PostJune 20252 min readBy Subham Singh Bhainsora

I tried iOS 26 so you don’t have to squint

In short

iOS 26’s Liquid Glass is visually striking but sacrifices clarity and contrast for aesthetics, so Apple should fix contrast, add blur control, standardize its language, and expand accessibility settings.

iOS 26Liquid GlassAccessibilityDesign CritiqueHuman Interface

I tried iOS 26 so you don’t have to squint.

I’ve been running the iOS 26 Developer Beta on my iPhone 16 Plus since day one of WWDC25. Amid all the noise (“unreadable,” “a transparent mess,” “designed in Figma, shipped too soon”) here’s a more balanced take.

Spoiler: it’s not perfect, but it’s not a disaster either. Flashy? Yes. Functional? Not quite.

Liquid Glass feels like a concept design that jumped from a Figma board into production too early. It’s visually arresting, sure, but it sacrifices clarity for aesthetics. And that’s an odd choice from a company known for accessibility leadership.

Apple, if you’re listening

Revisit contrast across UI layers
Give users control over blur intensity
Standardize visual and interaction language system-wide
Add more accessibility settings to reduce visual effects

Frequently asked questions

Is iOS 26 Liquid Glass hard to read?: Readability does suffer in places. After running the iOS 26 beta from WWDC25 day one on my iPhone 16 Plus, I found Liquid Glass visually arresting but it trades clarity for aesthetics, creating real contrast costs. It is not unreadable or a disaster, just flashy without being fully functional, an odd choice from a company known for accessibility leadership.
What is Liquid Glass in iOS 26?: Liquid Glass is iOS 26’s new look that feels like a concept design that jumped from a Figma board into production too early. It is visually striking, but it sacrifices clarity for aesthetics. Flashy, yes, functional, not quite. That is my take after testing the Developer Beta on an iPhone 16 Plus since WWDC25.
What should Apple fix in iOS 26 Liquid Glass?: I offered Apple four fixes. Revisit contrast across UI layers, give users control over blur intensity, standardize the visual and interaction language system-wide, and add more accessibility settings to reduce visual effects. These changes would keep the striking look while restoring the clarity and accessibility that the current design sacrifices for aesthetics.
Does iOS 26 have accessibility problems?: Yes, iOS 26 carries real accessibility and contrast costs. Liquid Glass sacrifices clarity for aesthetics, which is an odd choice from a company known for accessibility leadership. I recommend Apple revisit contrast across UI layers, give users control over blur intensity, and add more accessibility settings to reduce visual effects.

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In short

Frequently asked questions

Is iOS 26 Liquid Glass hard to read?

Readability does suffer in places. After running the iOS 26 beta from WWDC25 day one on my iPhone 16 Plus, I found Liquid Glass visually arresting but it trades clarity for aesthetics, creating real contrast costs. It is not unreadable or a disaster, just flashy without being fully functional, an odd choice from a company known for accessibility leadership.

What is Liquid Glass in iOS 26?

Liquid Glass is iOS 26’s new look that feels like a concept design that jumped from a Figma board into production too early. It is visually striking, but it sacrifices clarity for aesthetics. Flashy, yes, functional, not quite. That is my take after testing the Developer Beta on an iPhone 16 Plus since WWDC25.

What should Apple fix in iOS 26 Liquid Glass?

I offered Apple four fixes. Revisit contrast across UI layers, give users control over blur intensity, standardize the visual and interaction language system-wide, and add more accessibility settings to reduce visual effects. These changes would keep the striking look while restoring the clarity and accessibility that the current design sacrifices for aesthetics.

Does iOS 26 have accessibility problems?

Yes, iOS 26 carries real accessibility and contrast costs. Liquid Glass sacrifices clarity for aesthetics, which is an odd choice from a company known for accessibility leadership. I recommend Apple revisit contrast across UI layers, give users control over blur intensity, and add more accessibility settings to reduce visual effects.

I tried iOS 26 so you don’t have to squint

Apple, if you’re listening

Frequently asked questions

Related reading

I tried iOS 26 so you don’t have to squint

Apple, if you’re listening

Frequently asked questions

Related reading