In a few weeks’ time, Apple will unveil iOS 27 with many changes and new features. However, the update will not contain a change of course after last year that many iPhone owners have been asking for.
Traditionally, the beginning of June is the time for Apple to unveil its new products for the coming year. After the name change in 2025, iOS 27 will be demonstrated for the first time. In addition to new version numbers, iOS 26 also brought a change that still remains controversial today: Liquid Glass. The new design language across all Apple devices has been the subject of criticism since its introduction. Problems with legibility were mentioned time and again. In some cases, this was even cited as the reason why the spread of iOS 26 was somewhat slower compared to its predecessors. Once again, Bloomberg reporter and Apple insider Mark Gurman has a clear word to say about what will happen next.
iOS 27: No Return to the Old Design
Gurman called last year’s redesign in his newsletter an ace up Apple’s sleeve. While the entire tech industry had jumped on the AI bandwagon, the iPhone manufacturer was hardly able to offer anything comparable in this area. Instead, they used Liquid Glass as a distraction from this weakness.
The plan worked: After the presentation, everyone talked about the design initially, and no longer about the poorer AI features. The problem? Not all reactions were positive. It quickly became clear that Apple still had a lot of catching up to do. Among other things, the “transparent” interface can make it difficult to recognize controls or content.
Some critics are therefore hoping Apple will completely abandon Liquid Glass with iOS 27. However, this will not be the case. Even if the company wanted to, it would take years to implement such a change, according to Gurman. In addition, during the development phase, both the entire design team and the management are said to have backed the new design language.
Better Control of Liquid Glass
During the development of iOS 26, Apple’s programmers were already working on giving you more precise control over the design. The aim? You can use a slider to choose how transparent the “glass” should be. A first indication of this is already the control of the clock on the lock screen.
So far, there is no system-wide slider to control the thickness of Liquid Glass. Gurman wrote that the developers encountered “technical challenges” when they tried to extend this function across the entire system. However, if the programmers succeed in implementing this feature with iOS 27, the controversies surrounding Liquid Glass could be significantly reduced.
