:

    • “Meet Liquid Glass” videos introduce core principles, optical behaviors, and use cases.

    • “Adopting Liquid Glass” specifies that standard SwiftUI, UIKit, and AppKit components will automatically adopt the new material.

    • Toolkit includes Icon Composer for creating layered icons with dynamic lighting effects.

    • Tutorials available for building apps: “Landmarks” SwiftUI sample and UIKit/video walkthroughs.

Hardware & Strategic Context

  • Leverages advanced rendering capabilities of Apple’s A18 and M‑series chips.

  • Sets aesthetic groundwork for future hardware, including the “Glasswing” iPhone expected for the 20th anniversary in 2027.

Angled smartphone display showing app icons with a mountain wallpaper. Text "iOS 26" in the background on a blue-to-yellow gradient.

Reception: Praise vs Criticism

Positive:

  • Technically impressive, immersive, and visually cohesive across devices.

Negative:

  • Concerns over legibility, “jarring” transparency, and possible accessibility issues .

“Boy are the changes jarring when you first see them.” (theverge.com)
“Hideous Liquid Glass … illegible … accessibility disaster.” (androidauthority.com)

Apple will likely refine the design through upcoming public beta cycles.

A person presents in front of a large screen displaying Apple devices, including a laptop, tablet, phone, watch, and headset, in a modern room.

On the Apple Developer Site

  • Newsroom announcement outlines vision and aesthetic goals.

  • Developer docs update with guidance on UI materials and adaptation practices.

  • WWDC video content available on the Apple Developer portal for deep technical guidance.


Summary

Liquid Glass is Apple’s bold leap beyond flat design—offering fluidity, translucence, and depth across its platforms. Though opinion is split on its execution, it marks a new era in Apple's interface language. Developing for it is seamless via SwiftUI, UIKit, or AppKit, with built-in materials and design resources ready for use.

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