Apple unveiled a universal Liquid Glass design for all platforms
By ForGeeks Apple has officially unveiled a new design called Liquid Glass. It will be a unified visual style across all of the company’s software platforms, from iOS to macOS. Liquid Glass incorporates glass and transparent elements, expands personalization options, and replaces the previous minimalist style that has been a mainstay of Apple’s interfaces since 2013.
Transparency, brilliance, and new visual depth
According to Apple’s vice president of interfaces, Alan Dye, Liquid Glass is “the most sweeping design update in the company’s history.” The new visual language includes glass effects, transparent layers, and reflective surfaces that are now used in app interfaces, the lock screen, dock, and widgets.
The new visual language includes glass effects, transparent layers, and reflective surfaces.
The focus is on adaptability: interface elements adjust to the background and lighting, creating a sense of depth and a living environment. It’s not just a style – it’s a dynamic system that changes with the user.
A departure from iOS 7’s minimalism
The iOS design hasn’t changed much since 2013, when with the release of iOS 7 the company abandoned skevomorphism and moved to a flat style. Over the decade, the visual language has remained similar despite point changes. Liquid Glass, Apple acknowledges, represents a qualitatively new paradigm – visually, technically, and conceptually.
History of glass interfaces at Apple and competitors
Apple has used glass motifs in the past: in the early 2000s it was the Aqua theme, first appearing in iMovie 2 and later in macOS 10.0. The more recent macOS Big Sur (2020) also brought back elements of transparency and glass effects, but in a limited form.
The new version of Liquid Glass is more universal and deeply embedded in the interface architecture of all platforms.
Context: the trend toward transparency
Apple isn’t the first company to use glass effects. Microsoft introduced Aero Glass in Windows Vista in 2007, and Windows 11 takes the concept further through Fluent Design – with a focus on volume, brightness, and layering.
Nevertheless, Liquid Glass is characterized by rigor, adaptability, and a focus on deep integration with Apple devices – in the spirit of the hardware-plus-software philosophy.
When to Expect Liquid Glass
Liquid Glass will appear in all new versions of Apple’s operating systems – iOS 26, macOS 26, iPadOS 26, watchOS 26, tvOS 26, and visionOS 26. The first beta is already available to developers, with final releases slated for fall 2025.
The Apple unveils universal Liquid Glass design for all platforms was first published on ITZine.ru.
