Apple’s design overhaul of its software platforms marks the most comprehensive visual shift in over a decade. The company is pushing a unified aesthetic called Liquid Glass that’s lighter, rounder, and more expressive, drawing clear inspiration from its own hardware and ecosystem visuals.
The new look rolls out across built-in apps and system elements. Everything from iconography to animations now feels more fluid and tactile. This includes dynamic lighting effects that respond to touch, new motion behaviors when swiping between screens, and refreshed icon shapes with more consistent curvature and depth. Apple says these refinements aim to make the interface feel more alive and emotionally engaging.
In practical terms, this means reworked app icons with subtle gradients and shadows, smoother transitions throughout the OS, and a recalibrated color system designed to aid readability. Fonts have also been tweaked slightly to improve legibility across devices.
Though the changes are largely aesthetic, they’re grounded in Apple’s long-standing design principles. The update doesn’t introduce a fundamentally new way to use your iPhone or Mac, but it does provide a more cohesive experience across devices. For example, macOS Tahoe’s Finder and iPadOS 26’s Files app now look and behave more like their iOS counterpart, making it easier to jump between devices.
Widgets, which have played a central role in iOS and iPadOS since their introduction to the home screen, are more refined in iOS 26. They now offer smoother interactions and better contextual awareness. Apple also emphasized how the new design supports its Apple Intelligence features, allowing generative UI elements to blend seamlessly into the OS.
Importantly, the redesign does not come at the cost of performance. Apple claims these enhancements were built with efficiency in mind, leveraging the capabilities of its custom silicon. This is particularly evident in the transitions and animations, which are optimized to run smoothly on both older and newer hardware.
A Design Built for the Future
This isn’t the first time Apple has introduced a sweeping visual change. The iOS 7 update in 2013 famously stripped away skeuomorphism in favor of flat design. However, Apple’s 2025 update takes a more balanced approach, blending minimalism with tactile realism.
While early developer builds are already live, the full rollout will accompany the stable release of each OS later this year. The redesign is expected to become a defining part of the Apple user experience going forward, shaping not just how apps look but how users interact with them daily.
Apple’s strategy appears focused on creating a system that’s not only visually appealing but also adaptable to AI and other emerging technologies. The emphasis on fluidity and consistency across platforms suggests this redesign is as much about the future as it is about modernizing the present.