How to disable Liquid Glass effect in iOS 26?

lobsterghost1 wrote:

BartelsMedia wrote:

I already reduced transparency but it still looks broken to my eyes. it is distracting and overly unpleasant.

How to switch off LiquidGlass entirely, please?

There is no on/off switch for liquid glass. If you've reduced transparency, that's all you can do.

I quite like it and with all things which change it often takes time to adjust when things look different. But adjust you'll need to do.

Sometimes what you need to do is say no over and over and if enough people agree with you, Apple may revert some things. I've had success with that in the past....not often, but it does happen. Here the effect is reducing contrast and legibility in support of 'coolness'. We don't always have to accept it without making a fuss, and for sure sending LOTS OF FEEDBACK.

Here is how to remove the Liquid Glass effect in iOS 26

1. Start on your iPhone home screen (locked)
2. Tap and hold on your Home Screen
3. Tap "Customize"
4. Tap the time and the customize option screen will pop up
5. At the bottom of your screen you can toggle from "Glass" to "Solid"
6. Then tap the "x" or anywhere else on the screen
7. Finally select "Done" in the top right hand corner of your screen

Donot_Haveone wrote:

lobsterghost1 wrote:

BartelsMedia wrote:

I already reduced transparency but it still looks broken to my eyes. it is distracting and overly unpleasant.

How to switch off LiquidGlass entirely, please?

There is no on/off switch for liquid glass. If you've reduced transparency, that's all you can do.

I quite like it and with all things which change it often takes time to adjust when things look different. But adjust you'll need to do.

Sometimes what you need to do is say no over and over and if enough people agree with you, Apple may revert some things. I've had success with that in the past....not often, but it does happen. Here the effect is reducing contrast and legibility in support of 'coolness'. We don't always have to accept it without making a fuss, and for sure sending LOTS OF FEEDBACK.

You can make a fuss if you want. You're just totally, utterly, completely wasting your time making a fuss on this user to user only forum, which Apple doesn't participate nor read for user feedback.

If you want to make a fuss and know that Apple hears you, you use this link, where Apple will actually read what you have to say --> Product Feedback - Apple

AngeloG_SP wrote:

This suggestion only addresses the glass effect in the lock screen clock. I want this liquid glass BANISHED from my device and any other device. Let’s focus on iPhone. I want it gone. Liquid glass is trash! How do I switch it back to normal format?

What you want is not possible.

Have you reviewed this article? It has many tips on how to adjust Liquid Glass and has even been updated for iOS 26.2. It covers more than just the lock screen.

Liquid Glass - Love It Or Hate It - It's … - Apple Community

You can also let Apple know your thoughts here:

Product Feedback - Apple

BartelsMedia wrote:

I already reduced transparency but it still looks broken to my eyes. it is distracting and overly unpleasant.

How to switch off LiquidGlass entirely, please?

There is no on/off switch for liquid glass. If you've reduced transparency, that's all you can do.

I quite like it and with all things which change it often takes time to adjust when things look different. But adjust you'll need to do.

AppleAnswerDude wrote:

1. Here is how to remove the Liquid Glass effect in iOS 26

Start on your iPhone home screen (locked)

2. Tap and hold on your Home Screen

3. Tap "Customize"

4. Tap the time and the customize option screen will pop up

5. At the bottom of your screen you can toggle from "Glass" to "Solid"

6. Then tap the "x" or anywhere else on the screen

7. Finally select "Done" in the top right hand corner of your screen

This is fine, but really only affects the lock screen, not the home screen as it relates to the liquid glass effect overall.

Katana-San wrote:

lobsterghost1 wrote:

Maktig_ wrote:

I am dyslexic and have ADHD. Added movement and transparent overlapping elements is distracting and makes it hard to see what I want to focus on. Every time there is an update I spend hours trying to put things back “the way they were”. I think Apple is more committed to the aesthetic of their design team than making products that work well .

If you find the added movement bothersome, do something about it. This explains how --> Liquid Glass - Love It Or Hate It - It's … - Apple Community

Hello~ Your user tip has been a big hit with my family!! My sister found it easily understood and went right to work using it as a guide. Then …my 3 ADHD grandsons, one of which has epilepsy have found that your information has made a helpful difference for them!! So all around kudos and thank you so very much for your hard work/support to so many!! Everyone that is having issues needs to give it Liquid Glass - Love It Or Hate It - It's … - Apple Community a read.

~Katana-San~

I'm so happy to know the user tip has helped people you know! And to think someone very special to me was the inspiration for me to write it! 😉

AngeloG_SP wrote:

This suggestion only addresses the glass effect in the lock screen clock. I want this liquid glass BANISHED from my device and any other device. Let’s focus on iPhone. I want it gone. Liquid glass is trash! How do I switch it back to normal format?

It's not going to be gone. You can pout, stamp your feet, complain or anything you want, but Liquid Glass is built into the very fiber of iOS and while you can change many of the effects as detailed in my user tip, which you should read ALL the way through --> Liquid Glass - Love It Or Hate It - It's … - Apple Community

Surely, you can find a way to make things work better for you after trying the options I detailed?

Maktig_ wrote:

I am dyslexic and have ADHD. Added movement and transparent overlapping elements is distracting and makes it hard to see what I want to focus on. Every time there is an update I spend hours trying to put things back “the way they were”. I think Apple is more committed to the aesthetic of their design team than making products that work well .

If you find the added movement bothersome, do something about it. This explains how --> Liquid Glass - Love It Or Hate It - It's … - Apple Community

Diamond-Carrots wrote:

I agree, the new UI is really hard on the eyes, and the weird effects that come into play when you turn on the accessibility settings is very unpleasant!

Tell Apple:

Product Feedback - Apple

Marocr wrote:

Agreed. Liquid Glass is atrocious! There must be a way to disable this mess. Did any one consider those who have visual impairment? I say NO. Come on Apple. Find the solution.

if you had read the other threads….

Settings, Accessibility, Display & Text size, reduce transparency

Settings, Accessibility, Display & Text size , increase contrast

Settings, Accessibility, Motion, Reduce motion

Apple’s user base is literally over 1 billion. Making a user interface perfectly compatible for every user is literally impossible. Apple will make changes (or not make changes) based partially on the feedback they receive through their official channel, linked below and good luck.

Product Feedback - Apple

lobsterghost1 wrote:

Maktig_ wrote:

I am dyslexic and have ADHD. Added movement and transparent overlapping elements is distracting and makes it hard to see what I want to focus on. Every time there is an update I spend hours trying to put things back “the way they were”. I think Apple is more committed to the aesthetic of their design team than making products that work well .

If you find the added movement bothersome, do something about it. This explains how --> Liquid Glass - Love It Or Hate It - It's … - Apple Community

Hello~ Your user tip has been a big hit with my family!! My sister found it easily understood and went right to work using it as a guide. Then …my 3 ADHD grandsons, one of which has epilepsy have found that your information has made a helpful difference for them!! So all around kudos and thank you so very much for your hard work/support to so many!! Everyone that is having issues needs to give it Liquid Glass - Love It Or Hate It - It's … - Apple Community a read.

~Katana-San~

Re: IOS slow or increased battery usage?

Here's what Apple and some Trade Press have to say:

Performance and battery impact

Apple’s hardware and software are designed together to deliver great performance and great battery life. As new features and improvements are added, they can change the way we use our devices, as you explore and utilize these new capabilities. Here are some important things to keep in mind:

Immediately after completing an update, particularly a major release, you might notice a temporary impact on battery life and thermal performance. This is normal, as your device needs time to complete the setup process in the background, including indexing data and files for search, downloading new assets, and updating apps. 

New features are exciting and help you get even more out of your Apple product, though some may require additional resources from the device. Depending on individual usage, some users may notice a small impact on performance and/or battery life. Apple continually works to optimize these features in software updates to ensure great battery life and a smooth user experience.

from:

About Apple software updates - Apple Support

The main takeaway? After installing iOS 26, or any other major software update, there will be an initial period of additional background processing that puts a strain on your device. This should be a non-issue after the first couple days.

from:

https://9to5mac.com/2025/09/15/apple-explains-why-ios-26-could-affect-your-iphones-battery-life/

I advise don’t update to 26 stay on 18.6 etc. there is no going back. It is very challenging. I think it was a mistake that they did. I don’t know many users that are happy about the update. It would be wise of Apple to give an option to continue to run 18 and get updates and security patches and not migrate to 26.

I did not buy a new device because of 26. I just returned an iPad and kept my old one running, 18.6 etc.

So sad!

😭