There are a long list of complaints about Liquid Glass, from the impact on readability to lag caused by animations. Here are some of the main critiques: Animations run slow, and the interface feels sluggish on older iPhones. The constantly changing colors, shapes, and shading are distracting. The animations make no sense. It looks like a Barbie phone with battery wasting features. Basic actions require too many taps. The bubbles and floaty icons are cartoony. The contrast is awful. Some app icons look blurry. The design is inconsistent, and some things are flat while some are glass. Highlights on UI elements are inconsistent. It’s hard to read things like notifications. The effects are too subtle for the system overhead costs. Not everyone hates Liquid Glass, and there are also many positive comments from people who prefer the new design. Some of that sentiment: It makes the iPhone feel faster. It feels modern and clean, and makes a boring smartphone a little more fun. It’s bright, bouncy, and just plain cool to use. Getting notifications is satisfying, and the Lock Screen keypad is like bubbles. It’s fresh and easy to get accustomed to. iOS 18’s flat UI was depressing, so iOS 26 is an improvement. It’s technologically impressive with the light refraction and diffusion of chromatic aberration. The icons are slick and it harkens back to the OG Apple UI design.