iOS 26 introduces an innovative design element that Apple refers to as Liquid Glass. This new material emphasizes transparency, allowing the content on your display to stand out.
However, if the aesthetic doesn’t appeal to you or impacts readability, there is a way to modify its appearance for better clarity while still maintaining some of the new design features. Apple provides various Accessibility options that cater to individual visual preferences, including the Reduce Transparency feature.
By enabling this option, users can add a darker background to transparent areas like the Control Center, app icons, and folders, which enhances the contrast and overall readability. To activate Reduce Transparency, open the Settings app, navigate to Accessibility, select Display and Text Size, and toggle on the Reduce Transparency option.
For quicker access to this feature, consider adding it to your Accessibility Shortcuts for easy toggling from the Control Center. While enabling Reduce Transparency does not eliminate translucency from the iPhone’s interface, it lends a more opaque appearance to the overall look.
Notably, it doesn’t alter the shape of buttons or revert the interface to its pre-iOS 26 style. At this early stage of beta testing, Apple may adjust the Liquid Glass design based on user feedback.
Transitioning to a completely new interface can be challenging, but users participating in the beta program might find that temporarily activating Reduce Transparency eases the adjustment period. Most users are likely to acclimate to the updated interface quickly.
Apple has not drastically changed app layouts, so despite the fresh look delivered by iOS 26, the user experience remains familiar. Liquid Glass may evolve before the official public launch, which is expected to take place in September following a public beta in July.
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