At WWDC 2025, Apple introduced a significant update to its user interface design language called Liquid Glass. This new aesthetic brings a fresh visual identity to Apple’s platforms, inspired heavily by the immersive UI elements first seen in visionOS.
Liquid Glass is characterized by frosted, translucent layers, blurred backgrounds, and rounded, fluid shapes. Unlike previous flat or minimalistic designs, this approach adds a sense of depth and spatial context to the interface, creating a more immersive and tactile experience. By layering translucent elements, the UI feels lighter and more connected to the environment behind it.
This design is applied system-wide, including the Dock, buttons, menus, windows, and other UI components, aiming to make interactions feel more dynamic and engaging.
Visual and Functional Highlights of Liquid Glass
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Depth with Purpose: Semi-transparent layers and subtle blurs guide your attention to key elements, while maintaining a sense of structure and hierarchy across the interface.
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Context-Aware Blurring: The background blur isn’t static — it adjusts based on what’s behind each element, creating a soft spatial awareness that enhances focus without distraction.
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Softer Visual Language: Sharp edges are replaced with rounded corners, giving the UI a friendlier, more modern appearance that feels consistent across system elements.
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Responsive to Light and Motion: Interface components respond to changes in lighting and user movement, adding a physical, almost tactile quality that makes the UI feel alive and intuitive.
Early testers of Liquid Glass reported that excessive transparency in some elements negatively affected readability and legibility, particularly when text appeared over complex or bright backgrounds. This prompted Apple to refine the effect in subsequent beta releases, dialing back transparency levels to improve user comfort without losing the distinctive glass-like appearance. Apple’s commitment to balance form and function is evident in these updates, ensuring the UI is both visually impressive and practical for everyday use.
Liquid Glass is more than just a visual change. It shows a new direction in Apple’s design, where the interface feels deeper, clearer, and more connected to the user’s environment. By using soft layers, motion, and light effects, Apple creates a system that looks modern and also improves how people use it. The goal is to make the experience easier to understand, more focused, and more comfortable in everyday use.
As Liquid Glass becomes part of more Apple platforms, it’s likely to shape how apps and experiences are designed moving forward. Developers can expect updated tools and design guidelines to help them build apps that feel native to this new visual style; consistent, clean, and immersive.
