Apple Developing Systemwide Liquid Glass Opacity Slider for iOS 27

Apple appears to be sticking with its Liquid Glass interface despite a major shakeup in the company's human interface design team. The company is reportedly developing a systemwide opacity slider for iOS 27, a change that could give users more control over the glossy effect.



The interface was originally deployed as a strategic wildcard during WWDC 2025. According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple used the sweeping redesign to serve as a major distraction. By introducing the dramatic glass-like visual language across iOS 26 and macOS 26, the company successfully shifted much of the conversation away from its limited AI announcements and toward the bold new design.


Questions about the future of the aesthetic surfaced late last year when Apple's human interface chief, Alan Dye, abruptly left for Meta. Dye brought several top designers with him, sparking rumors that Apple might abandon the look under new leadership. Gurman notes that those rumors are greatly overblown. The new interface chief, Steve Lemay, along with key designers like Chan Karunamuni, were actually driving forces behind the creation of Liquid Glass. Furthermore, the design is deeply tied to the foundational development of visionOS, making a sudden pivot unlikely.

Internal builds of iOS 27 and macOS 27 show no signs of a design reversal. Instead, Apple appears focused on refining the experience. The company is aware of user complaints about readability and overlapping text. In recent iOS 26 updates, Apple introduced options that reduce the intensity of the glass effect, including controls that affect elements like the Lock Screen clock. However, engineers reportedly ran into technical hurdles when attempting to build a systemwide slider that would extend those controls to areas such as app folders, navigation bars, and the Home Screen. If those challenges are resolved, the feature could debut in iOS 27 this fall.

The design team is also reportedly focused on several major projects, including finalizing the look of the chatbot-style Siri revamp, building the operating system for Apple's upcoming smart home hardware, and adapting macOS for the first touch-screen MacBook Pro.