Apple Will Finally Let You Customize Liquid Glass
Summary
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Apple adds an option to dim Liquid Glass transparency in iOS, iPadOS and macOS 26.
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The new “Tint” mode increases opacity and contrast for a flatter, more readable system interface.
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The setting applies system-wide to first- and third-party apps, the lock screen, and system menus; no cursor.
iOS 26, along with macOS 26 and iPadOS 26, introduced an all-new “Liquid Glass” design language. And while it’s very bold, Apple struggled to polish it and keep everyone happy in the process, and that extended to the final versions of the operating systems as well. Now, Apple will leave it to you to make the settings.
Apple will allow you to tone down the transparency effects of Liquid Glass in the fourth developer beta of iOS 26.1, iPadOS 26.1, and macOS 26.1, and eventually, when version 26.1 launches to everyone. The new setting can be found in the “Display & Brightness” menu in the Settings app on iPhone and iPad, and in the “Appearance” section of System Settings on Mac. In a new “Liquid Glass” submenu, you will find two distinct options: “Clear” and “Tinted”.
The “Clear” setting, as you might expect, retains the original design that came with the initial release of iOS 26: lots of transparency that reveals app content and wallpaper colors through interface elements like notifications and control panels. The new “Tint” option significantly increases the opacity of these elements. According to Apple’s description in the beta, this mode “increases opacity and adds more contrast,” resulting in a flatter, more solid look that prioritizes readability over a layered, glassy effect. If you don’t like the increased transparency of Liquid Glass, it might be much better for your eyes.
This is a simple, binary choice, with no granular slider to adjust the translucency level. I would like to see a slider for this though, something where you could choose how transparent the menu items are. Once you select “Tinted,” the change is applied universally across the entire operating system. This includes first-party apps, lock screen notifications, and system menus. Importantly, the preference also extends to third-party apps that have adopted the Liquid Glass design framework. Presumably the “default” option will continue to be Clear, so you can think of this as a sort of accessibility feature: if you think the transparency is too much, you can tone it down if you want.
Throughout the early betas of iOS 26, Apple has played with the opacity of Liquid Glass across different releases over the past few months. He made it more opaque, moved it back, and changed his mind several times. Even today, the “final” version of Liquid Glass doesn’t make everyone happy, which is why Apple chooses to simply give you the option to make the call yourself.
This will be part of iOS 26.1, macOS 26.1, and iPadOS 26.1 when they release, so keep an eye out for that.
Source: 9to5Mac
