Apple’s latest major iPhone update, iOS 26, releases today, and it has a new design language that gives just about everything on your iPhone a new look.
Apple calls the design “Liquid Glass,” and it means that a lot of things on your iPhone will now have a glassy sheen.
Ever since iOS 7 — this new update would have been iOS 19 had Apple not jumped all the way to 26 — things on your iPhone have generally looked pretty flat.
I’ve been living with Liquid Glass on my primary iPhone since it was announced three months ago, and I’ve gotten used to it.
Even though iOS 26 makes things look way different, your iPhone, for the most part, will still work the same as it did on iOS 18.
iOS 26, Apple’s most recent major iPhone update, is available today. It features a new design language that makes almost everything on your iPhone look different.
Many items on your iPhone will now have a glassy sheen, which Apple refers to as “Liquid Glass.”. App icons appear to have been carved out of a piece of glass at the edges. A bulb that resembles glass will enlarge the text when you press and hold it to view it more closely. In Safari, the content slide appears beneath the back button and translucent search bar when you scroll through websites. As you browse your phone and on your homescreen, you see clear notifications. The way you hold your phone even affects how light is reflected off the edges of your app dock and the Control Center buttons.
To see a few examples of how Liquid Glass appears in iOS 26, view this gallery.
The whole thing has an Apple vibe to it: a daring new design that appears ostentatious and dazzling and appears on your phone right away. However, when you first start using it, it could also be quite startling. Your iPhone has generally looked pretty flat since iOS 7—this new update would have been iOS 19 had Apple not jumped all the way to 26. A tiny bit of virtual texture is added by liquid glass, and although the translucency offers a striking visual effect, it requires some getting used to in daily life.
Apple has changed many aspects of the operating system during the many betas, and Liquid Glass initially had a few significant legibility issues. Additionally, I anticipate that Apple will make additional adjustments in response to more general feedback and opinions after the software is formally made available to everyone.
Since its announcement three months ago, I have managed to get used to using Liquid Glass on my primary iPhone. It’s alright. Despite the drastic changes in appearance brought about by iOS 26, your iPhone will largely function in the same way as it did under iOS 18.
Many will probably comment that the design is Liquid Ass, and Apple will undoubtedly make changes to some aspects of it in response to the criticism, just as it did during the iOS 26 betas. But whether you like it or not, you may have to adjust to Apple’s apparent commitment to liquid glass, as it is now appearing in other Apple products.
