Disable glass effect in iOS 26 for better battery life

Prskltr wrote:

I would like to completely disable the new “glass” feature! It is impossible to see your apps if you put them in folders! The only thing I could figure out is to remove pictures as the background wallpaper and make it a plain screen! Uggg!

Read this ALL the way through --> Liquid Glass - Love It Or Hate It - It's … - Apple Community

QuiGonJohn wrote:

1. I did submit my preference on the Product Feedback. And you say only other users here. Then why did Apple remove my first reply?

2. The other App issue was just a reference of similar treatment of users, by programmers.

3. I read that and will try those steps. Still doesn't make it right. No reason to not include a disable option.

Feedback is all you can do. Don't forget this is a Support Site, not a Social Media site. Whether I like a particular update or you don't are simply opinions where there is nothing that can be done from a support perspective to change anyones mind. This site is intended for those looking for a fix, it is the Social Media sites that should be used for discussions on the matters of the tech industry in general and the role of programmers or speculation on what their perceived roles are.

Feedback is your option and that is all, other commentary is irrelevant on a Support Site..

kkflostl wrote:

As someone who helps people set up vision accessibility features on their devices for a living, I can’t believe the “glass” design made it past conceptual review. iOS 26 is impossible to visually navigate, even in "tinted" glass mode. Make an opaque foreground object option quick, because this 14-year iPhone user is deep in research on how to move over to Android.

I suggest using one of the solid Wallpapers as an example in this post. As for making it past review, many users were able to test and provide Feedback long before it was released to the general public. I started testing the beta version back in June as a Developer and it was later opened to the public with the beta prerelease version that anyone could participate in, if they wished to do so.

When researching your Android alternatives, make sure to be aware of Android 16 that was recently released that mimics Liquid Glass with transparency and blur effects. Check out the Android Support forum as well and ironically you will also see that some users are fed up with their devices and are switching to the iPhone. Once you have made the decision to switch to Android, the Switch to Android app is available in the Apple App Store so most of your data can be preserved.

QuiGonJohn wrote:

1. I did submit my preference on the Product Feedback. And you say only other users here. Then why did Apple remove my first reply?

Apple does not actively monitor, they count on other users to report problem posts, then the moderators (who are not engineers, programmers or designers) decide what action to take.

2. The other App issue was just a reference of similar treatment of users, by programmers.

No, programmers make no decisions, not even how to name the variables they use. They are skilled but low level coders who do what the user interface designers and engineers tell the to do.

3. I read that and will try those steps. Still doesn't make it right. No reason to not include a disable option.

Plenty of reason; because adding it would required testing by a team of thousands of testers for weeks to make sure any change, no matter how small, doesn’t break hundreds of millions of iPhones. And it is a whole new interface from the bottom up that would have to be replaced with an alternate, and the alternate UI would use up more space in your RAM; you can’t just wave a magic wand and say; “poof, glass effect, go away."

yudilks wrote:

Reduced transparency actually might drain more battery.

[Edited by Moderator]

Yes I have seen that video, questionable science, but there is no technical reason for a glassy appearance to use much extra power anyway.

I feel your pain. I don’t like seeing a button by looking through another button. There’s a reason why important information in cockpits and on highway signs are opaque (easier and quicker to see).

I do understand that the furniture must be rearranged sometimes. Otherwise it gets boring. We’ve had it good for a while. This simply will not be our time.

Dustyland wrote:

I feel your pain. I don’t like seeing a button by looking through another button. There’s a reason why important information in cockpits and on highway signs are opaque (easier and quicker to see).

I do understand that the furniture must be rearranged sometimes. Otherwise it gets boring. We’ve had it good for a while. This simply will not be our time.

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

~Katana-San~

I agree. I don't know why Apple, and so many other companies (manufacturers or App Developers) often make all kinds of changes to the way something looks and works. And then do not include an option to maintain the previous look/style. One App I use has a daily "Verse of the Day". In the beginning, it was plain black text on a white background". Most of the time, the entire thing fit on the screen. Then they decided to put it over a picture background that changes each time. Font colors varied. It was harder to read, and often you now had to tap on it, to have it go full screen, in order to read it all. Why not include an option to remain as "plain text"? So same thing with this "Liquid Glass". Just add in settings, a simple slider "Liquid Glass" o->o On, you have it, Off you don't.

QuiGonJohn wrote:

So same thing with this "Liquid Glass". Just add in settings, a simple slider "Liquid Glass" o->o On, you have it, Off you don't.

The only people who say that sort of thing is simple are people who don't do complex programming.

You should tell Apple what you would like to see:

Product Feedback - Apple

Reduced transparency actually might drain more battery.

[Edited by Moderator]

Voidtrace wrote:

Who thought the glass effect was a good idea? Please add an option to disable it — my eyes aren’t a GPU benchmark, and it murders the battery.

You might want to read what this article says about battery drain after an update:

About Apple software updates - Apple Support

You’re wrong because it is directly related buddy. Suddenly I curiously switched back to non-glass home screen and my phone battery percentage stayed the same for hours which is very strange because ever since i updated to ios 26 i always get huge drop in battery even when the phone is locked. So yes my battery draining problem is solved finally. Can get a good sleep🤣

just because you like, no, love it, doesn’t mean everyone does. the post owner never mentioned replacing it, the request here is to just be able to disable it for those who don’t want it, frosted glass was a sweet spot for visibility and aesthetics. just because your folder looks good doesn’t make the theme good. that is more frequently used than opening a folder and admiring how good the open folder looks.

[Edited by Moderator]

Please get rid of the Liquid Glass. Or at the bare minimum be able to turn it off. It’s seriously messing with my eye sight It makes all the apps look blurry through my glasses and my eye doctor said this prescription is correct.

Honestly, who thought this was a good idea?!?! Makes me want to switch to android!

That’s a bummer that Apple “isn’t here.” I know they have their feedback channels, but if they’re truly not using some form of automated mining in this discussion platform, they’re really missing out on a wealth of helpful information.