Apple unveils Liquid Glass design for unified software update

Apple has unveiled a redesigned software interface featuring a material called Liquid Glass, set to be deployed across iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS.

Liquid Glass design

The Liquid Glass material is translucent, dynamically adapting to its environment by reflecting and refracting surrounding content and responding to changes in light. Apple states that this new material is used throughout user interface elements such as controls, navigation bars, app icons, widgets, and more, aiming to bring a consistent visual language across all supported platforms while preserving the unique characteristics of each operating system.

"At Apple, we've always believed in the deep integration of hardware and software that makes interacting with technology intuitive, beautiful, and delightful," said Alan Dye, Apple's Vice President of Human Interface Design. "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."

According to Apple, Liquid Glass's colour shifts in response to content and lighting conditions, and it uses real-time rendering to create interactive highlights as users move through the interface. The material appears in elements ranging from buttons, sliders, and switches, to larger navigational features such as tab bars and sidebars.

Updated app and system experiences

Apple reports that controls, toolbars, and navigation bars within apps have been redesigned to better align with the rounded corners characteristic of recent hardware. These elements now act as functional layers above app content, adapting dynamically as users move through apps or require additional options. Apple claims the redesign also helps group controls more logically, enabling quicker access for users.

Tab bars on iOS now shrink when users scroll to prioritise displayed content, then expand when needed for navigation. On iPadOS and macOS, new sidebar designs aim to make apps like Apple TV more immersive by refracting and reflecting elements from the user's wallpaper and app content, providing contextual awareness.

The design changes apply to several default apps, including Camera, Photos, Safari, FaceTime, Apple Music, Apple News, and Apple Podcasts.

Personalisation and developer tools

Liquid Glass is featured in system-wide elements such as the Lock Screen, Home Screen, Dock, app icons, and widgets. On the Mac, the menu bar now appears fully transparent and desktop personalisation includes options for light or dark modes and colourful tints. In macOS Tahoe 26, users can further customise with widgets and app icons adapting their appearance based on system themes.

For developers, updated APIs for SwiftUI, UIKit, and AppKit will enable the integration of the Liquid Glass design and new controls into their applications. Apple says this will help developers refresh application interfaces while ensuring consistent user experience standards across all platforms.