iOS 27 adds a slider in Settings that changes how Liquid Glass looks, anywhere from ultra-clear to fully tinted, according to Apple’s iOS 27 page. It arrives with the free update on Monday, September 14, and it is the one control Apple has published for the look of the interface itself.
Apple frames the whole change around legibility. Its iOS 27 page says Liquid Glass now delivers “exceptional readability with more uniform refraction and improved contrast”, and that app icons are sharper and more defined, with the slider on top of that as a personal preference.
Key facts: the Liquid Glass slider in iOS 27
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| What it does | Adjusts Liquid Glass “anywhere from ultra-clear to fully tinted”, in Apple’s wording |
| Where it lives | A new slider in Settings. Apple has not named the exact section |
| Other Liquid Glass changes | More uniform refraction, improved contrast, sharper and more defined app icons |
| Platforms with the slider | iOS 27, iPadOS 27 and macOS 27 Golden Gate |
| Release | Monday, September 14, 2026, free |
| Compatible iPhones | iPhone 11 and later, plus iPhone SE (2nd generation and later) |
| Apple Support step list | None published yet for this setting |
How to change the Liquid Glass look, step by step
These steps follow Apple’s published description of iOS 27 rather than an Apple Support step list. Apple Support’s current iPhone guide is written for iOS 26 and has no article for this setting, which Apple calls new, so the menu names and their position may shift when iOS 27 ships on September 14.
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- Install iOS 27 on a supported iPhone. Apple lists the update as available starting September 14, free, for iPhone 11 and later.
- Open Settings.
- Find the Liquid Glass control. Apple describes it as “a new slider in Settings” and does not say which section holds it.
- Drag the slider toward ultra-clear for the most translucent look, or toward fully tinted for the most opaque one.
- Leave Settings and check a busy screen: a Home Screen over a bright wallpaper, Control Center or a scrolling web page in Safari, where translucency has the most effect on legibility.
- Go back and nudge the slider again. Apple presents this as a personal preference rather than an accessibility toggle with a single correct setting.
If you cannot find the slider
- Check that the update installed. Apple’s compatibility list runs from iPhone 11 and iPhone SE (2nd generation) upward, and an iPhone older than that will not get iOS 27 at all.
- Do not expect a named on or off switch. Apple describes a range, not a Liquid Glass toggle, so the setting may read as an appearance or transparency slider rather than the words “Liquid Glass”.
- Remember that the position is per device. Apple has not said whether the choice syncs across an iPhone, iPad and Mac signed in to the same Apple Account.
- If you are hunting for the setting on Apple Watch, Apple has not published a slider for watchOS 27. Only iOS, iPadOS and macOS are described with one.
What changed in Liquid Glass itself
The slider is only half of it. Refraction is what makes a translucent panel bend the colors behind it, and Apple says that behavior is now more uniform, with improved contrast on top. In practice those are the two variables that decide whether text on a glass panel stays readable over a busy wallpaper or a photo.
On the Mac, Apple went further and describes macOS 27 Golden Gate as reincorporating cornerstone macOS elements: a more uniform toolbar across the top of apps, edge-to-edge sidebars and colored sidebar icons, plus the same tint slider. iPadOS 27 shares the iPhone changes, including the sharper icons.
What Apple has not said
- The exact Settings path, the name of the setting, or how many steps the slider has.
- Whether the slider interacts with existing accessibility options such as Reduce Transparency, or replaces them.
- Whether the setting syncs between devices or is stored per device.
- Whether third-party apps follow the slider automatically or need an update from their developers.
- Whether a fully tinted setting changes battery use, given that translucency is a rendering cost.
- Anything about a Liquid Glass slider on watchOS 27, tvOS or visionOS 27.
iOS 27 is free from Monday, September 14 for iPhone 11 and later, and it comes preinstalled on the iPhone 18 Pro, which starts at $1,199 and reaches stores on September 18. Our iOS 27 release date guide has the full feature list, and the event recap covers everything else from September 9, including the iPhone Duo that ships in October.
