In a move that redefines the relationship between user and device, Apple has introduced a foundational update to the feel and function of its screens. The new technology, called Liquid Glass, is not a change to the physical hardware of displays, but rather a sophisticated software design language that creates a tactile, responsive, and fluid user experience. Debuted at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference, the system aims to make interacting with a flat screen feel as intuitive and dynamic as touching a physical object.
This comprehensive redesign will be implemented universally across Apple’s entire ecosystem, including iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS Tahoe, watchOS 26, and tvOS 26. The goal is to create a more harmonious and intuitive experience as users move between their iPhones, iPads, and Macs. Liquid Glass replaces the flat design aesthetic that has characterized Apple’s software for years, introducing a sense of depth, materiality, and vitality to every interaction. By simulating the properties of real glass through software, Apple is fundamentally changing how interfaces behave, making them more responsive to context, touch, and motion.
A New Era of Cross-Platform Consistency
For the first time, Apple is launching a single, universal design language across all of its major platforms simultaneously. This initiative, born from a close collaboration between the company’s design and engineering teams, ensures that the user experience is consistent whether on a small watch face or a large desktop monitor. The core of Liquid Glass is a new digital “material” that combines the optical qualities of glass with a fluid adaptability. This approach creates a unified visual and interactive foundation for every app and system function.
According to Apple’s updated human interface guidelines, the new design is meant to establish a clearer hierarchy between content and controls. The digital elements are translucent, appearing to float above the content and reacting to the colors and light of the information behind them. This creates a layered effect that provides a sense of depth and focus. Standard components within apps, like buttons and navigation bars, will automatically adopt the new appearance, but developers are also being given tools in the latest version of Xcode to implement the effects in custom interface elements.
The Science of a Digital Material
The development of Liquid Glass was heavily influenced by the spatial computing interface of visionOS, adapting its three-dimensional concepts for traditional screens. Apple’s senior vice president of software engineering, Craig Federighi, noted that designers even fabricated physical glass with various properties to study how they could digitally replicate the interaction of light, reflection, and refraction in the new interface. The result is a system that uses real-time rendering to create dynamic effects like specular highlights that shift as a user moves their device.
Simulating a Physical Sensation
A key innovation of Liquid Glass is its ability to make interactions feel tactile. This is achieved not through new hardware, but through a sophisticated combination of visual feedback and micro-haptics. When a user touches the screen, interface elements provide “haptic-like visual feedback” that corresponds to the gesture. Icons and shapes shift subtly, creating a fluid sensation that makes every tap and swipe feel more natural and physical. Instead of tapping on a static, flat surface, the user gets the sensation of interacting with something reactive and alive.
Intelligent Adaptation to Environment
The Liquid Glass material is designed to be intelligent and context-aware. It automatically adapts to its environment, shifting between light and dark appearances to ensure that text and icons on top remain legible. The material’s color is informed by the content underneath it, allowing it to blend seamlessly while still functioning as a distinct interactive layer. This allows apps like Photos and Safari to have interfaces that feel more integrated and less distracting, letting the user’s content take center stage.
How the Interface Transforms
The practical application of Liquid Glass means that many traditional, static interface elements are being replaced with dynamic and morphing controls. Simple switches and complex media players alike will now transform based on the user’s actions. These translucent controls expand when more options are needed and shrink away when they are not, freeing up screen space.
This dynamic nature extends across the entire operating system. For example, system alerts no longer take over the full display; instead, they appear directly from the point on the screen that a user taps. Context menus expand into easily scannable lists, and navigation tab bars shrink to a minimal size when a user scrolls down, only to reappear instantly when they scroll up. This behavior is designed to make the entire experience feel more intuitive and responsive, from the Lock Screen and notifications to the Control Center.
Redefining User Interaction
Beyond the visual polish, Liquid Glass represents a philosophical shift in how Apple wants users to engage with technology. The design encourages users to “feel” their way through an interface rather than just looking at it. By making menus glide, alerts respond like live signals, and interactions feel effortless, the technology aims to reduce the friction between the digital and physical worlds. This creates a deeper sense of control and connection, where the device becomes a more intuitive extension of the user’s intent.
The design language was influenced by several previous Apple innovations, including the fluid motion of the Dynamic Island and the glass-like user interface of visionOS. By focusing on how light, depth, and motion can guide a user, Apple is building an experience that feels less like operating a machine and more like interacting with a responsive environment. This shift prepares users for a future of more immersive and spatial computing.
Availability and Developer Impact
Liquid Glass was officially announced on June 9, 2025, at the Worldwide Developers Conference and will be the new default design for iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS Tahoe, and other Apple operating systems. The changes will be immediately noticeable in core system apps and experiences. Apple has also released extensive documentation and tools for developers to begin adopting the new design language for their own applications.
Developers are encouraged to use the latest version of Xcode to see the changes and are guided by new design principles to ensure their apps look and feel at home on the updated platforms. This includes reimagining app icons to have more dimensionality with layered glass effects and using color more judiciously to allow the content to shine through the translucent controls. Through sample code and updated guidelines, Apple is pushing for broad adoption to create a cohesive and vibrant ecosystem built on this new, dynamic foundation.