iOS 26's Liquid Glass Design Draws Criticism From Users

It's been two days since iOS 26 was released, and Apple's new Liquid Glass design is even more divisive than expected.

Any major design change can create controversy as people get used to the new look, but the MacRumors forums, Reddit, Apple Support Communities, and social media sites seem to feature more criticism than praise as people discuss the update.

There are a long list of complaints about Liquid Glass, from the impact on readability to lag caused by animations. Here are some of the main critiques:

On the MacRumors forums, complaints about Liquid Glass are interspersed with responses from people who have been using it during beta, and the consensus is "you'll get used to it."

It does always take time to get used to a new look, and Liquid Glass will become less jarring as people become accustomed to the new animations and the behavior of buttons and other interface elements.

Not everyone hates Liquid Glass, and there are also many positive comments from people who prefer the new design. Some of that sentiment:

Everyone remembers iOS 7, because it was the first big design change that Apple made to iOS. Apple did away with skeuomorphism in favor of a "flat" design, and it was not a change that people were prepared for. A lot of the comments shared when iOS 7 came out mirror the comments we're seeing now about Liquid Glass.

Despite the complaints about iOS 7, Apple stuck with it. There were ongoing refinements to fix bugs and to tweak the overall design, but Apple didn't reverse course. Design updates in iOS 8, iOS 9, and iOS 10 didn't change the fundamentals, but it got better and better, and people got used to it.

Liquid Glass could follow the same path. Apple will make updates and optimizations, but it's probably going to inform the next decade of software releases. In discussion threads on Liquid Glass, you'll see a lot of comments from people recalling iOS 7 and reminding us all that we've been here before.

If you're having a hard time adjusting to the Liquid Glass design, there is no opt out, but you can toggle on Reduce Transparency.

You can also increase your display contrast, and the two settings together will eliminate most of the translucency that was introduced with Liquid Glass.

What do you love or hate about Liquid Glass? Let us know in the comments.