During WWDC 2025, Apple introduces a new software design for all its operating systems, creating a “water effect” on your screen.
At WWDC 2025, Apple announces a new design for all its operating systems. The new iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS Tahoe 26, watchOS 26, and tvOS 26 will have a uniform style, based on a new visual material that Apple calls “Liquid Glass”. This material gives a translucent effect that resembles a layer of water on top of the screen. According to Apple, this helps to focus more on the content.
One design for multiple devices
The new design ensures visual coherence between the various Apple platforms. Apple introduces a common visual language while maintaining the uniqueness of each device type. The Liquid Glass material forms the core of this approach, and its name is well-deserved. The material creates a translucent effect that resembles a layer of water.
“It combines the optical qualities of glass with a fluidity that only Apple can achieve, as it transforms depending on your content or context”, according to Alan Dye, Apple’s Vice President of Human Interface Design.
The new design affects the layout of buttons, sliders, tabs, and sidebars, among other elements. These elements visually adapt when scrolling or navigating and integrate better with the rounded corners of recent hardware.
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Apple states that these changes provide a smoother transition between the operating system and apps. For example, in iOS 26, tabs change size depending on user interaction. In macOS and iPadOS, sidebars reflect the user’s environment, clarifying the context.
New APIs for developers
Developers can also work with the new design. Apple has provided customized APIs for SwiftUI, UIKit, and AppKit, allowing them to integrate elements such as Liquid Glass and its associated navigation into their own apps. This should make apps visually more consistent with the new system designs.