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 blissful to report that it didn’t take me lengthy to get used to the brand new design language. Nevertheless, I did warn you that the brand new design is perhaps a very good 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 techniques. That stated, there’s no approach to absolutely deactivate it. You possibly can scale back the transparency, however that setting applies to your entire iPhone.
After days of utilizing an iPhone operating iOS 26, I’ve come to understand that I would like Apple to make sure tweaks to the transparency of the iOS 26 design. Additionally, I feel Apple would possibly wish 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 all the pieces. 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 alerts that Apple is getting ready its software program to run on new machine classes. Apple desires to supply clients a well-known person interface throughout gadgets, whether or not it’s an iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Imaginative and prescient Professional.
The fluidity of Liquid Design also needs to make it straightforward for Apple to change 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 have a look at the next picture is sufficient to perceive the place we’re going:
The picture above is a have 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 high of the true world. You continue to need to see the true world when carrying AR sensible glasses, so the UI has to have some transparency. Liquid Glass prepares us for that future.
Issues with Liquid Glass
Nevertheless, 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. Under, I’ll present you a couple of of the massive issues that Apple wants to repair by September.
Notifications on the Lock Display screen
Clear menus are superb to expertise in iOS 26, however they don’t work in every single place. The Lock Display screen is one place the place the Liquid Glass expertise is horrible. It’s troublesome to learn notifications, particularly when you’ve got a vivid background.
The poor distinction will make it so much more durable for older individuals and people affected by eyesight situations to learn notifications. Lock Display screen widgets might need the identical downside, particularly people who have textual content overlaid on a vivid wallpaper.
The answer shouldn’t be having to vary your wallpaper. As an alternative, Apple ought to give us a brand new setting to deal with the glass opacity of notifications on the Lock Display screen. Once more, the accessibility choice to scale back transparency at present applies to your entire UI.
Management Middle
The Management Middle is a good larger visible mess. I’m a longtime iPhone person 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 more durable to see them.
However some individuals can have issues telling the Management Middle buttons other than the background. Additionally, seeing all of the layers of the iPhone like that provides me anxiousness. All the things is just 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 think about for Management Middle in iOS 26. We don’t actually need that a lot transparency right here.
One factor that’s nice about iOS 26 app menus is that they’re a lot easier than earlier than. They don’t take up your entire backside of the display screen, which suggests you get to see extra content material. However which means Apple needed to disguise menu choices in its try and simplify them.
The Music app (above) is an efficient 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 all the pieces 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 machine search. It took me some time to understand 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 an alternative of search.
Blurry app icons
Again to the Liquid Glass design, I’ve one other challenge with the transparency results. This time, it issues app icons. Right here’s a zoomed-in have a look at the Photographs icon, the place you’ll be able to discover the layers of glass. It appears to be like good like that.
However you don’t see the zoomed-in model of the icon whereas utilizing your iPhone. As an alternative, you’ll see one thing like this, which distorts the glass impact:
Now, the icon appears to be like blurry to me. It’s out of focus. It doesn’t look good. I really feel like I would like to scrub the show, as my mind tells me it should be soiled.
The identical applies to different Apple apps that characteristic layered pictures. Discover My, Mail, and the App Retailer are some examples of that.
And sure, I attempted the fully 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 screen. Some individuals would possibly even just like the Liquid Glass icons. I’d love an choice to scale back transparency only for the icons, although, which at present isn’t out there.
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 mild may theoretically impression my telephone’s battery life.
We’ll want in-depth battery assessments 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 optionally available selection. Liquid Glass isn’t. A repair right here can be the choice to show off transparency fully.
