Apple has overhauled the software design across its iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Mac, Apple TV, and Vision Pro with an entirely new look called "Liquid Glass". It's the first major shake-up to its software in over a decade.
The last time Apple unleashed such a comprehensive redesign was iOS 7, which was released back in 2013. At the time, Apple ditched skeuomorphism, which sees software mimic real-life elements like leather and lined paper, in favour of a flat and modern look that has stayed broadly consistent in the years since.
But that'll change later this year with the release of iOS 26, macOS 26, iPadOS 26, tvOS 26, and watchOS 26.
Liquid Glass lets the colours and content behind the menus shine through, like a frosted-glass window
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"This is our broadest software design update ever," said Alan Dye, Apple Vice President of Human Interface Design. The new design promises to make "even the simplest of interactions more fun and magical" and "lay the foundation" for the next chapter of Apple devices and software.
The redesign brings a frosted-glass look to almost every corner of the software, but Apple says this isn't just a lick of paint. The US company says the unified design will make moving between its gadgets easier, since many of your everyday interactions will now look and work identically across all platforms.
Sharp corners and straight lines have been excised from the new design, which uses circular elements and rounded corners to fit around the curved corners used on the display of modern iPhones, iPads, and Mac
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Liquid Glass gets its name from the translucent quality of the redesign, which behave like glass in the real world. For example, the colour of a menu will intelligently adapt to its surroundings, letting the photographs, videos, webpages, or album artwork seep through.
As you tilt your device, lifelike specular highlights will shift and shine on the glassy elements, as if it's catching the light. Rendered in real-time, these little touches create what Apple describes as "a lively experience that makes using iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and Apple TV even more delightful."
Specular highlights are rendered in real-life to match the movements of the device, making the digital glass elements appear more lifelike
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The redesign has been created with both light and dark environments in mind, Apple says.
This glass-like experience appears everywhere in the new operating systems, from miniscule elements like buttons, switches and sliders to larger components including tab bars and sidebars to navigate around apps.
Sharp edges and straight edges are almost completely excised from iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and watchOS with this design shake-up. Instead, controls, toolbars, and navigation within apps have been reworked to fit the rounded corners found on every single recent device released by Apple.
When you scroll on your iPhone with iOS 26, tabs and menus will shrink to bring focus to your content. But the moment you scroll back up, menus will expand again, offering up a slew of extra options.
Apple is simplifying the appearance by hiding additional options behind new menus
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Across its new operating systems, Apple has started to tuck away options and settings into these expandable menus. This should clean-up the appearance — hiding away the settings that you don't use as frequently. For the first time, you'll be able to expand these menus to see all options at once.
On your iPad and Mac, updated sidebars will make apps like Apple TV more immersive by refracting the content behind them whilst reflecting content and your wallpaper from around them.
Dark Mode, which was introduced back in 2019, is now joined by a new clear option that makes your app icons, widgets, and other core elements of the software translucent.
The ability to tint the colour of every app icon, introduced at the World Wide Developer Conference last year, is still available in the new versions of the software.
From the moment you pick-up your iPhone or iPad, Apple has ensured its new design is front-and-centre.
iOS 26 adds the ability to make app icons clear, letting you see through to your wallpaper at all times. Dark Mode, introduced back in 2019, is also supported in the new Liquid Glass design too
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During its WWDC keynote, Apple spent a lot of time discussing its work on the Lock Screen, which now dynamically adjusts the size of the date and time — now in a translucent Liquid Glass design — behind the subject of the photo used for your wallpaper. Notifications are also glassy, so you'll be able to see through incoming text messages, emails, and app alerts to see your wallpaper.
This extends to the Home Screen on iPhone and iPad and desktop on macOS, with app icons and widgets now updated with a Liquid Glass look, with lifelike specular highlights, so you can still see what's behind.
Apple has branded the new design its "broadest software design update ever", with the new visuals coming to Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch
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Apple Vice President of Human Interface Design, Alan Dye said: "At Apple, we’ve always believed in the deep integration of hardware and software that makes interacting with technology intuitive, beautiful, and delightful.
"This is our broadest software design update ever. Meticulously crafted by rethinking the fundamental elements that make up our software, the new design features an entirely new material called Liquid Glass.
"It combines the optical qualities of glass with a fluidity only Apple can achieve, as it transforms depending on your content or context. It lays the foundation for new experiences in the future and, ultimately, it makes even the simplest of interactions more fun and magical."
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