Liquid Glass Could Be One of Apple's Most Divisive System Designs Yet

"As Apple's radical redesign rolls out across all of its platforms today, designers and app creators are still unconvinced it delivers the "greater focus" it promises. Apple revealed Liquid Glass as part of its WWDC announcement this June, with all the pomp usually reserved for shiny new gear. The press release promised a "delightful and elegant new software design" that "reflects and refracts its surroundings while dynamically transforming to bring greater focus to content." Today it launches globally onto compatible Apple devices."

"Inspired by visionOS-the software powering the Apple Vision Pro mixed reality headset-Liquid Glass infuses every Apple platform with a layered glass aesthetic. This is paired with gloopy animations and a fixation on hiding interface components when possible-and showing content through them when it isn't. The reaction during the summer's public beta program was divisive. And while some people just hate change, Liquid Glass does invite criticism. Instead of sharpening focus, it too often muddies it due to legibility issues and distracting visual effects."

Liquid Glass is a cross-platform Apple redesign inspired by visionOS, bringing a layered glass aesthetic, reflections, and animated transitions to devices. The design emphasizes hiding interface elements to foreground content, uses rounded corners and blurred, reflective surfaces, and introduces gloopy animations. Reactions were divisive during public beta, with critics citing legibility problems, distracting effects, and inconsistent behavior across Mac and iPhone. On Mac, controls can appear overly prominent; on iPhone, controls frequently hide behind menus that undermine muscle memory. Press materials promise greater harmony between hardware, software, and content, but implementation often blurs interface and content and crops visuals.

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