At the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2025, Apple introduced the first major redesign of its platforms since iOS 7 in 2013. Dubbed Liquid Glass, the new design language brings in a translucent material for elements which behaves as glass in real-time. With this, the Cupertino-based tech giant is redesigning iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS Tahoe 26, watchOS 26, and tvOS 26. This new user interface not only impacts the system elements and those on the home screen, but also the company’s first-party apps.
What is the Liquid Glass Design Language?
In a blog post, the tech giant detailed the new design language and said that it is inspired by “the depth and dimensionality of visionOS,” and it uses new graphics technologies. The central focus of the design is the glass-like material, which reflects and refracts the colour of whatever content appears in the background.
Apple said this effect was created by letting the material render the background shapes and colours in real-time and by dynamically reacting to movements. The material, which is said to intelligently adapt between light and dark environments, is said to have been developed after a collaboration between the company’s design and engineering teams.
The company has used the Liquid Glass material in smaller elements such as buttons, switches, sliders, text, and media controls, as well as larger elements such as tab bars and sidebars. It is also visible on the Lock Screen, Home Screen, notifications, Control Centre, and more.
The redesign also brings other changes to the user interface. Apple has reconfigured the toolbars, tab bars, sidebars and app windows with rounded corners, ditching the previous rectangular edges. In-app controls are also made of Liquid Glass, and they are positioned above apps. These controls also expand when the user needs more options.
Additionally, sidebars in the updated iPadOS and macOS are made of Liquid Glass, and as the user scrolls up or down, the bars expand and reflect the content behind them. At the same time, the content around the bar is refracted around the edge of the element. The new design elements are present on multiple first-party apps, including Camera, Photos, Safari, FaceTime, Apple Music, Apple News, and Apple Podcasts.
Customisability has also been increased with the new design language. On macOS Tahoe 26, users can customise the desktop and Dock with widgets and app icons that feature new light and dark tints. Additionally, across all platforms, apps are also getting a new, clear look. To complement the appearance, a new transparent menu bar on Mac is also being added with this upcoming update.
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