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Liquid Glass

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For the alleged Roman invention, see flexible glass. For the chemical compound, see sodium silicate.

Liquid Glass
Developer(s)Apple Inc.
Initial releaseJune 9, 2025; 49 days ago (2025-06-09)
Written inSwift[citation needed]
Operating systemiOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, watchOS
Predecessor
TypeDesign language
Websitedeveloper.apple.com/documentation/technologyoverviews/liquid-glass Edit this on Wikidata

Liquid Glass is a design language developed by Apple as a unified visual theme for the graphical user interfaces for its suite of operating systems. It was first announced on June 9, 2025, at the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC). Liquid Glass features a more fluid and glass-like interface introduced in iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS Tahoe, tvOS 26, and watchOS 26.[1]

Principles

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Apple describes Liquid Glass as a dynamic material that combines the "optical properties of glass with a sense of fluidity".[2] According to Apple's updated Human Interface Guidelines, apps made with Liquid Glass should showcase hierarchy between content and controls.[3] The aim of the design language was to unify the look and feel of interface elements and devices, making them consistent across various window sizes and displays.[4][5]

The design features elements that automatically adapt to their environment by reflecting and refracting light. The digital elements are transparent, contrasting with the outer highlights of their shapes.[6][7] In an interview with TechRadar, Apple's senior vice president of software engineering, Craig Federighi, mentioned that during the design process, Apple's designers utilized its industrial design studios to fabricate glass of different opacities and lensing properties, closely matching the interface properties to those of real glass.[7]

Implementation

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Liquid Glass brings an overhaul to existing iOS interface components such as text, sliders, toggles, alerts, panels, sidebars, and the overall frosted glass design, by introducing a new material that can also be used by third-party apps.[8][9] The material is integrated into various apps, and the system as a whole, such as the Dock, notifications, and Control Center.[10]

The material refracts and reflects any element placed behind it, using realistic lighting and shaders to appear like a real piece of glass. The material adapts to a light or dark appearance accordingly to make the text and icon on top of the material legible, and reacts to the device's movement on iOS and iPadOS.

App icons have been redesigned to use a layered system akin to the one used on visionOS and tvOS, applying translucency and a glass-like shimmer effect, which also reacts to device movement, while applying greater use of gradients. App icons can now adopt a new clear look that makes the background use the Liquid Glass material in a light or dark tint, making it appear transparent.[11] Toolbars and other elements on-screen are now no-longer pinned to the device's bezels, instead being separated into bubbles that appear and disappear based on the context. For example, the Music app's tab bar shrinks when scrolling. The new design also allows the material to change its shape and size, such as the text selection tooltip expanding to show all options in a vertical list.[12]

In a video detailing the design change, Apple stated that the language was influenced by the Aqua design language of macOS, real-time Gaussian blurring in iOS 7, the motion in iPhone X, the Dynamic Island on the iPhone 14 Pro and later, as well as the glass-like UI of visionOS.[6][7]

In a interview with the Wall Street Journal, Craig Federighi acknowledged the additional computational power required to run Liquid Glass, but noted that this was made possible due to the computational power of Apple silicon present on all Apple devices.[13][14]

In subsequent developer betas of iOS 26, the transparency of Liquid Glass was adjusted to improve legibility.[15]

Reception

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Liquid Glass has had a mixed reception. Some users praised the aesthetics of the operating systems designed with the language[16] and were impressed by the effects to recreate glass's refracting and lensing properties.[17][18] However, other users noted that certain elements were too transparent, making text difficult to read in low-contrast environments, such as direct sunlight.[16][19] Designers interviewed by Wired felt that the visual effects distracted from app content.[17] One designer also raised concerns that developers with smaller teams might struggle to meet the high visual standards set by the new interface.[17]

The design marked a shift in Apple's design languages, moving away from some of the flat design cues popularized by Jony Ive toward more expressive, skeuomorphic elements.[17][20] Many critics and social media users noted similarities to Windows Aero, including glass-like textures popularized by Windows Vista.[18][21]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Cunningham, Andrew (June 9, 2025). "Apple's macOS 26 Tahoe has new Liquid Glass look, customizable folders, and more". Ars Technica. Retrieved June 10, 2025.
  2. ^ "Liquid Glass". Apple Developer Documentation. Retrieved June 10, 2025.
  3. ^ "Materials". Apple Developer Documentation. Retrieved June 12, 2025.
  4. ^ "Apple's new Liquid Glass design is its biggest visual update in years". Engadget. June 9, 2025. Retrieved June 12, 2025.
  5. ^ "iOS 26 vs iOS 18: Is Apple's 'Liquid Glass' a true redesign?". AppleInsider. June 10, 2025. Retrieved June 12, 2025.
  6. ^ a b "Meet Liquid Glass - WWDC25 - Videos". Apple Developer. Retrieved June 10, 2025.
  7. ^ a b c Ulanoff, Lance (June 10, 2025). "For Liquid Glass, 'the most obvious inspiration was visionOS', says Apple's Senior VP of Software Engineering". TechRadar. Retrieved June 11, 2025.
  8. ^ "Human Interface Guidelines". Apple Developer Documentation. Retrieved June 10, 2025.
  9. ^ "Adopting Liquid Glass". Apple Developer Documentation. Retrieved July 6, 2025.
  10. ^ Peters, Jay (June 10, 2025). "Apple's Liquid Glass was a wild change to my iPhone". The Verge. Retrieved June 10, 2025.
  11. ^ "App icons". Apple Developer Documentation. Retrieved July 6, 2025.
  12. ^ WWDC25 - Apple TV. Retrieved July 6, 2025 – via tv.apple.com.
  13. ^ The Wall Street Journal (June 13, 2025). Apple Execs on AI Setbacks, What Went Wrong with Siri and More (Full Interview) | WSJ. Retrieved June 14, 2025 – via YouTube.
  14. ^ "Adrian Weckler: Should you worry if your iPhone is too old for the latest upgrade?". Irish Independent. June 14, 2025. Retrieved June 15, 2025.
  15. ^ Roth, Emma (July 7, 2025). "Apple just added more frost to its Liquid Glass design". The Verge. Retrieved July 8, 2025.
  16. ^ a b Perez, Sarah (June 10, 2025). "Love it or hate it? Apple's new 'Liquid Glass' design is getting mixed reviews". TechCrunch. Retrieved June 11, 2025.
  17. ^ a b c d Rogers, Reece. "'Beautiful' and 'Hard to Read': Designers React to Apple's Liquid Glass Update". Wired. ISSN 1059-1028. Retrieved June 10, 2025.
  18. ^ a b Pierce, David (June 9, 2025). "Apple's Liquid Glass redesign doesn't look like much". The Verge. Retrieved June 10, 2025.
  19. ^ Encinas, Amaris. "What is Liquid Glass? Internet reacts to Apple's new software design". USA Today. Retrieved June 11, 2025.
  20. ^ Wong, Raymond (June 9, 2025). "Apple Ushers in New Glassy Design With iOS 26 and 'Liquid Glass' Interface". Gizmodo. Retrieved June 11, 2025.
  21. ^ "iOS 26 liquid glass: Here's why Windows Vista jokes are trending". Hindustan Times. June 10, 2025. Retrieved June 10, 2025.

Further reading

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