How to change the Liquid Glass style from the Lock Screen Notifications (and Control Centre) to the old style ???

I know I’m late (I put off updating for a while for this exact reason) going into motion under accessibility and tuning in reduce motion has also helped me. The weird swoopy effects were screwing with me

This is my first iPhone (16) and it’s been pretty fun learning BUT am I the only one that doesn’t see a difference between the clear and the tinted? What is really the difference between the two or maybe what should I be not seeing?

Paula_R wrote:

I really can’t stand the Liquid Glass feature. I found a way to turn it off but it was completely counterintuitive. Some changes in the OS are nice, like having the phone app on the iPad…but Liquid Glass really bites. It’s pointless at best

You're entitled to your opinion, of course. I certainly don't agree with you on Liquid Glass. I think it's great.

I did write the following user top for those who may not like it as much as I do and maybe there are things in it which be useful to you --> Liquid Glass - Love It Or Hate It - It's … - Apple Community

When you write "I found a way to turn it off" - what aspect of liquid glass are you making reference to that were "completely counterintuitive"? I'm seriously considering re-installing a protected backup from the previous OS until Apple provides more control options.

Personally I've been able to find settings for the general look that I can live with, but its all the swooping and bubble effects that are excessive and distracting to me. The "reduce motion" option doesn't really help. There needs to be some sort of degree to which that motion can be changed - similar to what can be done with other items (like font size and zoom levels).

Thanks

joyousimac wrote:

When you write "I found a way to turn it off" - what aspect of liquid glass are you making reference to that were "completely counterintuitive"? I'm seriously considering re-installing a protected backup from the previous OS until Apple provides more control options.

Personally I've been able to find settings for the general look that I can live with, but its all the swooping and bubble effects that are excessive and distracting to me. The "reduce motion" option doesn't really help. There needs to be some sort of degree to which that motion can be changed - similar to what can be done with other items (like font size and zoom levels).

Thanks

Sorry, but backups do NOT contain an older version of iOS. You can restore your phone to your older backup, but iOS 26.1 will still be on your iPhone.

This is everything you can currently do with Liquid Glass --> Liquid Glass - Love It Or Hate It - It's … - Apple Community

It cannot be turned off or removed. It can be adjusted to better meet your needs.

HardwareGuy99 wrote:

I don’t like it at all. I have held off on changing phones because i have a lot invested in apple store/ apps/ music etc but this may be the last straw. Might be time to move to another brand

That's fine. As users only on a user to user only forum, we don't care if you buy something else. Enjoy whatever you choose. It's your money, after all.

Of course, instead of making threats you think might get someone at Apple's attention (it certainly won't here), you could read through this and try all the setting options, which you may find better meet your needs (or not) --> Liquid Glass - Love It Or Hate It - It's … - Apple Community

I agree. It’s definitely worth feeding back and not accepting the ‘get over it, it’s here to stay’ approach.

Apple can change Liquid Glass and already has. If enough users speak up, Apple will refine it further or provide more meaningful alternatives.

”It’s here to stay” isn’t how Apple’s design evolution has ever worked.

Im sure they don’t like the fact that many people without accessibility issues are using accessibility features just to make the UI more tolerable.

I’ve come up with a little festive game now that Christmas is almost upon us…

I now pretend I’m trying to use my phone whilst looking at it through a snow globe 🤣

Turning on “Show Borders” in Accessibility>Display & Text Size has stopped the shimmering for me. It’s also added borders to a bunch of other stuff that looks a bit weird though.

All very annoying. I don’t have any accessibility issues that I’m aware of and it’s not ideal. Accessibility settings are designed for disability needs — not for avoiding UI trends but, I’m hoping there will be better options added going forward 🤞

And even that does not work! It has taken me most of a day to cajole copilot into producing the following instruction sheet that EXPLAINS where the problem lies: You CAN'T fix SOME of the lock screens. Why Apple can't tell us that up front is beyond me!

📱 iOS 26.2 — The Correct Guide to Fixing (and Saving) the Lock Screen Liquid Glass Clock Adjustment

🚨 START HERE — The #1 Thing Everyone Must Know

In iOS 26.2, some Lock Screen wallpaper types CANNOT save Liquid Glass adjustments.

If you’re using one of these, the slider will always reset:

❌ Dynamic & Regenerating Wallpapers

• Astronomy
• Weather
• Earth / Moon / Solar System
• Photo Shuffle (People mode)
• Certain Color Gradients

These wallpapers rebuild themselves every time you leave the Lock Screen, which overwrites your transparency setting.

If you’re using one of these, stop here — switch to a static wallpaper first.

✅ Wallpapers That Do Save the Liquid Glass Setting

These work correctly in iOS 26.2:

• ✔ Static Photo
• ✔ Solid Color
• ✔ Emoji
• ✔ Kaleidoscope
• ✔ Pride
• ✔ Collections

If you use one of these, the slider will finally stick.

🛠 How to Apply and Save the Liquid Glass Adjustment (iOS 26.2)

Once you’re using a supported wallpaper type:

1. Press and hold your Lock Screen

2. Tap “Customize”

3. Choose “Lock Screen”

4. Tap the clock

This opens the font & Liquid Glass controls.

5. Adjust the Liquid Glass / Transparency slider

Make the clock more solid or more glassy.

6. To save the change: tap the wallpaper thumbnail in the top-left corner

This is the new, hidden “save” action in 26.2.

7. Choose one of the prompts:

• Set as Wallpaper Pair
• Set as Lock Screen Only

This is the moment the setting is actually written to the wallpaper profile.

8. Exit the editor

Your adjustment will now persist.

🔍 If the slider still resets

You are definitely using a dynamic wallpaper type.

Switch to a static Photo and repeat the steps — it will work.

🎯 Why This Happens

iOS 26.2 moved Liquid Glass rendering into the wallpaper engine.

Dynamic wallpapers regenerate their layers every time you leave the Lock Screen, which wipes:

• clock transparency
• font weight
• blur
• color mapping

This is a design limitation, not user error.

I’ve decided to hold off on the iOS 18 update for my iPhone after a frustrating experience with the latest iPadOS. To me, the new iPad UI feels like it's trying to mimic macOS without the actual functionality, which has made it feel less like a dedicated tablet. I’m also seeing a lot of aggressive prompts to update for 'Apple Intelligence' (the new marketing push), and I'm concerned that we’re losing the choice to stick with stable, older versions.

Prompts to update to the new version are not new and have followed every major iOS update, when users don't want to move to the new iOS initially. This isn't new and Apple isn't marketing anything to you, nor are you losing choice. But that choice to remain on the previous years iOS version comes with risk. You won't get security updates, designed to keep you and your data safe as they are rolled out.

deborinquen wrote:

Thanks for the insight. I did not notice that in the past. I see no 18.7.3 this time around. Could you tell me why?

Yes, I can tell you why. Apple has stopped signing iOS 18.7.3 for any device capable of running iOS 26. Just as they did with iOS 17.x.x last year and like they did with iOS 16.x.x the year before that.

The tricky thing about the iPad update is it’s different on different machine models. Really irritating. I just got a new A16 and it has a caps lock key (why? I don’t know). My older 9th gen iPad has kept the old keyboard style. Goodbye muscle memory