Apple fans, get ready to feast your eyes on the brand new visual experience brought by iOS 26! This update is simply revolutionary, especially the "Liquid Big Glass" design concept. From the lock screen to the app interface, and even the control center, it's ubiquitous and breathtaking!
"Little Tricks" on the Lock Screen: Dynamic Effects and the Initial Experience with Big Glass
First, let's take a look at the lock screen. iOS 26 borrows from iOS 7's dynamic effects, with the character background and large pillars shifting relative to each other, creating a subtle sense of movement. Of course, if you don't like this effect, you can easily turn it off in the custom settings.
But the real highlight is the "Big Glass" effect when you swipe up to unlock! Its design inspiration comes from real big glass, with light refracting after entering, bringing a unique sense of lens. Moreover, the time display is also larger and more eye-catching. This attention to detail is truly admirable!
Home Screen: Acrylic Plastic Texture and Free Switching of Transparent Big Glass
Entering the home screen, you'll notice subtle changes to the icons. They all have an acrylic plastic texture, like pieces of crystal-clear big glass. The folders also adopt a big glass design, which can reflect the color and shape of the background image in real-time, which is very cool.
What's even more surprising is that we can customize the transparency of the folders. In edit mode, you can choose a completely transparent big glass effect to make your wallpaper stand out more. Of course, in this case, choosing a wallpaper with text will be more obvious. Dark, light, colored, all kinds of big glass styles are available for you to choose from, creating a unique and personalized interface.
Big Glass Design Fully Integrated into the System Level
This big glass design is not just superficial; it is fully integrated into the system level of iOS 26. Whether it's below the interface of Apple TV+ or in the control center, you can see the presence of big glass.
In the TV+ app, the bottom navigation bar uses a liquid big glass effect, which is dynamic and natural. Click on the library, and the interface transitions smoothly and elegantly. When playing videos, the entire UI interface turns into big glass, presenting a lens-like visual effect. Even on small screens, the progress bar, fast forward, and play/pause buttons are all made of big glass material, which will definitely satisfy detail-oriented users.
Control Center: Details to be Optimized, but More Powerful Functions
Although the control center also uses a big glass design, I personally feel that there is still room for optimization. If the frosted glass effect could be heavier, the sense of hierarchy between the front and back would be more distinct, avoiding visual clutter.
However, the functionality of the control center has indeed become more powerful. Now, we can directly select Wi-Fi networks in the small interface without having to jump to the entire settings interface. The cellular data icon has also turned green, making it more eye-catching.
Text Selection: Combination of Liquid Big Glass and Magnified Focus
When selecting text, iOS 26 also has a unique experience. Fingers seem to touch a piece of liquid big glass, while also having a magnified focus effect, making selection more accurate and convenient.
Apple's "Little Thoughts": Improved Transparency and Screen Utilization
Apple's re-enabling of translucent effects has deeper considerations behind it. On the one hand, it is to create a more transparent and beautiful visual effect; on the other hand, it is also to improve screen utilization.
For example, in the previous calendar application, there were white bars at the top and bottom, which occupied a lot of screen space. Now, through the big glass design, the menu and interface are better divided, making the entire screen look larger. When browsing web pages, sliding down can turn the white bar at the top into small glass, quietly hiding there, thus gaining more browsing space.
Performance Improvement: Escorting Gorgeous Effects
Of course, the re-enabling of translucent effects is also inseparable from Apple's improvement in chip performance. With the continuous development of Apple Silicon and the addition of Apple Intelligence, devices have stronger computing power and longer battery life, which can smoothly run these gorgeous visual effects.
In the battery settings, the new Adaptive Power mode can intelligently analyze users' usage habits and automatically adjust screen brightness and other settings to reduce power consumption.
According to battery data, the power consumption of the home screen and lock screen has increased by 32% compared to before. Of course, this may be related to the current Beta version.
| Item | Power |
|---|---|
| Current Power | 61% |
| Last Charged to 68% | 34 minutes ago |
| Estimated to Charge to 80% | 23 minutes |
| Estimated to Fully Charge | 1 hour 10 minutes |
Camera Application: Simplified Operation, Custom Control
The camera application has also been adjusted. Video and photo modes are separated, and you can quickly select various options by clicking the menu button.
The biggest change in this camera is the simplification of the control buttons. By default, exposure, zoom, and other buttons are hidden, leaving only the camera function. However, users can customize the control options, adding or removing buttons according to their needs and adjusting their positions.
Screenshot Search: Smart Recognition, Quick Understanding
The screenshot function has also been enhanced. Now, we can directly search for content in screenshots. For example, if you take a screenshot of an Apple Watch, the system can automatically recognize what it is. Of course, we can also directly ask ChatGPT.
Screen Recording Function: Supports HDR, Higher Definition
The screen recording function has also been upgraded and now supports HDR recording. In the settings, we can choose HDR mode. The frame rate of the screen recording has also been increased from 30 frames to 43 frames.
Phone Application: New Interface, Filtering Harassment
The phone application has also ushered in a new interface. The top will display favorite contacts, and the bottom is the recent call history. A new filtering function has been added to the upper right corner, which can block calls from unknown numbers.
In the call interface, the dial pad adopts a big glass design. The call recording function has been moved to the menu, and users can turn on or off the recording at any time during the call.
In addition, the phone application has also added a real-time translation function, which can translate German into English, or other languages.
Information Application: Classified Management, Personalized Background
The information application also supports classified management, which can filter information from unknown contacts. In addition, users can also customize the background of the information application to make the chat interface more personalized.
New APP: Games APP
The new Games APP seems to be similar to the previous Game Center, but it doesn't seem to be particularly useful at present.
Other Details: Preview, Tap Back
When previewing PDF files, we can quickly doodle or add signatures. The sharing interface has also changed. The animation effect of tapping the back to wake up the Dynamic Island is also more unified.
In short, iOS 26 brings many surprising changes, especially the design concept of liquid big glass, which elevates the aesthetics of iOS to a new level. Of course, it is still a Beta version, and it is normal for some bugs to exist. It is believed that these problems will be solved in the future official version. Let's look forward to the official release of iOS 26 together!