Apple unveiled its “Liquid Glass” design at WWDC 2025, paving the way for future products including potential AR glasses.
According to WWDC 2025, Liquid Glass offers translucent, reflective UI elements inspired by Vision Pro spatial computing aesthetics across iOS, macOS, and visionOS.
Windows and panels behave like glass, with optical refractive properties, creating depth, layering, and responsive animations tied to user input.
Developers working with SwiftUI, UIKit, and AppKit can adopt the style, using semi-transparent panes to simulate real-world light interaction.
Liquid Glass emphasizes spatial consistency: menus open within parent elements, notifications flow out of their origin point on-screen.
Apple’s design team claims this update is the most significant aesthetic refresh since iOS 7 and the largest cross-platform redesign in a decade.
Critics note that it improves UI coherence but caution about potential readability issues, citing parallels to Windows Aero, which features glorified blurry panes.
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TechCrunch reports that Liquid Glass provides hints about upcoming AR glasses, as the design aligns with Vision Pro’s visual language.
Transparent AR interfaces echo this design: movable, floating windows overlaid on real environments may rely on refractive glass-like visuals.
Liquid Glass’s launch is timed with new OS releases: iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS Tahoe, watchOS 26, and tvOS 26—all unified under the theme.
iOS 26 also introduces minor AI features but falls short of major Siri enhancements, with shares dipping following lukewarm market response.
This aesthetic transition may serve as a visual bridge to immersive spatial computing on lighter AR devices expected in 2026.
Designers raised concerns about lower contrast and text legibility, especially in sunlight, suggesting Apple must fine-tune transparency versus usability.
Despite mixed reactions, Apple positions Liquid Glass as the future of its interface roadmap, extending from handheld devices to spatial hardware.
Public betas of OS 26 debut in July, with full release expected this fall ahead of next-gen hardware rollouts.
