Apple made a big deal about the Liquid Glass design aesthetics of iOS 26 at the WWDC 2025 event. However, ever since the stable version of iOS 26 reached the public, the ‘glassy update’ has garnered a mixed response. While some absolutely love it for the unique animations and effects, others have resorted to ways to shut it down. The polarising response has led Apple to work out a solution – give users a way to opt out of it.
In a response to significant user backlash over its new interface design, Apple is introducing a crucial new setting in the latest iOS 26.1 developer beta 4 that allows users to adjust the transparency of the “Liquid Glass” aesthetic. The new option, dubbed “Tinted,” gives users a way to tone down the translucent look – a design that has been criticised for poor legibility and visual noise.
Apple updates iOS 26 with no Liquid Glass
The Liquid Glass design was unveiled at WWDC earlier this year as the centerpiece of the new operating system, intended to bring a consistent visual enhancement across Apple’s platforms. It drew heavily from the spatial interface of visionOS. However, its overuse of highly transparent layers on elements like notifications, Control Center, and navigation bars quickly drew fire.
Designers and accessibility experts warned that the shimmering, light-refracting interface often caused text and icons to “wash out” against bright wallpapers or in direct sunlight, leading to legibility issues and user fatigue. Earlier beta versions had already seen Apple subtly dial back the transparency, but the complaints remained.
Apple’s solution is now a direct control that users can toggle. The new toggle, located in Settings > Display & Brightness > Liquid Glass, presents users with a choice between two modes:
– “Clear,” which maintains the original transparent, reflective aesthetic
– “Tinted”, which increases opacity and makes the interface look like frosted glass.
Selecting the Tinted option dramatically increases the opacity and contrast of UI elements, such as tab bars, buttons, and notifications. This option is a clear choice for users who prefer a calmer, more solid reading surface.
Furthermore, the same iOS 26.1 beta includes another highly requested practical change – a new setting that allows users to disable the swipe-to-open camera gesture from the Lock Screen. This feature, which has been part of iOS for years, often led to frustrating accidental camera launches. The ability to disable the gesture is seen as another example of Apple prioritising user-driven utility in this forthcoming update.
