How to disable Liquid Glass effect in iOS 26?

Hello~ Have you force restart PO’ed your iPhone?

Force restart iPhone - Apple Support

Your iPhone is busy indexing this new update …give it a bit.

~Katana-San~

This is not the Apple team, this is a user to user forum.

You can make a suggestion to Apple here -

Feedback - iPhone - Apple

Stephanie465 wrote:

I advise don’t update to 26 stay on 18.6 etc. there is no going back. It is very challenging. I think it was a mistake that they did. I don’t know many users that are happy about the update. It would be wise of Apple to give an option to continue to run 18 and get updates and security patches and not migrate to 26.

I did not buy a new device because of 26. I just returned an iPad and kept my old one running, 18.6 etc.

So sad!

😭

No one I know is upset about iOS 26. I actually quite like it.

If you want to know more about Liquid Glass and things you can do to tone it down, read this --> Liquid Glass - Love It Or Hate It - It's … - Apple Community

Hi Apple Team,

I’m writing this with deep frustration.

iPadOS 26 introduced the so-called “liquid glass” visual style, and I honestly have no idea how such a decision passed internal testing.

This update has seriously damaged the usability of my iPad, to the point where prolonged use causes immediate eye strain.

The rendering looks blurry, smeared, and unstable — especially during typing.

The interface feels like it’s constantly shimmering or shifting, which was never an issue on iPadOS 17/18.

Please, do a simple Google search or visit Reddit for five minutes:

Thousands of users are reporting the same problem.

This isn’t a niche complaint.

It is a system-wide regression that directly affects users’ ability to work, study, and create.

Let me be clear:

We do not need “liquid glass”, depth effects, or over-processed animations.

We need the option to revert to the crisp, stable, functional interface you have used for over a decade.

Right now the most frustrating part is this:

👉 You released a visually broken OS

👉 You removed the option to revert to the previous version

👉 And you expect users to simply endure it

This is not acceptable.

Please bring back the ability to downgrade.

Or at the very least, provide a toggle to completely disable the new liquid-glass effects.

Not everyone wants an over-styled interface at the cost of eye comfort.

This is one of the few times in my long Apple history that I feel the company has actively harmed the user experience.

Thank you — but seriously, please fix this.

We just want our stable interface back.

piipoppu wrote:

Yea. I'm asking myself the same thing. I'm sad there's no way to toggle it off inside the iphone right now. I'm autistic with very very very very bad cognitive rigidity which means I have no tolerance to abrupt changes and what I need is to be warned about it much beforehand and Apple didn't warn it when I updated my phone for safety and doesn't give the option to turn it off. And now, I see the outside layout of my phone and I receive messages and I feel very, very, very bad and very stressed out and it's letting me nervous and throwing me off 😥 this update is so liquid glass but take out "liquid gl"

I wrote this to help people. Did you read it and try the various options, which will likely help you?

Read this ALL the way to the end and give the options a try --> Liquid Glass - Love It Or Hate It - It's … - Apple Community

AngeloG_SP wrote:

This suggestion only addresses the glass effect in the lock screen clock. I want this liquid glass BANISHED from my device and any other device. Let’s focus on iPhone. I want it gone. Liquid glass is trash! How do I switch it back to normal format?

Hello~ What I would like banished is the add on posts of those too busy to read through these 3 pages of posts indicating that the Liquid Glass feature cannot be removed. Can you help me with that please?

~Katana-San~

There is no "toggle" to see.

Re: IOS slow or increased battery usage?

Here's what Apple and some Trade Press have to say:

Performance and battery impact

Apple’s hardware and software are designed together to deliver great performance and great battery life. As new features and improvements are added, they can change the way we use our devices, as you explore and utilize these new capabilities. Here are some important things to keep in mind:

Immediately after completing an update, particularly a major release, you might notice a temporary impact on battery life and thermal performance. This is normal, as your device needs time to complete the setup process in the background, including indexing data and files for search, downloading new assets, and updating apps. 

New features are exciting and help you get even more out of your Apple product, though some may require additional resources from the device. Depending on individual usage, some users may notice a small impact on performance and/or battery life. Apple continually works to optimize these features in software updates to ensure great battery life and a smooth user experience.

from:

About Apple software updates - Apple Support

The main takeaway? After installing iOS 26, or any other major software update, there will be an initial period of additional background processing that puts a strain on your device. This should be a non-issue after the first couple days.

from:

https://9to5mac.com/2025/09/15/apple-explains-why-ios-26-could-affect-your-iphones-battery-life/

I advise don’t update to 26 stay on 18.6 etc. there is no going back. It is very challenging. I think it was a mistake that they did. I don’t know many users that are happy about the update. It would be wise of Apple to give an option to continue to run 18 and get updates and security patches and not migrate to 26.

I did not buy a new device because of 26. I just returned an iPad and kept my old one running, 18.6 etc.

So sad!

😭

Exactly, you get the point if you are visually challenged, it makes it impossible to use their devices. I concur. I don’t believe they thought it is form without function. If you are visually challenged, it makes it absolutely impossible to use it as a viable device.

I can deal with most of the Liquid Glass issues, but I cannot tolerate the sub-screen when I am dialing my phone, with Favorites/REcents/Contacts/Keypad/Voicemail. It cover-up the delete button and the "dial" button. It's totally nuts. I haven't seen anyone address this issue. Talk about "Accessibility". I spent half an hour trying to call a phone number and I can't do it because of this outrageously dysfunctional "feature".

If you have recently updated to iOS 26.1 (not to be confused with 26.0.1)

there is additional relief available, but it is not obvious:

Settings > Display & Brightness > Liquid Glass.

Here, you'll find two options: Clear and Tinted.

'Tinted' further reduces the translucency of the glass effect, making it not very glass-like any more.

Yea. I'm asking myself the same thing. I'm sad there's no way to toggle it off inside the iphone right now. I'm autistic with very very very very bad cognitive rigidity which means I have no tolerance to abrupt changes and what I need is to be warned about it much beforehand and Apple didn't warn it when I updated my phone for safety and doesn't give the option to turn it off. And now, I see the outside layout of my phone and I receive messages and I feel very, very, very bad and very stressed out and it's letting me nervous and throwing me off 😥 this update is so liquid glass but take out "liquid gl"

This suggestion only addresses the glass effect in the lock screen clock. I want this liquid glass BANISHED from my device and any other device. Let’s focus on iPhone. I want it gone. Liquid glass is trash! How do I switch it back to normal format?

Nice! This worked for me