Apple adds toggle to tint Liquid Glass

I can see again.

Apple has recently released a new beta for iOS 26.1, which now includes options to tint the objects in the new Liquid Glass design. This came in response to some legibility issues because of how clear the interface is. The tinted option essentially turns off the depth of Liquid Glass, which is something that some users were looking for.

For me, I actually really like Liquid Glass. I think that it adds a new layer of depth that we haven't seen in operating systems in a long time. The design's beautiful skeuomorphic elements really elevate the operating system for me and I think that it is still the right decision for new design going forward.

However, I do understand the legibility issues people are reporting. The design is not perfect and I do find that, more often than not, it is more difficult to read the text that is surrounded by Liquid Glass. But, on the other hand, sometimes it feels like they almost didn't commit enough with it and in some places it feels pretty flat and stale.

I think the biggest issue clearly is the inconsistency and, really, the lack of customization. Even with the new toggle, it is still not as good as some users want it to be. I do think that there is merit to having a slider to have the tintedness/clearness be set to the users' preferences.

The Liquid Glass design in iOS 26 is really cool, but the legibility issues make it difficult for some users. We will have to wait and see what Apple does soon.