Apple’s translucent design An iOS 26 update called Liquid Glass is now available to developers. Apple’s first major interface overhaul in 10 years – app icons, buttons, menus and pop-ups appear to be made of blurry glasses, with blurry background colors peeking in.
The iPhone is not the only place to change the sweep software. Inspired by the operating system of the Vision Pro headset, this glassy look will eventually roll out across the entire suite of Apple devices, from smartwatches to iPads.
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After the keynote speech at WWDC 2025 ended on Monday, many design-centric developer WIRED were impressed by the major update, but there were lingering questions about how this translucent look would affect user readability.
“It’s hard to read some of them,” says Alan Yu, a product designer who currently builds a workplace messaging app. output. “Mainly because I think they made it too transparent.” Yu suggests vaguely adjusting the background to make the design on the screen more readable.
“Like the first beta version of iOS 7, what we’ve seen so far has been seen, especially for visually impaired users. Repetitionthis will help design startups. Still, Puckett is optimistic based on Apple’s past Accessibility featuresits readability improves over time.
Serhii Popov, Design First Software Engineer McPauthe company behind the CleanMymac app wants to know how the new operating system looks at Mac in bright light situations. But overall, Popov is hooked on this “really fresh” look from Apple. “I think everything will look bigger and I can read and interact with the UI more comfortably,” Popov says. For him, the new designs and updates are particularly refined on the iPad.
Beyond readability concerns, the first impression from some designers is that this new look can be an unnecessary distraction for users.
“From a technical standpoint, it’s a very impressive effect. I praise the time and effort that must have taken to mimic refraction and light dispersion to such a high degree,” he said. OwnerI make restaurant apps and websites. “But sadly, I have never seen a single example of where it was pulled away in a way that complements the broader context it is presented.” Whitcroft points out that it is visually distracting the dispersion and refraction of layers under the app, especially as the user interface changes layout. “If you designed a UI that draws eye attention from a wider context, you’re on the wrong path,” he says.
