Apple’s upcoming iOS 26 introduces a visually striking Liquid Glass design language. Instead of opaque panels, core interface elements are rendered in a translucent material that lightly reflects colors and textures from your surroundings. The result is a home and lock screen that feels almost three-dimensional, adapting to the lighting and colors of your environment.
What is Liquid Glass?
Apple describes it as a flexible material that helps apps convey more personality. Widgets and notifications appear to float above the background, and users can tint elements with custom colors. The new aesthetic hints at Apple’s long-term interest in blending digital and physical environments.
How it changes your phone
- Customizable home screen – choose from themed color palettes and let accent colors bleed into widgets and icons.
- Dynamic lock screen – notifications subtly reflect your wallpaper, and Live Activities appear more integrated.
- Consistent design – throughout Messages, Photos and even Settings, the new translucent panels unify the look of iOS 26.
Liquid Glass is more than a visual refresh. Combined with new on-device AI features, it makes the system feel alive and personalized.
