iOS 26: Liquid Glass Is Here and Your iPhone Will Never Be the Same
In this guide to the biggest iPhone software change in years, here is what’s new, what you can undo, and what you’ll need to live with
Good. We’re calm now—calm enough to face the reality that your iPhone is about to look like a digital fish tank, permanently full of water. Sorry, not water…Liquid Glass.
It’s iOS 26, where Apple AAPL 0.79%increase; green up pointing triangle has draped your icons and menus in a translucent, shimmery look. On Monday, the company rolled out the biggest software overhaul in a decade, and everyone with an iPhone 11 or newer model can get it.
And no, you didn’t miss seven versions: Apple jumped from iOS 18 to 26 to match the year. How very Windows 95.
There are parts of the new look I like. But while Apple set out to streamline the design and make it easier on the eyes, the plans sometimes backfired. Core tools and familiar elements are moved, and in some places text is harder to read. Mercifully, some of it can be adjusted.
There are also plenty of practical new features that make life better, including a built-in assistant that waits on hold for you, spam text filtering and helpful messaging tricks.
As always, my annual advice holds—maybe now more than ever: If you’re concerned about bugs or battery life, wait a bit before you update. When you’re feeling ready, head to Settings > General > Software Update.
Maybe you think you’ll never be ready for such a big change? Keep breathing. We’ll paddle the Liquid Glass rapids together. In keeping with tradition, I’ve gone for another iOS tip world record: 26 tips for iOS 26 in my video. Watch that for the deep dive.
Lessen the Liquid Glass
When I started living with the new aesthetic this summer, my reaction was somewhere between “This is bad” and “This is really bad.” But that was the beta software. Over time, Apple softened some of the worst of it. Also? I resigned myself to living in a glass house.
You’ll see it immediately: Menus are see-through, giving everything a layered look. Sometimes it’s a neat effect. Other times, especially with light backgrounds, it can be a mess. Text vanishes into whatever’s behind it.
You can turn most of it off. Go to Settings > Accessibility > Display & Text Size > Reduce Transparency. Or, if you just want it toned down, toggle on Increase Contrast in the same menu. Try both and see what your eyes prefer.
If you decide to embrace the look, choose darker wallpapers and try Apple’s new, resizable frosted-glass clock on the Lock Screen.
Relearn the apps
In the redesign, Apple has also reshuffled some of the essentials:
• Phone: The bottom bar has lost the Favorites and Voicemail tabs. To bring them back, head to the Calls tab, tap the three lines in the top right, and choose Classic.
• Camera: The bottom of the app is stripped down to just Photo and Video buttons. Want Portrait or other shooting modes? Press and slide. Need timers or flash? Swipe up on those same buttons. Because nothing says simplicity like a hidden menu.
• Search: The search bar has packed its bags and moved to the bottom of the screen—everywhere. Messages, Notes, Podcasts, you name it, it’s now hanging out at the bottom. And no, you can’t put it back on top (unless you’re in Safari). Two months in, though, I believe it’s actually better: easier thumb access.
Try the new tricks
Some updated features have real utility. Ironically, my two favorites are for us dinosaurs who still make phone calls.
• Call Screening: Instead of letting calls from unknown numbers go to voicemail, you can turn on call screening. “Record your name and reason for calling, I’ll see if this person is available,” the software asks callers who aren’t saved in your Contacts. Then it shows the transcription on your phone so you can decide if you want to pick up. To turn this on go to Settings > Apps > Phone > Screen Unknown Callers > Ask Reason for Calling.
• Hold Assist: No more 1990s smooth jazz loops repeated over and over and over on your customer-service call. When you’re on hold, tap the call screen’s More button and select Hold Assist. The call will be muted and run silently in the background. A live transcript will appear on the call screen, and when a representative finally picks up, your phone will ring you back in.
• Screenshot smarts: If you’ve got an iPhone 15 Pro or newer, you get a few Apple Intelligence screenshot tricks. Take your screenshot then tap the Search button to look up whatever’s in the image—say, a product page in a shopping app. Circle an object to focus the search. Hit the chat button to ask ChatGPT directly. If you don’t love the interface, you can go to Settings > General > Screen Capture > Turn off Full-Screen Previews. Another bonus if you’ve got Apple Intelligence: live translation during phone calls.
And yes, Android has long had all of this. But hey, better late than never.
Uncover the treats
Finally, my favorite part of the annual release: The buried new tools that actually make the day-to-day easier.
• Messages: You can now add polls to Messages, which means no more 45-text debates about sushi vs. Thai for dinner. Just tap the + button in a chat and select Polls. At long last, group texts finally have typing indicators. There’s also a built-in spam filter, which corrals political texts and other junk to their own section without needing a third-party app.
• Clock: In Appleland, snoozing always lasted nine minutes. Now you can choose one to 15 minutes. Apple’s gift to people who want to be exactly seven minutes late.
• More fun: You can now select only a part of a long text message or chunk of text, just tap and hold, then tap Select.
In the new Preview app, migrated from the Mac, you can scan documents and handle PDFs much easier.
And if you have Apple Intelligence, you can now combine two emojis into one. I went with “exhaling” + “iPhone” to capture my reaction to iOS 26: Keep Calm and Liquid Glass On…or Off. Whatever you decide.