Liquid Glass, visually inspired by visionOS, is defined by its dynamic transparency, depth, and advanced responsiveness. From iOS and iPadOS to macOS, watchOS, and even tvOS – Apple is now unifying its entire ecosystem under a consistent visual language. From a branding perspective, this is a major move: a cohesive look and interaction model across platforms strengthens brand recognition and reinforces Apple’s identity, clearly setting it apart from competitors. For users, transitioning from an iPhone to a Mac or Apple Watch will now feel like a seamless shift within one integrated environment.

It’s worth noting that the idea of translucent interfaces isn’t entirely new. A similar aesthetic appeared in Windows Vista’s Aero Glass, which also featured transparent window borders and blur effects intended to modernize the interface. But Apple is going further – it's not just a visual refresh. It’s a rethink of how elements interact and animate, making the interface feel more fluid and intuitive. This is classic Apple: take an existing idea, refine it dramatically, and position it as innovation.

Beyond visual appeal, Liquid Glass is designed to enhance navigation and interaction, while showcasing the kind of meticulous detail Apple is known for. For any brand, this serves as a powerful reminder: visual and communicative consistency across all customer touchpoints – online and offline – is a foundation for building strong, memorable brand experiences. In fact, according to a Marq report, 67% of businesses report that brand consistency contributed to at least a 10% increase in revenue, with 32% seeing gains of 20% or more. In that sense, Apple’s new interface is more than a design trend. It’s a lesson in how digital branding can become a central pillar of global strategy.

Liquid Glass is a huge visual revolution for Apple and a clear attempt to find a new distinguishing feature – a response to accusations that the company has not introduced anything truly fresh or innovative for a long time. The idea of standardizing the visual language across all of its systems/devices seems like a good direction. It ensures a predictable experience for both users and developers, which is a challenge for other manufacturers.

The whole concept looks interesting and modern, especially the interface, which dynamically adapts to the content, context, and user actions, improving fluidity, readability, and intuitiveness.

There will be many voices against it, as always when there is a major change (how many complaints were there about the changes to the layout of Facebook or Instagram?). However, we always manage to adapt, get used to it and forget how it looked before.

But is it really useful in every sense of the word? My first impression was: no way, I can't see anything, let's go straight back to simplicity, material design and avoiding innovations that will require us to find solutions later.

What solutions? I am referring to digital accessibility for people with special needs (those with temporary or permanent disabilities as well as neurodiverse or elderly users). Apple claims that Liquid Glass will be fully compatible with the current Accessibility features. However, this remains to be seen, as the existing accessibility features were designed, tested, and optimized for something completely different. It could be that Apple will work hard to improve this, as accessibility is no longer an “add-on” or a competitive advantage, but a standard that is expected of any new technology.

However, it is worth remembering that Apple has historically responded to real user needs and is able to quickly implement fixes if serious accessibility barriers arise. It was one of the first companies to make accessibility an integral part of its products, rather than just a marketing add-on. Therefore, even if the launch is not perfect, Apple will not leave this issue unaddressed – at least, that is my hope.

I have mixed feelings. On the one hand, this is a natural evolution of design – a shift from minimalism to rich visual layering and back again, which is a regular occurrence. It seems like Apple started off well with Spatial Design for Apple Vision Pro, and it became clear that sooner or later it would influence iOS as well. But what was shown at WWDC looks a bit weak – somewhat undercooked if you ask me.

Overall, the direction is nice – it’s not just the usual blur, but a truly “liquid” feel. Some of the main screens look great, but others clearly struggle with readability and accessibility. In places, it looks messy. The colorful elements, in particular, look bad on that kind of “glass.” Using translucency with blur is a visual effect that’s hard to reconcile with an interface that still needs to display information clearly. With this approach, it’s impossible to guarantee consistency everywhere – for example, with bright images underneath.

I hope they’ll refine it – maybe darken it a bit, increase the blur – which would improve readability and make it look really nice.

Aside from the obvious accessibility issues, it’s also worth noting that Liquid Glass is technically impressive – it appears to be rendered in real time, which is no small feat. Thinking back to my struggles with rendering elements in 3ds Max during university, I can’t help but go “wow.”

I’m also genuinely charmed by the movement of it all. The UI elements respond as if you’re actually touching a thin, elastic surface – almost like liquid. It “bends” or “ripples” under your finger. This kind of interface physics gives it a super organic vibe – it really feels like you’re interacting with something alive. Or at least, that’s how it looks in the videos.

The Liquid Glass concept is currently limited to native UI components and system apps. It’s worth asking how much time users actually spend in that space – and whether changing it will meaningfully impact the overall experience. As it stands, I don’t see a realistic path to translating this concept into other technologies in a way that would allow for a cohesive cross-platform experience.

I see two possible scenarios ahead:

• A deepening divide between iOS and Android design languages
• Liquid Glass remaining exclusive to native iOS environments

Aesthetically, I really like this new UI direction. My main concern is contrast and readability. Will I have a chance to use it in an upcoming project? Unfortunately, I doubt it.

Liquid Glass seems like something new and visually appealing, but not necessarily functional. If users with no significant vision problems are already complaining about the unreadable notification center, those with visual impairments are likely to face even greater challenges. In many areas of Apple’s systems, foreground text blends into background elements, which can significantly hinder readability for people with reduced visual acuity.

As a visually impaired user, a digital accessibility researcher, and a computer skills instructor for people with disabilities, I’m quite familiar with the accessibility features built into Apple’s systems. I know it’s possible to mitigate the transparency effect by enabling the Reduce Transparency setting. But the real question is: should the transparency be so extreme that average users are pushed to use accessibility tools just to use their device comfortably?

There is one upside – this might increase awareness of accessibility features already embedded in Apple’s systems.

Undeniably, Apple sets the tone for design trends. That’s why I feel uneasy about the possibility that the UX industry will blindly follow Cupertino’s lead. We may soon see a flood of hard-to-read apps that ignore the Reduce Transparency setting. As a result, dissatisfaction will grow – not just among visually impaired users, but across a much broader audience.

I only have a short comment: whether it meets accessibility standards or not, Liquid Glass will be a huge trend. We are surely going to see a wave of copycats, most of which will be poorly executed.