Is there a way to completely disable the liquid glass functionality on iOS 26? I'm not going to get into a lengthy diatribe over why it's awful, I just want it gone.
iPhone 13 Pro Max, iOS 18
amdc101 wrote:
There is a serious issue around accessibility with the Liquid Glass display, it’s not just an aesthetic issue. I do personally think it’s an unnecessary overlay, and don’t like it, but part of that is that I work for a charity for blind people and in terms of apples usual excellence with accessibility this is a huge fail.
iOS/iPadOS 26.1 introduced a new setting that subtly charges the appearance of Liquid Glass:
Settings > Display & Brightness > Liquid Glass - select Clear or Tinted
Sadly, for iPad, this new setting makes very little difference for those that struggle with both the appearance and overlapping screen elements introduced with Liquid Glass - an issue that is often not understood by those that have perfect eyesight.
If you are experiencing difficulty with the new Liquid Glass UI, there are other settings that can significantly improve the appearance and suppress the majority of unwanted effects:
Each if these settings can be used individually, or in combination. Setting Reduce Transparency alone (1) will likely suppress the majority of your issues. The Reduce Motion setting (3), if used, will eliminate the "lensing" effects of the Liquid Glass UI. Experiment; you should find a combination that works for you.
I suggest that you begin with setting Reduce Transparency to ON - and then, if needed, experiment with additional use of one or more of the other options.
NB: The new Display & Brightness > Liquid Glass setting can only be changed/toggled while Reduce Transparency is set to OFF. You might find that setting Liquid Glass to Clear, prior to enabling Reduced Transparency to ON, may give the best result.
Liquid Glass is here to stay - and will likely evolve throughout the lifespan of iOS/iPadOS 26. Hopefully, Apple will provide additional controls over time with which to selectively eliminate aspects of the new UI to better meet the functional and visual needs of the wider user population. Liquid Glass is very "pretty" - but for some is arguably form over function, reducing legibility and usability for some users.
You - and anyone else that has an issue with the Liquid Glass implementation - should submit constructive comments via Apple's Product Feedback portal. For iPhone:
Every Report counts.
If you had read the forum, you would have figured out that Apple doesn’t check these. If you have a problem with the operating system, the best way to attempt to fix it would be to contact them directly, through this form Feedback - iPhone - Apple.
Well, you signed the agreement to confirm that you were using a user-to-user site with the understanding that you would be posting to other users......just like you.....and....that Apple was not here, so they would not see your post or reply.
So, you are wasting your time here ranting and raving about things.
Give me a workaround or I am going to have to go back to Windows
That type of talk will get you absolutely nowhere on this site. You should always buy what you want. We don't care what you buy.
This Liquid Glass feature makes me consider going back to Android
Then by all means, do. You should always purchase a phone that suits you best, and no one in this user to user forum cares what phone you use.
IdrisSeabright wrote:
jeffrey512 wrote:
Where is there any documented guidance that recommends to force restart your device after every update?
Amongst those of us recommending it, a hundred years of experience.
I couldn't have said this any better, so I won't even try.
IdrisSeabright wrote:
jeffrey512 wrote:
Where is there any documented guidance that recommends to force restart your device after every update?
Amongst those of us recommending it, a hundred years of experience.
Hello~ Or maybe more….
~Katana-San~
Katana-San wrote:
IdrisSeabright wrote:
jeffrey512 wrote:
Where is there any documented guidance that recommends to force restart your device after every update?
Amongst those of us recommending it, a hundred years of experience.
Hello~ Or maybe more….
I was being conservative.
I don't like the hostility in this thread, allow people not to like the IOS26 UI, it does not mean they hate Apple or their Apple devices.
After trying IOS26 for a while, changing all the settings recommended I simply downgraded to IOS18.7 through my mac mini finder/iTunes interface.
Make sure to make a local backup of your phone on your mac if you have one, gives you a way out if you dislike IOS26.
“After trying IOS26 for a while, changing all the settings recommended I simply downgraded to IOS18.7 through my mac mini finder/iTunes interface.”
This is not the place to rant, it is for technical Q&A. Ranting gets the worst out of the regular helpers.
Rant herehttps://apple.com/feedbackPS
PS taking a backup on the Mac is not a routine way out of iOS26 so the advice is limited without printing the method you used. It only works if the owner used the Mac to update to 18.7 (most users dont) and if the version is still being signed. That is not hostility is is a technical comment.
Why pin paid advertisements to this post? This doesn't answer the question. You're justifying your stance by providing release articles from paid sources. If it can not be changed state that along with relative information to the problem. I personally hate it, and don't think 3 articles stating otherwise is useful.
Luv2Quilt2 wrote:
My issue is that it’s killing my battery life!! I’ve done all the things they say to do to reduce it- but since this update— I can’t get through a complete day! My husband told me to just update- I usually hold off and now I wish I did! I’m on a 15ProMax
Not sure how long you have owned your iPhone 15 Pro Max (if you got it at launch it would be just over 2 years that you have owned it). What if your battery health showing percentage wise? That could be playing a part in your battery life issue (not just the update). Plus of course it really depends on other factors including what updated apps may be using, if there is a rogue app causing issues, what activities you may be performing on your device, etc. I always suggest people with older devices (and when I say older I mean anything older than the previous year models) to wait to update to the major new iOS just to get a feel for any issues that others might report…and honestly I suggest the same even for the previous model (in this case the 16 series). It’s not a requirement to wait of course but if you have little to no patience to deal with having to wait for updates to be released to address bugs (not saying this is you) then it’s worth it to wait a few weeks or so before diving in. I’m not sure if your situation is a bug issue or if it’s something else that explains your battery life woes but if you have done all of the troubleshooting you could and tried getting assistance from Apple support and the only culprit seems to be iOS 26 you may have to wait for an update to address it
I’m not a fan of this either, so I went digging. After you do the transparency part, go to “motion.” Settings-Accessibility-Motion, turn on “Reduce Motion.” I was finding the bubble glass jiggles the icons while not even in editing mode. It’s subtle but dizzying. Although this option changes the effect of swiping up to show all open apps, it does stop the wiggle of the icons.
im honestly really upset that there’s no off setting for Liquid Glass. I personally hate it and I feel like apple should have a setting on whether or not to use it so people can actually choose what they want for their iPhone rather than us basically being forced to use an unwanted feature
You (and some others) have commented to a number of persons that Apple doesn’t read this website. I believe you are wrong - even if Apple says so. (If you were Apple, and wanted to make your product better, would you just ignore such a site? Probably not the best idea.)
i have my phone with the frosted mode on but all my notifications keep coming though like dark mode! I hate dark mode and want my notifications on a white background! It’s coming though some notable colours now because of my wallpaper, which it was beautiful before In ios18 now it’s awful colours
There is a fundamental problem with Liquid Glass that goes beyond “people don’t like change”. It’s a total failure of UX accessibility and ADA compliance. It’s born out of privilege. As a designer who also is embedded in assisting the atypical community in my spare time, I assure you, many people are not liking the change do to cognitive issues and not because of its aesthetic.
How to disable liquid glass in iOS 26?
