Two months in the past, Apple launched iOS 26 for the iPhone. The brand new working system consists of a number of productiveness and different enhancements, however the primary function is a brand new design language known as Liquid Glass. The flat, minimalist look of iOS that lasted for greater than a decade is gone, changed by a clear interface of toolbars and buttons that mimic how gentle bends and warps because it passes by means of glass.
Those that recognize the brand new look of iOS typically reward Liquid Glass as refreshing and distinctive, saying it provides the iPhone’s software program a way of fluidity that different contact interfaces lack. Others argue that Liquid Glass’s clear components make the gadget more durable to make use of, because the content material behind iOS 26’s buttons and toolbars typically obscures the symbols or textual content that label the interface components.
When you fall into the latter group, there’s some excellent news. Apple is more and more offering choices to tone down probably the most controversial points of the Liquid Glass design. Right here they’re:
Choice #1: Activate the tint
This week, Apple launched its first main replace to iOS 26: iOS 26.1. This replace mounted quite a few bugs whereas additionally including new options; it expanded Apple Intelligence and AirPods Dwell Translation options to new nations, added new swipe controls to the Music app, and overhauled the alarm clock interface so that you don’t by chance faucet “snooze” and miss your assembly.
The brand new “clear” (left) and ”tinted” (proper) choices for Liquid Glass.
However as Quick Firm beforehand reported, iOS 26.1’s finest new function is a toggle that lets customers tone down Liquid Glass’s design. It does this by permitting customers to decide on between two completely different Liquid Glass interfaces.
The “Clear” interface is the default Liquid Glass, with interface factor transparency at a most.
The “Tinted” interface possibility reduces this default transparency to present Liquid Glass components a extra frosted look. This may enormously enhance the readability of button and toolbar labels by rising their distinction.
Turning on the Liquid Glass tint is simple, so long as you have got iOS 26.1 put in in your iPhone:
- Open the Settings app.
- Faucet Show and Brightness.
- Faucet Liquid Glass.
- Faucet the “Tinted” possibility.
As you may see from the screenshots above, the “tinted” Liquid Glass possibility brings a frosted look (proper) to the default transparency (left).
Choice #2: Enhance the distinction
When you’re nonetheless on iOS 26.0 or simply need to eradicate the default look of Liquid Glass much more in your iPhone that’s working iOS 26.1, you may tone down Liquid Glass in three different methods.
The default look of Liquid Glass (left) versus Liquid Glass with the “Enhance Distinction” Accessibility possibility enabled (proper).
The primary is by enabling the “Enhance Distinction” Accessibility possibility in your iPhone. This function is designed for customers with sight points, however anybody can allow it, and lots of have discovered that doing so makes Liquid Glass extra palatable.
As Apple notes, enabling this setting helps “Enhance shade distinction between app foreground and background colours.” Right here’s the way you flip it on:
- Open the Settings app.
- Faucet Accessibility.
- Faucet Show & Textual content Measurement.
- Toggle the “Enhance Distinction” swap to ON (inexperienced).
As you may see within the screenshots above, enabling the “Enhance Distinction” possibility (proper) provides a slight define round interface borders and provides a gray smokiness to clear components, which makes textual content and buttons simpler to see than they’re within the default Liquid Glass design (left).
Choice #3: Cut back the transparency
A 3rd solution to tone down Liquid Glass is to allow one other Accessibility possibility in your iPhone known as “Cut back Transparency.”
The default look of Liquid Glass (left) versus Liquid Glass with the “Cut back Transparency” Accessibility possibility enabled (proper).
This selection tones Liquid Glass down even additional than the “Enhance Distinction” possibility, enormously decreasing its transparency. As Apple notes, this feature helps “Enhance distinction by decreasing transparency and blurs on some backgrounds to extend legibility.”
To allow the setting:
- Open the Settings app.
- Faucet Accessibility.
- Faucet Show & Textual content Measurement.
- Toggle the “Cut back Transparency” swap to ON (inexperienced).
As you may see within the screenshot above, enabling the “Cut back Transparency” possibility (proper) just about blocks any background content material from bleeding by means of buttons and toolbar components.
Choice #4: Define buttons for simpler visibility
A remaining solution to tone down Liquid Glass is to pressure iOS 26.1 to point out borders round buttons and different UI components. That is achieved by way of the “Present Borders” Accessibility possibility.
Enabling “Present Borders” (proper) may help make some buttons simpler to see in Liquid Glass.
This selection forces outlines to seem round “distinguished UI,” based on Apple’s iOS 26.1 notes.
To allow the setting:
- Open the Settings app.
- Faucet Accessibility.
- Faucet Show & Textual content Measurement.
- Toggle the “Present Borders” swap to ON (inexperienced).
As you may see within the screenshot above, enabling this feature shows a skinny define round buttons and different UI components, serving to them stand out extra in your display.
Liquid Glass isn’t going away
The brand new look of iOS 26 isn’t short-term—nor ought to or not it’s. Whereas there have been some vocal detractors to the brand new design, a big majority of iPhone customers appear to like the refreshed look. After Apple spent years creating that new design, there’s no approach they might return to the previous one.
However Apple’s addition of a brand new “tint” possibility for Liquid Glass by way of a devoted management within the iOS 26.1 Settings app reveals that the corporate is listening to suggestions from all its customers and isn’t averse to giving people extra management over how Liquid Glass seems to them. So, when you might not have the ability to flip off Liquid Glass, you now at the very least have 3 ways to tone it down.
