How to disable liquid glass in iOS 26?

dcsj_canada wrote:

Of course it’s a matter of opinion. Except please tell me how an esthetic change increases functionality at all? Yeah, some might prefer it, but it doesn’t allow them to do anything on the phone that I can’t do.

The updates include new features, UI look and feel, and security updates all in one bundle. There is no such thing as a partial update that you may be looking for.

I can drive any of my cars to the store where they all have that same functionality, but a new car may look better to me and others may also not like it either. That is pretty irrelevant.

dcsj_canada wrote:

Well, the analogy fails because I can always go to a different dealer and buy a different car

Hello~ What is the purpose of coming here to argue a point that simply cannot be removed? Get in touch with touch Apple and argue with them as they get paid to listen whereas we volunteers do not.

~Katana-San

IdrisSeabright wrote:

dcsj_canada wrote:

Well, the analogy fails because I can always go to a different dealer and buy a different car

And you can go buy a different kind of phone, too.

Hello~ Well said…

~Katana-San~

Davescrownncoke12 wrote:

horrible idea for UI. Please listen to your users and give us an option to disable this and revert back. I’m sure your feedback loop is blowing up on this.

Hello~ Please click on below to address this with Apple…

Product Feedback - Apple

Here you are addressing it w fellow forum members.

~Katana-San~

I echo the sentiment here, it is a very un appealing and any efficient design it has created plenty of issues for me personally.

Apple’s iOS 26 “Liquid Glass” redesign is a bad decision not because it looks different, but because it cuts directly against what Apple does best.

Apple’s core promise has always been effortless clarity. You pick up an iPhone and everything is immediately readable, calm, and obvious. Liquid Glass—by design—adds translucency, refraction, motion, and visual noise to core interface elements. That’s spectacle layered on top of information, and it makes the OS harder to read, not easier.

This is especially dangerous for accessibility. Translucent UI over dynamic backgrounds is notoriously bad for contrast, low-vision users, and people sensitive to motion. The fact that Apple has already had to tone it down and add controls to reduce the effect proves this isn’t a polish issue—it’s a fundamental design conflict.

It also introduces unnecessary performance and perception risk. Effects-heavy interfaces make users worry about battery life and older devices, even if Apple optimizes them. Apple upgrades work because users trust that updates improve stability, not just visuals. This redesign weakens that trust.

Then there’s the ecosystem cost. When Apple changes its visual language this dramatically, developers feel pressure to redesign their apps just to keep up—absorbing time and expense with no guarantee users actually want the look.

Most importantly, Liquid Glass sends the wrong signal. Apple wins by being practical, restrained, and human-centered. A flashy, polarizing UI suggests Apple is prioritizing visual novelty over usability at exactly the moment users want reliability and substance.

Apple shouldn’t need an OS you have to “dial back.” If users want to turn it off, it shouldn’t be the future of iOS.

It’s not a question of liking or disliking the Liquid Glass.

I can’t see the time clearly when I glance at my phone because it has become translucent or transparent rather than opaque and easy to see at a glance.

I don’t understand how this can be called an improvement.

If I’d known that this would be irreversible, I would NOT have updated!!!

Perhaps before the next update Apple users can get a preview of what’s in store, so that they can decide if they want to update or not.

This is very disappointing ☹️

Tzotzi wrote: "...Perhaps before the next update Apple users can get a preview..."

Apple published these previews on June 9 — well before the release of iOS 26 on September 15:

Introducing Liquid Glass | Apple

OS - iOS 26 - Apple

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I too DO NOT LIKE the Liquid Glass feature. It adds nothing of value to my phone - in fact it seems blurry. Also, closing out Safari is different. Harder to close out of. No more square at bottom right and then “Xing” out. Why not leave well enough alone?

Adambagley wrote:

I echo the sentiment here, it is a very un appealing and any efficient design it has created plenty of issues for me personally.

Apple’s iOS 26 “Liquid Glass” redesign is a bad decision not because it looks different, but because it cuts directly against what Apple does best.

Apple’s core promise has always been effortless clarity. You pick up an iPhone and everything is immediately readable, calm, and obvious. Liquid Glass—by design—adds translucency, refraction, motion, and visual noise to core interface elements. That’s spectacle layered on top of information, and it makes the OS harder to read, not easier.

This is especially dangerous for accessibility. Translucent UI over dynamic backgrounds is notoriously bad for contrast, low-vision users, and people sensitive to motion. The fact that Apple has already had to tone it down and add controls to reduce the effect proves this isn’t a polish issue—it’s a fundamental design conflict.

It also introduces unnecessary performance and perception risk. Effects-heavy interfaces make users worry about battery life and older devices, even if Apple optimizes them. Apple upgrades work because users trust that updates improve stability, not just visuals. This redesign weakens that trust.

Then there’s the ecosystem cost. When Apple changes its visual language this dramatically, developers feel pressure to redesign their apps just to keep up—absorbing time and expense with no guarantee users actually want the look.

Most importantly, Liquid Glass sends the wrong signal. Apple wins by being practical, restrained, and human-centered. A flashy, polarizing UI suggests Apple is prioritizing visual novelty over usability at exactly the moment users want reliability and substance.

Apple shouldn’t need an OS you have to “dial back.” If users want to turn it off, it shouldn’t be the future of iOS.

Hello~ Do you have a technical question for us?? That is the point of a technical forum. You can contact Apple in many ways (as posted throughout this now 29 page thread) to share your thoughts with them.

~Katana-San~

Grannybom wrote:

I too DO NOT LIKE the Liquid Glass feature. It adds nothing of value to my phone - in fact it seems blurry. Also, closing out Safari is different. Harder to close out of. No more square at bottom right and then “Xing” out. Why not leave well enough alone?

If you want something which will never change, Walmart has nice simple FlipPhones to sell you. If you want a smart phone, change is inevitable, ongoing and will never stop moving forward. Having been on this forum for more than 15 years, one thing I've learned is many people simply don't adapt well to change. But changes come every year with iOS and adapt to changes we must. If Apple doesn't change things, people will complain that Apple has stopped innovating. And change something and someone like you will object. You can't make everyone happy.

If you don't like Liquid Glass, instead of just responding to the first post of a thread, you might want to take YOUR time to read if there are things you can do to help. I wrote this user tip to help people and if you read it ALL the way through, you may find some simple settings changes can be better for you --> Liquid Glass - Love It Or Hate It - It's … - Apple Community

Tzotzi wrote:

It’s not a question of liking or disliking the Liquid Glass.

I can’t see the time clearly when I glance at my phone because it has become translucent or transparent rather than opaque and easy to see at a glance.

I don’t understand how this can be called an improvement.

If I’d known that this would be irreversible, I would NOT have updated!!!

Perhaps before the next update Apple users can get a preview of what’s in store, so that they can decide if they want to update or not.

This is very disappointing ☹️

Hello~ You state “If I’d known that this would be irreversible, I would NOT have updated!!!” All iOS updates are irreversible. The “preview “ was pretty in depth for iOS 26. Do you have a technical question for us??

~Katana-San~

Worst update EVER. I wish you could have the option to turn OFF the Liquid Glass completely. Not go through all these steps to “minimize” the effects. I’m older and the movements and clear mess with my eyes and sensitivity.

super disappointed

LeoLee10 wrote:

I wish you could have the option to turn OFF the Liquid Glass completely.

Let Apple know. "Wishing" for something is not a good strategy and they won't read your post here.

Feedback - iPhone - Apple

LeoLee10 wrote:

Worst update EVER. I wish you could have the option to turn OFF the Liquid Glass completely. Not go through all these steps to “minimize” the effects. I’m older and the movements and clear mess with my eyes and sensitivity.

super disappointed

What does your age have to do with making adjustments, which would suit you better? I'm in my 70s and my other half in their late 70s. We refuse to let age get in our way. But if you're not willing to take advantage of the options which ARE available to you, you'll just have to be disappointed.

I am a person that has visual impairment and this new update has made it impossible. Even when I am seeing OK, all of the blurry looking little glass is not OK. If Apple decided to do an update like this, it should’ve should’ve been a preview of it and we had a choice to update it or not and it not affect us if we didn’t. You need to come up with a resolution to get rid of the liquid glass and whatever else that’s hogging the battery life ever since this update or you will see many iPhone users like myself becoming android users.