At WWDC 2025, Apple unveiled its most comprehensive visual overhaul in over a decade with the introduction of “Liquid Glass,” a translucent design aesthetic that will transform user interfaces across iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS Tahoe 26, watchOS 26, and tvOS 26.
The innovative design language draws inspiration from Apple’s Vision Pro operating system and features reflective, translucent materials that dynamically respond to environmental lighting conditions. Alan Dye, Apple’s VP of human interface design, described the update as the company’s “broadest design update, ever,” marking the first time Apple has implemented a unified visual approach across all its platforms.
The Liquid Glass aesthetic incorporates touch-responsive elements that create specular highlights and glossy surfaces throughout the interface. Users will notice these glass-like effects integrated into fundamental interface components including docks, lock screens, and navigation elements. The camera application exemplifies this approach, featuring transparent overlays and menus that blend seamlessly with the live camera preview.
The design system employs real-time rendering technology to create dynamic visual responses to user interaction and movement. Interface elements such as buttons, toggles, sliders, and larger components like tab bars now feature glass-inspired aesthetics that adapt contextually to both light and dark interface modes.
Major applications including Camera, Photos, Safari, FaceTime, Apple Music, Apple News, and Apple Podcasts have been redesigned to embrace the Liquid Glass philosophy. Apple has simultaneously released updated development APIs, enabling third-party developers to integrate these visual elements into their applications ahead of the system-wide rollout scheduled for later this year.
The macOS Tahoe 26 implementation extends the glass treatment to traditional desktop elements, with transparent menu bars designed to create the impression of expanded screen real estate. Docks, sidebars, and toolbars throughout the desktop environment now feature subtle glass-inspired transparency effects.
This design shift represents Apple’s most significant visual departure since abandoning skeuomorphic design elements in iOS 7 during 2013. The current iOS aesthetic has remained largely unchanged for over a decade, making Liquid Glass a notable evolution that will require substantial adaptation from both users and developers.
Apple’s history includes previous glass-themed design implementations, notably the Aqua interface that debuted in iMovie 2 during 2000 before expanding to Mac OS X 10.0 in 2001. The macOS Big Sur release similarly introduced transparency layers and rounded interface elements, though Liquid Glass represents a more comprehensive visual philosophy.
The approach parallels Microsoft’s transparency implementations, beginning with Windows Vista’s Aero Glass in 2007 and continuing through the current Fluent Design language in Windows 11, which emphasizes dimensional, colorful interface elements.
