Liquid Glass popularity.

[Henry762]

I’m not going to switch platforms because of Liquid Glass (does anyone know what “Gl” stands for?) but I’m not a fan.

Gastrointestinal Issues?

which is what iOS 26 gives me because its screwed up my devices so badly?

FINALLY iOS 26.6 runs HALFWAY NORMAL.... almost A FULL YEAR after release..... 🤬🤬🤬

 

[Henry762]

Basically, yeah.

I agree though, 26 has been quite a disaster. I guess many expected it to recover as the minor versions progressed and it really hasn’t.

The only reason I’m “stating” stuff is because I have seen the complaints about this for well over a decade now, yet people keep updating and breaking adoption records.

It’s very, very, very difficult to understand for me.

Same with the visual aspect. “I despise Liquid Glass”, well, there was the beta for you to try it out, or four quintillion YouTube videos to watch. What do mean that “I updated from iOS 18 to iOS 26.5 and hate it?” You could’ve known what it looked like in great detail without the need to update to an irreversible iOS version.

I’m sorry, but given iOS’ maturity, it’s really, really difficult to understand from my perspective.

Agreed completely & well said.

Look;
I'm as practical & pragmatic as they come.

First off, the ONLY reason I upgraded my 16 Pro to 26, was only because i decided to splurge & get myself the Ultra 3 Watch - which I absolutely & completely LOVE, BTW..... (Aside from I'm pretty sure iOS 26 is seriously limiting its battery life...🙄😒 )

Otherwise, I'd STILL have iOS 18 on my phone! I still have it on one of my iPads & I'm absolutely, perfectly happy with it. I likely won't even upgrade that iPad to 27. For real.

Anyhow;
Common wisdom tells you to avoid a 1.0 release of just about anything; hardware, software, etc. ....From any vendor, but Esp. with Apple; any halfway competent & knowledgeable Apple user knows that you just never upgrade your OS on Day 1, and never buy v.1.0 of ANY Apple hardware.

Fine. But literally, just version after version of 26 kept getting worse and worse and worse. That's the whole point; sure, OK, widespread release of a new OS is bound to have bugs & glitches; fine. Expected. But what's absolutely NOT expected & has angered so many people about 26 (myself certainly included) is apple NEVER seemed to be able to drop a version of 26 that didn't cause devices to overheat almost to the point of damage; to run well above normal temperatures in general, and to absolutely destroy battery life. And these are devices that, previously, on 18; ran PERFECTLY FINE with NO COMPLAINTS.

My official position is that iOS 26.0 wasn't even alpha software and should absolutely NEVER have been released to the public AT ALL.

Unfortunately, I know this isn't the first time Apple has released crappy iOS & encountered big backlash. Not surprisingly, the next major version introduces no major new featuers & is primarily "reliability & performance-focused"...uh-huh..... We all see what you did there, apple......

Just admit that your devs are either malicious or checked out to lunch when they were pooping out iOS 26. 😒🤬🙄

ETA:
Also; lots (too many) people have "automatic updates" enabled.

Most people choose apple because it's supposed to "just work."
Isn't that how they marketed themselves in the past?

Has Apple completely & utterly abandoned that notion?
Because it sure seems so. 🙄 😒

Anyway; I've seen a LOT of people state they are disabling automatic updates & keeping it off, because of 26.

But that's likely a big part of why so many people upgraded & then hated it; they didn't' CHOOSE to upgrade. it was automatic......

 

[Henry762]

It's worse! Apps are ejected within seconds. And I have all the AI slop disabled. Old Siri and even tried disabling her. All my apps (removed all but about 7 third party apps and most stock apps) are restricted from being indexed by search and I have disabled "learning" on them all. Location services are off, save the 2 forced system services). Even Find My location is disabled. EVERYTHING IS DISABLED!

I was hoping for things to get better with 27, and while the visual appearance of LG has been refined and those god awful faux moving borders are finally gone, memory management is abysmal.

iOS disintegrated with 26/27 and my M4 iPad Pro feels unquestionably worse than the 3rd gen Air it replaced.

My biggest regret was not running back to 18 all through the entire 26 beta cycle! I lose sleep knowing my machine can run any version of iOS prior but am a slave to Apple's totalitarian "you can't revert to an older version of iOS because we say so!"

They tanked the hardware through nothing but vibe coding and went off to have a money fight and go diving in a pool full of coins, or whatever the rich do.

In case anyone wants to know why I am so salty on iOS 26/27. I paid good money for that Pro upgrade only to get shanked like a kebab. And then Cook just bails.

Well said!!!!
I felt the same about my 11" M1; still a perfectly fine device, yet it was DESTROYED by iOS 26.

Meaning; the battery wouldn't last more than 3-5 hours, AT BEST, on a GOOD DAY, and the performance was so badly hobbled; I literally could NOT use it.

Meanwhile, my M4 13" Pro was running FLAWLESSLY on iOS 18. I doubt i'll ever even upgrade my M4 to 27.......MAYBE 28? Who knows.....

 

[Henry762]

That’s what happens when implement a complex and demanding shader over half the UI! At least Microslop had the sense to let users disable Aero back in W7.

Two years later and Dye’s stink is still there. Also, my M4 iPad Pro memory management is atrocious! Apps get ejected within mins if you visit a couple of web pages or use other apps like Files and Photos. Under iOS 17/18 they stayed in memory for hours of heavy use. Something not a single person has mentioned. Which is crazy. 8GB of RAM is apparently not enough!

And let's be blunt; it IS liquid glass itself & the added GPU stress that is largely responsible for a lot of the **** performance, right???

Yeah; disabling aero & all animations is literaly the first thing I do on EVERY Windows PC I touch.

>Two years later and Dye’s stink is still there.

What do you mean by this?

 

[GregoryPeckEPA]

@Henry762

The sad thing is 27 is a good update to 26, outside the memory management. The bad thing is that 26 is so bad that to call 27 an upgrade is like saying a fried racoon is an upgrade from the roadkill of a completely unidentifiable creature by the side of a ditch. Like wrapping a turd in rotten bacon.

Alan Dye is largely credited as being responsible for the disintegration of iOS over recent years and the brainchild behind Liquid Glass. Upon the release of 26, he dropped everything without notice and left Apple for Meta (of all places to go, yuck). He also contributed to the design language of iOS 7. The Applesphere does not really have good things to say about his tenure.

 

[Henry762]

@Henry762

The sad thing is 27 is a good update to 26, outside the memory management. The bad thing is that 26 is so bad that to call 27 an upgrade is like saying a fried racoon is an upgrade from the roadkill of a completely unidentifiable creature by the side of a ditch. Like wrapping a turd in rotten bacon.

Alan Dye is largely credited as being responsible for the disintegration of iOS over recent years and the brainchild behind Liquid Glass. Upon the release of 26, he dropped everything without notice and left Apple for Meta (of all places to go, yuck). He also contributed to the design language of iOS 7. The Applesphere does not really have good things to say about his tenure.

😂 🤣 😂 😂
Hey bud; don't hold back; tell me how you REALLY feel...!!!😜🤣🤣
I love the candor! 👌🙌👏

Thanks for the info & response....didn't know about Alan Dye..... I guess I'm glad he's not at apple any longer, but it's a shame he had such a huge (negative!) Impact!!!!!!! 🤬🤬
I also disliked the transition from skeuomorphism to whatever the F*(& you call this garbage visual design we have today. Not only apple, but everywhere. 🤬

 

[Luftkopf]

Hasn't this become the Liquid Glass hater's club! I'm still glad Apple finally changed direction from the dead flat and lifeless style of the past. We were overdue for something better, and despite some misgivings on my part with the direction of appleOS 27, it's looking good.

I have an M3 Pro MacBook Pro, an iPhone 14, and an iPhone 11 that were all running appleOS 26 with no problem. It sucks that you've had problems with yours, but your experience isn't universal. If OS 26 were as bad as you say it is, why are my devices fine? It's already been suggested it's because I'm stupid with low standards, so let's see if someone can be more insulting.

My MacBook and iPhone 14 are now on appleOS 27 beta, because I need to be on top of the changes by the time they're released.

 

[eyoungren]

Everyone has their opinions. I have mine. But whatever side of it you fall on, the truth is that the only thing Apple really listens to is the kind of customer outcry that generates bad publicity. If it's not sufficient for that, then Apple either ignores it, or tell us all to get bent.

Liquid Glass is just one of those things I don't believe will rise to that level. We here at MacRumors are not the average customer. The average customer isn't critiquing the OS. They'll just update or buy a device with LG on it, shrug, and then forget about it. Us? We'll still be here arguing while Apple is ignoring us and counting the cash the average customer just gave them.

 

[Luftkopf]

Everyone has their opinions. I have mine. But whatever side of it you fall on, the truth is that the only thing Apple really listens to is the kind of customer outcry that generates bad publicity. If it's not sufficient for that, then Apple either ignores it, or tell us all to get bent.

Liquid Glass is just one of those things I don't believe will rise to that level. We here at MacRumors are not the average customer. The average customer isn't critiquing the OS. They'll just update or buy a device with LG on it, shrug, and then forget about it. Us? We'll still be here arguing while Apple is ignoring us and counting the cash the average customer just gave them.

A good example is my friend, a building designer, who updated his iPhone, went 'Yuck, I don't like the bubbles!' and proceeded on with his day. His iPhone still works the way he likes, and still does all the iPhone things he wants. It took him 30 seconds to get over it, since he knows it will evolve and change.

 

[eyoungren]

A good example is my friend, a building designer, who updated his iPhone, went 'Yuck, I don't like the bubbles!' and proceeded on with his day. His iPhone still works the way he likes, and still does all the iPhone things he wants. It took him 30 seconds to get over it, since he knows it will evolve and change.

Exactly. And in the past I have supported people using iDevices that had absolutely no idea what model of iPhone they had, or what version of iOS was on it.

Other than us - no one cares. It's an iDevice and it does what they need it to do. They have other things they want to be thinking about.

 

[GregoryPeckEPA]

I also disliked the transition from skeuomorphism to whatever the F*(& you call this garbage visual design we have today. Not only apple, but everywhere.

Agreed! We went from beautifully crafted iconography to Fiver art overnight. Just painful.

Apps feel dead now; listless and lifeless. And generic af. I loved what the Books.app team did a while back with the app's refresh and was hoping we could have a healthy mix of skeuo and flat design complimenting each other. Then Dye came in like a wrecking ball.

I was working on my own side project, modernizing the UI of OpenEmu as it's now abandonware but then Apple killed macOS 18 for the LG.

It was a lot of fun recreating all the various box cover overlays. A lot of my childhood is buried in those cases and it's nice to see them again, even digitally.

Especially with Sony and the industry trying to kill physical gaming, and ownership of anything.

 

[Henry762]

Hasn't this become the Liquid Glass hater's club! I'm still glad Apple finally changed direction from the dead flat and lifeless style of the past. We were overdue for something better, and despite some misgivings on my part with the direction of appleOS 27, it's looking good.

I have an M3 Pro MacBook Pro, an iPhone 14, and an iPhone 11 that were all running appleOS 26 with no problem. It sucks that you've had problems with yours, but your experience isn't universal. If OS 26 were as bad as you say it is, why are my devices fine? It's already been suggested it's because I'm stupid with low standards, so let's see if someone can be more insulting.

My MacBook and iPhone 14 are now on appleOS 27 beta, because I need to be on top of the changes by the time they're released.

I don't think you'll find anyone who literally, actually hates the Liquid Glass aesthetic itself;

We hate that it came at the cost of battery life, performance, reliability, stability, etc.

The form came at the expense of function.

Either L.G. is way too resource intensive for all but the absolute latest apple devices (even then; I've read tons of reports of identical issues on current model iPhones & iPads), or apple completely fired all their QC / QA techs and focused solely on slathering lipstick on the pig that is iOS 26.

I'm.....wait..... I'm sorry..... hold up......

Pigs are beautiful, noble, gentle, and USEFUL animals.....that was a step too far....comparing a wonderful PIG to iOS 26. I should be ashamed.

What I SHOULD have said is:
Apple has been hell bent on slathering lipstick on this pile of 💩 they call iOS 26, rather than pay ANY attention to FUNCTION!

THAT is what we're all so worked up about!

 

[Henry762]

Hasn't this become the Liquid Glass hater's club! I'm still glad Apple finally changed direction from the dead flat and lifeless style of the past. We were overdue for something better, and despite some misgivings on my part with the direction of appleOS 27, it's looking good.

I have an M3 Pro MacBook Pro, an iPhone 14, and an iPhone 11 that were all running appleOS 26 with no problem. It sucks that you've had problems with yours, but your experience isn't universal. If OS 26 were as bad as you say it is, why are my devices fine? It's already been suggested it's because I'm stupid with low standards, so let's see if someone can be more insulting.

My MacBook and iPhone 14 are now on appleOS 27 beta, because I need to be on top of the changes by the time they're released.

I got so caught up on my "pig" comment, I glossed over the rest of your post.

No offense, but seriously? Is that what you're saying? "I don't have problems, so aren't you weird / annoying for having problems!" Respectfully.....

Come on.... I admit, I never much understood iOS complainers in the past.....because I too didn't have anything to complain about til iOS 26....

Now I see - I have learned the hard way - that yes, absolutely, the same exact software can behave drastically different on 2 "identical" devices.

Also; nobody is saying their experience is universal, but I've absolutely noticed a LOT more negative comments ALL OVER the internet about 26, more sot han any other iOS in recent memory.

Everywhere from YouTube, insta, and of course here; I've seen WAY more people with the same - or worse - issues that I have.

 

[Henry762]

@GregoryPeckEPA
And the tech & media companies are TRULY & HONESTLY perplexed as to why people pirate stuff....... 😒🙄😒

>Agreed! We went from beautifully crafted iconography to Fiver art overnight. Just painful.

Ouch. Come on; there are some good, talented people on Fiverr.
You think these "flat design, ZERO buttons nor visual cues" designers are even 10% as talented as your average Fiverr???
😉🤣

We certainly agree my man......

 

[Henry762]

A good example is my friend, a building designer, who updated his iPhone, went 'Yuck, I don't like the bubbles!' and proceeded on with his day. His iPhone still works the way he likes, and still does all the iPhone things he wants. It took him 30 seconds to get over it, since he knows it will evolve and change.

Are people like you paid by apple to come here & gaslight us?
I mean no offense, but honestly dude....

You've clearly read NONE of the posts in this thread, let alone elsewhere on the forum.

As SOON as I installed iOS 26, my 11" M1 iPad became barely usable.
STILL - to this day - when I try to perorm the monumental task of rearranging home screen icons, it stumbles and stutters as if it was stuck in molasses and tar.

My M4 with iOS 18? Perfeclty & buttery smooth.

iOS 26 made my iPad & iPhone run extremely, unusually warm - on a good day - to so hot they've powered themselves down to prevent damage.

I've literally NEVER seen ANY of my iDevices do that, in almost 20 years of owning many, many different models of IPhone & iPad.


After upgrading to 26, My iPhone & iPad battery would regularly be at 30% before 11 am.
Even now; even with these 2 devices "somewhat" stable (as far as 26 goes); I basically keep my phone on the charger all day while I'm at my desk.

Never had to do that before. NEVER felt like I was literally tied to a charger like I've become with 26.

 

[Luftkopf]

I don't think you'll find anyone who literally, actually hates the Liquid Glass aesthetic itself;

We hate that it came at the cost of battery life, performance, reliability, stability, etc.

The form came at the expense of function.

Either L.G. is way too resource intensive for all but the absolute latest apple devices (even then; I've read tons of reports of identical issues on current model iPhones & iPads), or apple completely fired all their QC / QA techs and focused solely on slathering lipstick on the pig that is iOS 26.

I'm.....wait..... I'm sorry..... hold up......

Pigs are beautiful, noble, gentle, and USEFUL animals.....that was a step too far....comparing a wonderful PIG to iOS 26. I should be ashamed.

What I SHOULD have said is:
Apple has been hell bent on slathering lipstick on this pile of 💩 they call iOS 26, rather than pay ANY attention to FUNCTION!

THAT is what we're all so worked up about!

I got so caught up on my "pig" comment, I glossed over the rest of your post.

No offense, but seriously? Is that what you're saying? "I don't have problems, so aren't you weird / annoying for having problems!" Respectfully.....

Come on.... I admit, I never much understood iOS complainers in the past.....because I too didn't have anything to complain about til iOS 26....

Now I see - I have learned the hard way - that yes, absolutely, the same exact software can behave drastically different on 2 "identical" devices.

Also; nobody is saying their experience is universal, but I've absolutely noticed a LOT more negative comments ALL OVER the internet about 26, more sot han any other iOS in recent memory.

Everywhere from YouTube, insta, and of course here; I've seen WAY more people with the same - or worse - issues that I have.

Are people like you paid by apple to come here & gaslight us?
I mean no offense, but honestly dude....

You've clearly read NONE of the posts in this thread, let alone elsewhere on the forum.

As SOON as I installed iOS 26, my 11" M1 iPad became barely usable.
STILL - to this day - when I try to perorm the monumental task of rearranging home screen icons, it stumbles and stutters as if it was stuck in molasses and tar.

My M4 with iOS 18? Perfeclty & buttery smooth.

iOS 26 made my iPad & iPhone run extremely, unusually warm - on a good day - to so hot they've powered themselves down to prevent damage.

I've literally NEVER seen ANY of my iDevices do that, in almost 20 years of owning many, many different models of IPhone & iPad.


After upgrading to 26, My iPhone & iPad battery would regularly be at 30% before 11 am.
Even now; even with these 2 devices "somewhat" stable (as far as 26 goes); I basically keep my phone on the charger all day while I'm at my desk.

Never had to do that before. NEVER felt like I was literally tied to a charger like I've become with 26.

No, I get that you've had a bad experience with it, I'm not arguing with the legitimacy of your experience. I'd be frustrated too, if my devices all started sucking that badly! I do not claim that my experience with appleOS is universal either. I'm just sick and tired of being gaslit by haters telling me that my experience doesn't count because I'm a shill, or too stupid, because I don't hate things enough!

Given my experience, and that of those I support, are you haters paid to get on the internet and whinge about Apple?

 

[SnowCrocodile]

FWIW I run 26 on all of my devices (iPhone 17PM, 11” iPad Pro M1, M2 MBA) and other than battery lasting somewhat less on the iPad and (I think) MacBook, I don't see any other issues. I'd say the battery hit isn't huge but it's not unnoticeable either. Perhaps 15%?

I just really don't like the visual design of Liquid... whatever it is. Looks cheap and tacky and Fisher-Price'y. But, everyone's tastes are different. I don't dislike it enough to ruin my day.