At the Worldwide Developer Conference, Apple shared a preview of iOS 26, one of the biggest updates to its operating system in years. The Cupertino based tech giant said iOS 26 “brings a beautiful new design, intelligent experiences, and improvements to the apps users rely on every day”. Dubbed “Liquid Glass”, the new design language introduces a “new translucent material that reflects and refracts its surroundings.” The new design also changes the way users access controls and navigate and extends to the Home Screen and Lock Screen as well. Apple has also brought changes to the app icons, widgets and other interfaces users interact with on a daily basis. Another huge change is that Apple has published an updated set of APIs that offers developers access to Liquid Glass materials, similar to how Google has for Android with its Material 3 design language. With iOS 26, Apple has also changed the look, feel and positions of various apps including Apple Music, News, and Podcasts. Talking of app designs, Apple says its apps now “fit perfectly concentric with the rounded corners of modern hardware and app windows.” The company says that the newly redesigned tab bar in these apps now floats above the user's content and dynamically shrinks when they are browsing and expands when they scroll back up. As for tab bars and side bars, Apple seems to have gone with the same approach with iOS 26. AppleThe new Liquid Glass design language extends to other Apple operating systems like iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS as well.
