Apple's Liquid Glass Redesign Struggles with Beta Issues

Apple's Liquid Glass redesign is everywhere, except where it should be working perfectly. The company that prides itself on seamless user experiences has rolled out its most ambitious visual overhaul since iOS 7, but CNET reports the UI is still being refined. Apple unveiled this translucent material that reflects and refracts its surroundings at WWDC 2025, extending it across iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS Tahoe 26, watchOS 26, and tvOS 26. The scope of this cross-platform rollout helps explain why The Verge notes Apple spent three beta versions fiddling with transparency and contrast sliders, turning the glass effect down and back up again.

The patience Apple is asking for might be worth it

The beta cycle shows Apple working through the mess in public. Apple is expected to release iOS 26 sometime in late September, and TechRadar expects more tweaks before launch. The Shortcut reports Apple has improved the system and tuned the Liquid Glass redesign to be easier to use and see in recent weeks. Iteration, not hand waving.

The Verge notes Apple tends to stick with its design decisions until a new redesign, which suggests Liquid Glass is here to stay. That tracks. A cross-platform implementation like this means months of engineering across multiple teams.

The real test is not whether Liquid Glass dazzles in a keynote, it is whether it feels invisible in daily use. Apple's willingness to iterate through multiple betas shows they are listening, and it also hints at the sheer complexity of rolling out a visual overhaul across the entire ecosystem.

For a company that usually ships polished experiences, asking users to live with an evolving design language feels unusually vulnerable, maybe even refreshing. Apple is pushing hard on what interface design can be while learning, in real time, how to balance visual ambition with practical usability. If they stick the landing, it could set the tone for interface design for years. If not, we will remember the glass that looked great in photos and got in the way when it mattered.