Apple's iOS 26 gets a big 'Liquid Glass' redesign

Apple's iOS 19 is now officially known as iOS 26, matching the last two digits of the upcoming year. But, the bigger change is the huge redesign that Apple just introduced at this year's WWDC event.

Apple has introduced Liquid Glass in its upcoming iOS 26 update. Liquid Glass provides a "see-through" visual of a glassy surface throughout iOS 26's interface. The liquid part comes into play with how the see-through visuals adapt to the screen depending on what the user is doing.

For example, the iOS 26 dock and widgets will no longer exist as boxes with sharpened edges. Instead, these new docks and menus will be rounded and fit the phone's shape. 

The redesign will especially be noticeable on the lockscreen, with the time and controls now being displayed in the Liquid Glass design. The typeface for the time and date will adapt based on the lockscreen wallpaper. In addition, spatial 3D photos can be used on the lockscreen as well. When listening to music, the lockscreen will also display an animated version of the music album that the user is playing.

On the homescreen, icons will now look like Liquid Glass. The interface will also adapt when dark mode is used. Plus, there's a new all-clear mode that really shows off what Liquid Glass is all about.

Apple also shared its redesigns for some of its own default apps. The Camera app will now highlight its most-used modes: Photo and Video. Swiping the mode menu will reveal other modes, like Portrait and Spatial. Swiping up in the Camera app will reveal all the other settings, like aspect ratio and timers.

Safari will now extend web pages from edge-to-edge so the website takes up the entire screen. The tab bar will float above the web page in a semi-translucent state, once again utilizing Liquid Glass.

Photos is bringing both a photos and collections tab, in somewhat of a reversal from the controversial Photos redesign from the last update. Spatial photos will also be viewable from within the app.

In the FaceTime app, video messages will now be displayed in a grid that autoplays as the user scrolls through the clips.

Apple WWDC 2025 is ongoing, and this piece will be updated as more is announced…