Apple’s Liquid Glass design, introduced in iOS 26, iPadOS 26 and macOS Tahoe 26, has a translucent, glass-like effect. This technique resembles real glass and reflects the environment, allowing buttons and interface elements to adapt to the background. Unfortunately, this design also poses challenges for readability.
Fortunately, since iOS 26.1, iPadOS 26.1 and macOS 26.1, Apple has offered the option for users to choose between transparent or frosted glass, making buttons and menus clearer when you opt for a tinted display. This way you can adjust the Liquid Glass effect and improve readability.
Customize Liquid Glass
Available from iOS 26.1, iPadOS 26.1 and macOS 26.1
Do you think the Liquid Glass is too transparent and do you think some parts are difficult to read? Then you can adjust the degree of transparency and choose ‘frosted glass’ instead of ‘translucent glass’.
- Open Settings
- Go to ‘Screen and brightness’
- Tap ‘Liquid Glass’
- Choose ‘Clear’ or ‘Tint’
On a Mac you can adjust this via ▸ System Settings ▸ Display ▸ Liquid Glass ▸ Clear or Tinted.
The new display options make buttons and menus clearer when you choose a tinted display. This is because the background of these parts is slightly transparent and has a matte background, which improves readability. This is especially reflected in the toolbar in Photos and the notifications on the lock screen.
More customizations with Accessibility
If the above option is not sufficient for you, it is possible to further adjust the Liquid Glass effect using the accessibility settings. For example, you can increase the contrast and add areas behind some parts, making user elements appear more clearly. You can read in detail how you can adjust this in the featured article below.