In a nutshell: The OS updates coming to Apple gadgets later this yr will institute the corporate’s first main UI design shift in over a decade, however eagle-eyed observers observed similarities with an outdated model of Home windows – comparisons that have not escaped Microsoft’s discover. Fortunately, customers involved about Apple’s upcoming interface may have choices to alter its visible presentation.
A few of Microsoft’s social media accounts just lately poked enjoyable on the upcoming “Liquid Glass” person interface design language Apple unveiled at WWDC this week. Though the Cupertino big has hailed the replace as a significant innovation, many instantly started evaluating it to Microsoft’s almost two-decade-old Home windows Vista UI.
Liquid Glass is Apple’s title for the brand new visible fashion arriving in iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS 26 Tahoe, watchOS 26, and tvOS 26, which is able to launch this fall. Impressed by the Apple Imaginative and prescient Professional’s visionOS, the design language favors rounded edges and clear backgrounds for inputs and different UI capabilities.
It’s Apple’s most important design change since iOS 7 debuted nearly 12 years in the past, and the primary to determine a unified language throughout the entire firm’s gadgets.
Apps, wallpapers, and different background content material will probably be seen by means of app icons, notifications, and menu parts for a glass-like look. Apple claims that the impact will enhance cohesion throughout the interface, however beta testers are involved that textual content will grow to be much less readable.
Liquid glass floor animation on #iOS26
Behaves like a real liquid
Mindblowing pic.twitter.com/dD6Ha51eh8
– Matteo.sui (@matteodotsui) June 10, 2025
All interactions of Apple’s new Liquid Glass UI in a single video: pic.twitter.com/eRHF1xfo5T
– Adam Pietrasiak (@pie6k) June 10, 2025
Others, together with Microsoft, mocked the replace’s resemblance to Home windows Vista’s glass-like “Aero” aesthetic, which debuted in 2007. That OS additionally made UI parts partially clear, however Microsoft finally phased it out when it started shifting towards its present design language.
the attachment to the person icon we selected at 13 is unmatched pic.twitter.com/ATdIYctPVq
– Home windows (@Home windows) June 10, 2025
The official Home windows Instagram account just lately responded to Apple’s presentation by posting a slideshow of Vista screenshots performed over a nostalgic Home windows boot tune. The Home windows Twitter account additionally shared an image recalling the Vista-era profile icons.
Different social media customers joined in on the enjoyable. Some highlighted the unlucky placement of the YouTube icon in Apple’s Liquid Glass explainer video, which the corporate altered. Others in contrast the design language to the distinctive chassis for Apple’s 2000 Energy Mac G4 Dice and the principle menu for Nintendo’s 2012 Wii U sport console.
very unlucky play button pic.twitter.com/RsxTamA1gL
– juan (@juanbuis) June 9, 2025
Happily, customers can customise Liquid Glass by switching between clear, mild, and darkish modes. They’ll additionally go for a barely extra opaque presentation with a toggle situated beneath Settings > Accessibility > Show & Textual content Measurement > Scale back Transparency.
I’m a graphics programmer, and here is my suggestions on Apple’s Liquid Glass beta. The concept is cool, but it surely’s troublesome to work with from a UX perspective.
Let’s begin with the principle issues:
1 – Low Distinction: It is clearly not readable, however there are a lot of other ways to repair it. pic.twitter.com/qLNY1FYYwW– Xor (@XorDev) June 10, 2025
In case you do not like Liquid Glass, you may simply change to Frosted Glass pic.twitter.com/yWZCBqAio7
– Andreas Storm (@avstorm) June 11, 2025
I can not consider Apple copied the Wii U’s glass icons with iOS 26… pic.twitter.com/WJl2OLjHHA
– Smoky ✿🇵🇷 (@smokypogg) June 9, 2025
Apple G4 Dice + Liquid Glass UI pic.twitter.com/y3Qeq5sBvL
– Fundamental Apple Man (@BasicAppleGuy) June 12, 2025
