Revolutionizing User Experience: Apple’s iOS 27 Introduces Liquid Glass Slider

Apple’s WWDC 2026 began with a keynote last night, unveiling significant updates. These include enhanced online safety measures for children, the potential for Siri AI to match Gemini’s capabilities (restricted to select models and not available in the EU), and the surprising exclusion of several Apple Watch models from the WatchOS update list. Unexpected, right?

The keynote primarily focused on design news, signaling Apple’s acknowledgment of the mixed reception to Liquid Glass, the brand’s major software interface redesign since iOS 7 in 2013. iOS 27 will introduce features allowing users to personalize the design according to their preferences.

Shubham Kedia, Apple’s Director of Human Interface, stated: “With major design updates, we take a bold leap forward and continue to refine. We are now making additional refinements, starting with updating the foundations of Liquid Glass.”

However, the distinction between “additional refinements” and “updating the foundations” raises questions. While one implies minor adjustments, the other suggests a more substantial overhaul, which aligns with Apple’s current approach.

Liquid Glass introduces a glassy aesthetic to screen design and icons, along with a semi-transparent, floating effect on interactive elements. Despite its appeal, some users find it blurry or struggle with reading notifications.

As a solution, iOS 27 will offer a slider and settings to control Liquid Glass effects, allowing users to reduce or disable them entirely.

This move seems less about refining design and more about providing users with the option to revert to a pre-Liquid Glass appearance.

iOS 27 is scheduled for release in September for supported iPhones, including iPhone 11 and newer models, as well as the second and third generations of iPhone SE. The current phase involves iOS 27 being in the developer beta stage.

How to disable Liquid Glass temporarily

While complete removal of Liquid Glass effects isn’t feasible currently, there are steps you can take to minimize the glassy effect.

Here’s what you can do:

Adjust your accessibility settings

Navigate to Settings > Accessibility > Display & Text Size and enable Reduce Transparency.

Note that this adjustment may impact other display features, so it may not suit everyone.

Modify your display settings

Another option is to go to Settings > Display & Brightness > Liquid Glass and switch from Clear to Tinted.

This adjustment should enhance the readability of notifications.

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

iO2 27 will coincide with the launch of the iPhone 18 series this September. Stay updated on the latest information about the upcoming iPhone 18 models.