Apple's Liquid Glass iOS 26 Ships Despite Controversy

Here's the funny thing about Liquid Glass, Apple's boldest interface redesign since iOS 7, it's been everywhere and nowhere at the same time. When Apple unveiled it at WWDC 2025 on June 9, the tech world collectively held its breath. This wasn't another incremental update with a few visual tweaks. It was Apple saying, "We're completely rethinking how you interact with your devices," then making everything look like actual glass.

The ambition is undeniable. Liquid Glass spans across iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS Tahoe, tvOS 26, and watchOS 26, what Apple calls "a dynamic material that combines the optical properties of glass with a sense of fluidity." And here's where it gets interesting, the journey from that June announcement to what's actually shipping has revealed a lot about Apple's appetite for risk and its willingness to iterate in public.

Where do we go from here?

Bottom line, Whatever critiques Liquid Glass may elicit, Apple clearly believes in its original vision and plans to ship it next month. Shipping is not the finish line. It is the starting gun.

Apple has a habit of smoothing rough edges after release. Last year's big Photos and Mail redesigns both got a variety of refinements later on, after user feedback started piling up. Expect the same dance here.

The near-term path seems obvious. Even though the current Liquid Glass design seems set to ship, iOS 26.1 or 26.2 will likely include further refinements, or perhaps new tools to modify the design to each user's liking. Adaptive transparency, finer-grained controls, maybe even AI-tuned contrast that preserves the vibe without sacrificing legibility.

What's clear is that Liquid Glass is Apple's next language for interfaces across its platforms, a look and feel other companies will study for years. You can love it or roll your eyes at it. It's here, and the only real question is how quickly Apple iterates once millions of people start living with it in situations no beta can fully predict.