iPhone users blast iOS 26 update as the ‘ugliest thing Apple has ever done’

Unveiled at the company’s Worldwide Developer Conference on June 9, the update introduces a "Liquid Glass" aesthetic, featuring semi-transparent, glass-like effects on app icons, the lock screen, and the home screen.

Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of Software Engineering, described the overhaul as "gorgeous," according to the Daily Mail.

But user reactions suggest otherwise.

"Liquid Glass Design is the ugliest thing @Apple has ever done!" one person posted on social media. Another added, "Steve Jobs would have never approved this." A third user said the new interface "literally hurts my eyes to look at," calling it "the definition of form over function."

Others said the new design strayed from Apple’s minimalist roots, with one user writing: "It totally lacks Apple elegance. It’s like they left a few interns in a room with crayons."

The design is expected to roll out across Apple’s full product lineup, including iPads, Apple Watches, and Apple TV, according to the New York Post.

On its website, the U.S. tech giant said: "The new material, Liquid Glass, is translucent and behaves like glass in the real world. Its color is informed by surrounding content and intelligently adapts between light and dark environments."

Industry professionals also raised concerns about usability. Allan Yu, a product designer working on the workplace messaging app Output, told Wired that some elements were "hard to read" because they were made "too transparent."

Yu acknowledged the visual appeal but said the change could be difficult to implement for smaller teams.

Josh Puckett, co-founder of design consultancy Iteration, said the interface felt "distracting" and "challenging to read," though he remained hopeful Apple would refine it.

iOS 26 is currently only available as a developer beta, with the full release for public use expected around September.