Apple's Liquid Glass response

I think we can agree that when Apple introduced Liquid Glass with iOS 26 last year, the response was fairly brutal.

Here’s how Apple dealt with it.

Legibility concerns, distracting transparency and visual effects that sometimes seemed to compete with the content were all raised.

Yet a year later, the same frosted panels, translucent layers and glass-like controls are increasingly visible across new websites and digital products.

It’s a reminder of just how quickly a controversial visual language can become familiar when it is introduced at Apple’s scale.

But Apple’s latest update is also interesting because rather than abandoning Liquid Glass, iOS 27 gives users an opacity control, allowing them to choose between a clearer interface and a more frosted appearance.

It’s a sensible evolution, right? Apple has retained the identity of the design system, while acknowledging that one visual treatment will not work equally well for every person, context or background.

I think there’s a useful lesson here for product teams.

A distinctive design language can help a product feel recognisable, but consistency shouldn’t mean rigidity. When an aesthetic choice affects readability or comfort, giving people some control can be better than forcing one compromise across the entire user base.

It also shows that initial criticism doesn’t necessarily mean a design direction will disappear. Sometimes it gets refined, becomes familiar and then starts influencing everything around it.