Apple introduced iOS 26 and its new UI design — Liquid Glass — at WWDC (Worldwide Developers Conference) this year, only to immediately backtrack after criticism. Fortunately, the company didn’t completely abandon its redesign, and has improved it for better legibility while still retaining its original vision.
Liquid Glass was toned down dramatically in iOS 26 Beta 3, to the point where it didn’t look like what was shown off at WWDC at all. The original design was mocked endlessly on social media, citing legibility problems as well as higher processing power requirements. But with iOS 26 Beta 4, Apple has made Liquid Glass actually look like the advertised design again, despite continuing criticism.
Not everyone is happy, and there’s likely still more work to be done on the design before the public release this fall. But, in my opinion, it looks pretty good, and I share Apple insider Mark Gurman’s sentiments that the company shouldn’t abandon an entirely new UI because of some negative posts online.
Did you like Liquid Glass at launch?
Loved it
37.5%
Liked it
23.21%
Disliked it
17.86%
Hated it
21.43%
Liquid Glass is, in my eyes, a fantastic UI design. It isn’t just some transparent menu bars, there is genuine thought and effort behind it. The way the backgrounds reflect inside the UI elements is mesmerizing. There were definitely some problems with Liquid Glass at launch, but I think it deserves a chance to really prove itself.
With iOS 26, the iPhone is seeing a major UI redesign, like it first did with iOS 7 all the way back in 2013. This design is likely building up to the new 20th anniversary iPhone Pro model that is reportedly under development. That Pro model will allegedly feature a display with no cutouts or other distractions, and is also said to have curved edges, so the screen covers the entire front of the phone.
Apple seems to be going all in on its new design, as a recent report claims that the iPhone 17 Pro will have a new color option inspired by Liquid Glass. With all that in mind, and iOS 26 Beta 4 in front of us, it now seems a bit silly to have thought that Apple would completely abandon Liquid Glass at the drop of a hat.
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Abdullah loves smartphones, Virtual Reality, and audio gear. Though he covers a wide range of news his favorite is always when he gets to talk about the newest VR venture or when Apple sets the industry ablaze with another phenomenal release.
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