Unveiling the Future: Exploring the Liquid Glass Slider in iOS 27

After appointing Steve Lemay as its Vice President of Human Interface Design in December, Apple sparked speculation about potentially moving away from its Liquid Glass design language following Alan Dye’s departure to Meta. However, in his recent Power On newsletter, Mark Gurman confirmed that Apple is not planning to abandon the Liquid Glass design, but is exploring a setting that could allow anti-Liquid Glass iPhone users to adjust the design to their preference.

Gurman revealed that iOS 27 will not introduce significant changes to Liquid Glass and highlighted Lemay’s integral role in the development of the design language. During the development of iOS 26, Gurman mentioned that Apple began working on a system-wide slider to enable users to finely tune the glass effect. Although this slider was implemented on the lock screen clock, engineering challenges hindered its expansion across the entire system, affecting components such as app folders and navigation bars.

Looking ahead to iOS 27, Apple aims to make this slider a system-wide feature, alongside broader engineering enhancements. Gurman suggested that the successful implementation of this systemwide control could potentially reshape the conversation surrounding Liquid Glass.

If Apple manages to make that systemwide control work in iOS 27 as desired — alongside broader engineering improvements — the entire conversation around Liquid Glass could once again change dramatically.

9to5Mac’s Take

Apple has been responsive to criticisms of Liquid Glass and continues to refine the interface, address quirks, and enhance legibility in specific areas. Despite calls for a system-wide slider for Liquid Glass in iOS 27, some believe that it could potentially complicate the design and lead to inconsistent user interface elements.

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