Apple introduces major design overhaul across platforms with Liquid Design

Apple Liquid Design interface across platforms including-iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS Tahoe 26, watchOS 26, tvOS 26-has been rolled out in developer beta testing phase

Apple revealed a major design overhaul at Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2025 since the release of iOS 7. The new design interface is called Liquid Glass, now rolling out in the developer beta testing phase across iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS Tahoe 26, watchOS 26, and tvOS 26.

 

This is the first time Apple that has introduced a shared design language so thoroughly across all its major platforms, which enhances the personality of each operating system and reinforces their interconnected experience.

What is Liquid Glass

Liquid Glass is a translucent material that reflects and refracts its surroundings in real time. Built using real-time rendering, it dynamically reacts to movement, highlights, and content, adapting to both light and dark environments. It appears across buttons, sliders, media controls, tab bars, sidebars, and system layers like Control Center and Lock Screen. According to Apple, the material is designed to draw attention to content while adding depth and vibrancy across the UI.

 

iOS 26: Fluid navigation with dynamic tab bars

On iPhone, Liquid Glass enhances controls, toolbars, and navigation layers with subtle transparency and movement. The tab bar shrinks as users scroll, maximising space for content, and expands again when needed. App interfaces — including Camera, Safari, Music, FaceTime, and News — now incorporate redesigned controls that feel more responsive and visually integrated with the rounded corners of modern iPhones.

iPadOS 26: Adaptive sidebars and visual context

In iPadOS 26, the new design improves visual continuity with immersive sidebars that refract content and reflect wallpaper, offering users a stronger sense of spatial context. The same updated controls, crafted from Liquid Glass, appear in apps like Photos and Apple TV. Combined with multitasking tools, this adds to the platform’s focus on flexibility and content immersion.

macOS Tahoe 26: Customisable Desktop and transparent menu bar

macOS introduces Liquid Glass elements across its desktop, Dock, and app interfaces. App icons and widgets now feature multi-layered reflections, and users can apply new clear, tinted, light, or dark themes. The Dock and desktop are more expressive, while the new fully transparent menu bar helps the workspace feel larger. The system still retains the familiarity macOS users expect, with added visual polish and personalisation.

watchOS 26 and tvOS 26: Refined Interfaces, Unified Design

watchOS 26 integrates Liquid Glass elements across small-scale controls and navigation components, enhancing contrast and visual harmony on the Apple Watch. Meanwhile, tvOS 26 brings similar refinements to the Apple TV experience, incorporating the new material across navigation bars and overlays, with a focus on clarity and responsiveness from a distance.

Available to developers

Developers can begin adopting this new design using updated APIs in SwiftUI, UIKit, and AppKit. Apple encourages the use of Liquid Glass and refreshed controls to align third-party apps with the new system-wide visual experience. These tools are now available in the latest developer beta versions of Apple’s platforms.