I’ve been using iOS 26 since the first developer beta, and now that the public beta is out, it seems a good time to share my early views of the biggest shake-up to the look and feel of the iPhone user interface for a great many years.
Of course, betas will beta, and there have been a few glitches along the way, but I have to say that only one of my apps won’t run, so I’ve been able to get a pretty good feel for everyday use ..
The one app that crashes on opening for me is the email client Spark, so I’ve temporarily reverted to the stock Mail app.
The Liquid Glass look
Back in the days when we expected iOS 18 to be followed by iOS 19, I said I expected the new look to have a bigger impact on people than Siri improvements. Little did I know just how true that was going to be, because we’re still waiting for most of the new Siri features.
I also predicted that the new look in what turned out to be iOS 26 would prove controversial, and that too has very much been the case. However, I must say that, overall, I’m a big fan!
Frankly, in recent years one generation of iPhone has looked much like the last, and the same has been largely true of iOS. I was just a bit bored with seeing the same old thing, so was ready for something new, even if it would inevitably have some rough edges in the beta phases.
Some have been critical of inconsistencies in the look. For example, Apple responded to Control Panel legibility complaints by making those controls frosted glass while most of the UI comprises clear(ish) glass. However, to me both are, uh, clearly glass-based, and I don’t see it as an issue to have a variety of glass looks.
One big question was to what degree Apple was going to return to the skeuomorphism of pre-iOS 7. The answer is … not really. The Camera app icon is perhaps the closest we get to it, but even that isn’t attempting to look anything like a real camera, just a somewhat more realistic-looking lens. Most app icons retain their original symbols, and have a rather subtle 3D glass effect.
I’m a very big fan of this look. Indeed, my only criticism would be that it doesn’t go far enough. I’d like to see Apple be bolder, and dial up both the glass effect and 3D impression by 30% or so.
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