iOS 26, the launch of Apple’s latest operating system, has introduced a new design language called Liquid Glass. One of Apple’s biggest since the 2013 shift from Skeuomorphic to flat design, the interface makeover adds semi-transparent glass-like material to Apple’s software. This is used between iOS elements such as the Control Center, Home Screen, Lock Screen, and more, such as buttons, sliders, media controls, switches, notifications, tab bars, appside bars, and more.
The design itself is inspired by mixed reality (AR/VR) devices like the Apple Vision Pro, and may be gearing up for the future the OS needs to do so that it can actually do.
In the meantime, the change opens the door to a new way to customize your most personal device, the iPhone, with support for clear icons, glass widgets, and glass-like typefaces for lock screens with 3D photos.
Below is a collection of tips and tricks to help you get started customizing your iPhone to take advantage of the new Liquid Glass design.
Liquid glass icon
One of the biggest adjustments you can make on the Home screen is to change the style of the icon. Since introducing iOS 14, which introduced widgets, users have been actively personalizing their home screens using custom icons. Usually this was done by using Apple’s Shortcuts app to create a shortcut for a particular app, uploading a custom icon there, and then adding a shortcut to the home screen. Several iOS theme apps have also been updated to take advantage of this feature. This makes the boring process a little easier by allowing you to choose an app that you want to customize quite a bit. These were installed via downloadable profiles.
For those who don’t want to jump over many hoops, iOS 18 has added the ability to change all icons to a new color scheme via built-in tools. Additionally, you can set the icon to appear slightly larger by removing the text label below.
With iOS 26, customizations have been updated again with icons that can be displayed as bright, dark, tinted glass, and even transparent icons.
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iOS 18 has received several user complaints about colored icons, but the liquid glass design has improved functionality. The colour feels even more subtle than it is now. You can also use the EyeDropper tool to select the exact color from the wallpaper to match the icon, and adjust the slider to further adjust the color and opacity.
Simply skip this customization and if you want a glassy look, just set the icon to “Clear” instead.
How to use: Press and hold the home screen and tap Customize to enter customization mode. Tap the various options to automatically adjust the light, dark or automatically adjusted background, large and small icons, or whether the icons should be displayed in dark, clear, colored, or default colors. Once you have completed your customizations, tap the home screen again.
Matched icon
If you go to Caseless or use a clear phone case, you may want to use a new option to match your iPhone icon to your device or case. This is available through the “Matched Icons” feature in iOS 26.
The operating system knows the SKU of the iPhone. This includes information that informs you of the model and color. However, if you want to match the cases, you will need to use the official Apple Magsafe case.
Usage: To match the icon to your phone, press and hold the iPhone home screen to go to Jiggle mode, then tap Edit > Customize > Tinted. Under the color and opaque slider, tap the button on the far left that looks like a small iPhone. To match the case instead, press the following button on the right:
Home screen wallpaper and layout
Lockscreen wallpaper and homescreen wallpaper do not need to match, and offer a variety of options for homescreen customization. But before you set your dog or cat as your background again, browse the web for some glassy inspiration.
Pinterest is a great resource for free ideas where you can find wallpapers with search terms such as “liquid glass wallpaper” and “iOS 26 wallpapers”.
Another option is to use a third-party iOS theme app. There are plenty of these in the App Store, but be aware that these apps are almost always subscription-based or are overloaded with ads if they have a free version. If you’re new to this world, the things I regularly return to (and even pay sometimes) include brass, color themes, ScreenKit, Themify, Wallaroo, and WidgetSmith.
Customizing your home screen is also a good time to support your favorite artists. Many artists either offer wallpaper packs for sale through Patreon or promote downloads on social media. Searching for “iOS wallpaper” and related terms on sites like X and Threads can refer to some ideas. Similarly, users often show off their designs on visual media such as Instagram and Tiktok. (I’m currently obsessed with these bright, colorful, watery flower prints!)
Also, remember that iOS 18 introduces a way to place icons and widgets wherever you want on the home screen, leaving spaces in between. This is especially useful if you don’t want to obscure some of the wallpaper. However, to keep the screen looking neat, the icons are locked into an invisible grid system.
Usage: To change the wallpaper, press and hold the Home screen until the icon jiggles, then tap Edit Wallpaper from the displayed menu. You can also change the wallpaper from your own section in the Settings app. To move an icon, press and hold until the home screen is wiggled, then drag and drop it where you want to sit.
The widgets are nothing new, but iOS 26 gives it a glassy look and feel.
Instead of using the built-in widgets in your app, instead of using Glassified, you can also rely on third-party resources to find widgets. Brass, Color Theme, ScreenKit, Themify, WidgetSmith, Launcher are one of those on my iPhone.
I also like the widget app from Developer MD Studio. I especially like the app that places a bit of a vinyl record player on the home screen. For a more modern look, not boring makes your own alternative to the iPhone’s default apps, such as cameras, calculators, weather, timers, and more. Music App Airbuds also has fun widgets.
A popular pick these days is Dynamic-Lyrics, which places live lyrics on the lock screen, Dynamic Island, or home screen.
You can also create and customize your own widgets in Wity. This app is one of the great resources for customizing widgets, in addition to the other theme apps mentioned above. Widgy allows anyone without design skills to create their own custom widgets, such as adding elements, changing colors and effects, connecting data sources, and more.
You can also browse widgets that others have created for inspiration and import them for your own use.
Some designers also sell the Widgy Widget collection from their own websites. This can be a bit more difficult as it requires additional steps, but the end result is definitely worth the effort. For example, I bought this “Glass Glossy” Widgy Widgy collection and added a unique custom widget to my home screen. However, unless you’re familiar with how theme apps work, it can be a bit scary to get started.
Usage: First, you need to download the purchased widget zip file to the Apple files folder on your iPhone or iCloud drive. (This can be easily done if you purchased from an iPhone.) Tap and unzip the app if you are in the compron.
Open the Widgy app you already have installed from the App Store and go to the first tab “Create”. Here, tap “Import” and then tap “Import widgy files from file” option. (Unless you save the file in a widgy folder created on your phone, you will need to view it where you originally downloaded it.) Once you find the file or folder you want to import, tap and pull it to widgy.
From the Widgy Manage tab, tap the available widgets included in the download. To match the wallpaper, “Set up transparency” and upload a screenshot of the wallpaper in bright and dark modes snapped from the blank page on the home screen itself. This section allows you to further customize each widget. Tap to customize individual widgets and you will need to set the widget’s location (meaning there is a location on the home screen).
Once the widget is saved, add it to the home screen using the regular process. Tap the home screen to enter jiggle mode, then add Edit > Widgets > Widgy, scroll through the options and select the widget you created.
Liquid Glass Lock Screen
On the iPhone lock screen, liquid glass shows the time in San Francisco typeface, like glass, that dynamically adapts its weight, width and height depending on the image and notification on the screen.
However, the best part may be the new spatial scene on the lock screen that gives 3D effect to your iPhone wallpaper. This feature utilizes computer vision technology running in a neural engine to convert 2D photos into 3D images. You can do this with older photos or photos taken with other cameras. You don’t need to buy a new iPhone 17 to take advantage of the addition.
Usage: Press and hold the lock screen, then tap Customize. Please view the photos until you find the image you like in the wallpaper. Once added, tap the new spatial scene button to enable 3D effects. This is located on the right side of the customization page on the lock screen. Also, the buttons on the right allow you to further configure lock screen wallpaper settings, such as shuffling different photos with schedules and taps.
