Is Apple rowing back on Liquid Glass? The new design language that Apple will introduce with iOS 26, macOS 26 and co. in the fall is implemented with a good deal more restraint, at least in the third developer beta of the operating systems. Background displays are less transparent (and therefore, critics would argue, more legible), elements change colors less wildly, and the effect generally appears more reduced, even though Apple has advertised it so aggressively in its promotional materials ("impressive and elegant"). The well-known Bloomberg journalist Mark Gurman now criticizes Apple for this in his newsletter and says it is "disturbing to see the company abandon a central visual idea so quickly".

Apple has apparently chosen "X as the new Apple user interface design team" – a side swipe at the fact that Apple boss Tim Cook will soon be the top decision-maker in Apple design again due to personnel changes. After three years of work on this new design, Apple withdrew it within a few weeks due to the initial reactions from the Internet.

In fact, Liquid Glass quickly came in for a lot of criticism –, particularly due to poor usability. For example, the Control Center was sometimes unusable in the first beta, notifications faded into the background and icons were – difficult to distinguish, at least without reading glasses –. The most blatant design changes – completely transparent icons for iPad and Mac – were by no means standard, but optional. It was also possible to customize the design in terms of transparency right from the start, albeit slightly hidden via the operating aids.

However, it is not new for Apple to react to user feedback in beta phases, for example when redesigning the Safari browser under iOS 15. This is one of the purposes of beta testing. However, Gurman notes that a switch was simply implemented here instead of changing the entire interface back. In fact, with iOS 26, iPadOS 26 and macOS 26, Apple offers more customization options than it has for a long time: users can change the folder design on the Mac, for example, in addition to four (!) different icon types.

Is Apple perhaps afraid of its own courage with Liquid Glass? Gurman writes that the new design system was "a fresh approach to software design". "For a company that hasn't taken many design risks in recent years, this was a bold redesign." It is unclear what Apple will do next. The new operating systems are still in active development, changing from beta to beta. The final design will be decided by September.

(bsc)