The launch of Apple’s newest working system, iOS 26, launched a new design language referred to as Liquid Glass. The interface makeover, one among Apple’s largest for the reason that shift from skeuomorphic to flat design in 2013, provides a translucent, glass-like materials to Apple’s software program. That is used throughout iOS components like buttons, sliders, media controls, switches, notifications, tab bars, app sidebars, and in system experiences just like the Management Middle, Residence Display screen, Lock Display screen, and extra.
The design itself is impressed by mixed-reality (AR/VR) units just like the Apple Imaginative and prescient Professional and is doubtlessly gearing up for a future the place the OS does, in reality, should run on good glasses — like these Apple is reportedly constructing.
Within the meantime, the modifications open the door to new methods to customise your most private machine, your iPhone, with assist for issues like clear icons, glassy widgets, a glassy typeface for the Lock Display screen with 3D images, and extra.
Under is a set of suggestions and tips that can allow you to begin customizing your iPhone to benefit from the brand new Liquid Glass design.
Liquid Glass icons
One of many largest changes you may make to your Residence Display screen is to alter your icons’ fashion. Ever for the reason that introduction of iOS 14, which launched widgets, customers have been actively personalizing their Residence Display screen with customized icons. Usually, this was performed by making a shortcut to a given app utilizing Apple’s Shortcuts app, then importing the customized icon there earlier than including the shortcut to your Residence Display screen. A number of iOS theming apps had been additionally up to date to benefit from this performance, which made the tedious course of a bit simpler by permitting you to pick out which apps you needed to customise in bulk. These had been then put in for you through a downloadable profile.
For individuals who didn’t need to soar by as many hoops, iOS 18 added the skill to alter all of your icons to a brand new shade scheme through a built-in device. Plus, you possibly can set your icons to show barely bigger by eradicating the textual content label beneath.
With iOS 26, customization has been up to date once more with icons that may seem as gentle or darkish glass, tinted glass, and even as clear icons.
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Whereas there have been some person complaints about tinted icons in iOS 18, the characteristic has improved with the Liquid Glass design; the tint feels extra refined now. You too can use the eyedropper device to choose the precise shade out of your wallpaper to match your icons and modify sliders to additional tweak the colour or its opacity.
Should you’d moderately simply skip this customization however nonetheless desire a glassy look, you may merely set your icons to “Clear” as an alternative.
Find out how to use it: Press and maintain in your Residence Display screen and faucet Customise to enter customization mode. Faucet the assorted choices to pick out whether or not you desire a gentle, darkish, or mechanically adjusting background, massive or small icons, and whether or not you need your icons to look as darkish, clear, tinted, or with their default colours. Faucet in your Residence Display screen once more when your customizations are full.
Matched icons
Should you go caseless or use a transparent cellphone case, you may like the brand new choice to match your iPhone’s icons to your machine or case. That is out there by the “matched icons” characteristic in iOS 26.
The working system is aware of your iPhone’s SKU, which accommodates data that informs it of your mannequin and shade. However if you wish to match your case, you need to use the official Apple MagSafe circumstances.
Find out how to use it: To match your icons to your cellphone, press and maintain in your iPhone Residence Display screen to enter jiggle mode, faucet Edit > Customise > Tinted. Beneath the colour and opacity sliders, faucet the button that appears like a bit iPhone on the far left. To match the case as an alternative, press the subsequent button to the proper.
Residence Display screen wallpaper and structure
Your Lock Display screen wallpaper and your Residence Display screen wallpaper don’t should match, providing you with all kinds of choices for Residence Display screen customizations. However earlier than you go to set your canine or cat as your background once more, take a second to browse the net for some glassier inspirations.
Pinterest stays a superb useful resource without spending a dime concepts, the place you may search for wallpapers with search phrases like “Liquid Glass wallpaper” or “iOS 26 wallpaper.”
Another choice is to make use of third-party iOS theming apps. There are tons of those on the App Retailer, however be warned that these apps are nearly all the time subscription-based or overloaded with advertisements, if there’s a free model. Should you’re new to this world, some that I frequently return to (and even pay for at instances) embrace Brass, Colour Themes, ScreenKit, Themify, Wallaroo, and Widgetsmith.
Residence Display screen customization can be a superb time to assist a favourite artist. Many artists provide wallpaper packs on the market by their Patreon or promote their downloads on their social media. Looking for “iOS wallpaper” and associated phrases on websites like X and Threads might level you to some concepts. Equally, customers typically showcase their designs on visible mediums like Instagram and TikTok. (I’m at the moment obsessive about these vivid, colourful, and watery flower prints!)
Keep in mind additionally that iOS 18 launched a technique to put your icons and widgets wherever you need on the Residence Display screen, permitting you to go away clean areas in between them. This may be helpful, particularly if you happen to don’t need to obscure some a part of your wallpaper. Nevertheless, the icons will nonetheless be locked to an invisible grid system to maintain the display trying orderly.
Find out how to use it: To vary your wallpaper, press and maintain in your Residence Display screen till the icons jiggle, then faucet Edit > Edit Wallpaper from the menu that seems. You too can change your wallpaper from its personal part throughout the settings app. To maneuver icons, press and maintain in your Residence Display screen till they wiggle, then drag and drop them the place you need them to take a seat.
Whereas widgets aren’t new, iOS 26 offers them a glassy feel and look, which can encourage you to present your Residence Display screen a makeover.
As an alternative of utilizing your apps’ built-in widgets, now glassified, it’s also possible to flip to third-party assets to search out widgets. Brass, Colour Themes, ScreenKit, Themify, Widgetsmith, and Launcher are amongst these on my iPhone.
I additionally just like the widget apps from the developer MD Studio — particularly the one which places a bit vinyl report participant in your Residence Display screen. For a extra trendy look, Not Boring additionally makes its personal alternate options to the iPhone’s default apps, like these for the digicam, calculator, climate, timer, and extra, which include their very own widgets. Music app Airbuds has a enjoyable widget as effectively.
A extra not too long ago common choose is Dynamic-Lyrics, which places stay lyrics in your Lock Display screen, Dynamic Island, or Residence Display screen.
You too can select to create and customise widgets of your personal with Widgy. The app is among the greater assets on the market for widget customization, apart from the opposite theming apps linked above. With Widgy, anybody, even these with out design abilities, can create their very own customized widget by including components, altering the colours and results, connecting an information supply, and extra.
You too can flick thru widgets others have made for inspiration after which import them on your personal use.
Some designers additionally promote Widgy widget collections from their very own web sites. This may get a bit trickier due to the additional steps concerned, however the finish end result will be well worth the effort. For instance, I simply purchased this “glass glossy” Widgy widget assortment so as to add some distinctive customized widgets to my Residence Display screen. However except you’re accustomed to how theming apps work, it might be a bit intimidating to get began.
Find out how to use: First, you’ll need to obtain the bought widget zip file to the Apple Information folder in your iPhone or your iCloud Drive. (This is perhaps simpler to do if you happen to make the acquisition out of your iPhone.) Faucet to unzip the app if it’s compressed.
Open the Widgy app you’ve already put in from the App Retailer and go to the primary tab, “Create.” Right here you’ll faucet “Import,” then the choice to “import .widgy File from Files.” (Until you saved the file within the Widgy folder that’s created in your cellphone, you’ll should browse to wherever you initially downloaded the information.) After you discover the file or folder you need to import, faucet on it to tug it into Widgy.
From Widgy’s “Manage” tab, you’ll faucet on the out there widgets included together with your obtain. To have it match your wallpaper, faucet “Set up Transparency” and add screenshots of your wallpaper in gentle and darkish mode snapped from a clean web page of the Residence Display screen itself. Every widget can then be additional custom-made on this part. If you faucet on a person widget to customise it, you’ll additionally should arrange the widget place (that means the place on the Residence Display screen it sits).
After the widget is saved, you add it to your Residence Display screen utilizing the conventional course of: faucet and maintain the Residence Display screen to enter jiggle mode, faucet Edit > Add Widget > Widgy, after which scroll by the choices and choose the widget you created.
Liquid Glass Lock Display screen
On the iPhone’s Lock Display screen, Liquid Glass will now present the time in a glassy, San Francisco typeface that can dynamically adapt its weight, width, and peak relying on the picture on the display and your notifications to maintain your photograph’s topic in view.
Nevertheless, the perfect half stands out as the Lock Display screen’s new Spatial Scenes, which give your iPhone’s wallpaper a 3D impact. This characteristic leverages pc imaginative and prescient strategies working on a neural engine to show your 2D images right into a 3D picture. You are able to do this on older photos or these taken on different cameras, too — you don’t want to purchase the brand new iPhone 17 to benefit from the addition.
Find out how to use it: Press and maintain on the Lock Display screen, then faucet Customise. Browse your images till you discover a picture you want on your wallpaper. After including it, be sure you faucet on the brand new Spatial Scene button to allow the 3D impact. That is on the proper aspect of the Lock Display screen’s customization web page. The button to the proper of it additionally enables you to additional configure your Lock Display screen’s wallpaper settings, like having it shuffle by completely different images on a schedule or with a faucet.
