ios-liquid-glass

Design

API reference: Liquid Glass (iOS 26+). Query for glass effects, navigation patterns, GlassEffect modifiers, design principles.

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iOS Liquid Glass Reference

API reference for the Liquid Glass design system (iOS 26+): glass effects, containers, morphing transitions, and related system behaviors. This documents what the system provides — design direction is yours.

When to Use

Implementing glass materials, glassEffect modifiers, or GlassEffectContainer
Navigation surfaces that use system glass (tabs, toolbars, sheets)
Checking how glass adapts to accessibility settings
Creating app icons with Icon Composer

Apple's Stated Design Principles

Apple describes Liquid Glass with three principles (reference, not a mandate):

Principle	Description
Hierarchy	Controls float above content. Glass frames content rather than obscuring it.
Harmony	Software design aligns with hardware — concentric corners, fluid gestures.
Consistency	Adapts across iPhone, iPad, Mac — same identity, contextual expression.

One functional constraint worth knowing: glass is designed for the navigation/control layer. Applying it to content surfaces defeats its sampling model (see containers below).

Liquid Glass Core API

Basic Glass Effect

import SwiftUI

// Simple glass application
Text("Action")
    .padding()
    .glassEffect() // .regular variant, .capsule shape

// With explicit parameters
Button("Confirm") { }
    .padding()
    .glassEffect(.regular, in: RoundedRectangle(cornerRadius: 12), isEnabled: true)

Glass Variants

Variant	Use Case
`.regular`	Toolbars, nav bars, tab bars, standard controls
`.clear`	Floating controls over media (photos, maps, video)
`.identity`	Conditional disable: `glassEffect(isActive ? .regular : .identity)`

Glass Modifiers

// Semantic tinting
.glassEffect(.regular.tint(.accentColor))

// Interactive behaviors (scaling, shimmer, touch illumination)
.glassEffect(.regular.interactive())

// Combined
.glassEffect(.regular.tint(.blue).interactive())

Custom Shapes

// Standard shapes
.glassEffect(.regular, in: .capsule)
.glassEffect(.regular, in: .circle)
.glassEffect(.regular, in: RoundedRectangle(cornerRadius: 16))

// Container-concentric (matches device/container corners)
.glassEffect(.regular, in: .rect(cornerRadius: .containerConcentric))

GlassEffectContainer & Morphing

Container Setup

Glass cannot sample other glass. Use containers for multiple glass elements:

GlassEffectContainer(spacing: 30) {
    HStack(spacing: 20) {
        ForEach(actions) { action in
            Button(action.title, systemImage: action.icon) { }
                .frame(width: 44, height: 44)
                .glassEffect(.regular.interactive())
        }
    }
}

Morphing Transitions

struct ExpandableActions: View {
    @State private var isExpanded = false
    @Namespace private var namespace

    var body: some View {
        GlassEffectContainer(spacing: 30) {
            VStack(spacing: 30) {
                if isExpanded {
                    ActionButton(icon: "rotate.right")
                        .glassEffectID("rotate", in: namespace)
                }

                HStack(spacing: 30) {
                    if isExpanded {
                        ActionButton(icon: "slider.horizontal.3")
                            .glassEffectID("adjust", in: namespace)
                    }

                    Button {
                        withAnimation(.bouncy) { isExpanded.toggle() }
                    } label: {
                        Image(systemName: isExpanded ? "xmark" : "plus")
                            .frame(width: 56, height: 56)
                    }
                    .glassEffect(.regular.tint(.accentColor).interactive())
                    .glassEffectID("toggle", in: namespace)

                    if isExpanded {
                        ActionButton(icon: "crop")
                            .glassEffectID("crop", in: namespace)
                    }
                }

                if isExpanded {
                    ActionButton(icon: "wand.and.stars")
                        .glassEffectID("enhance", in: namespace)
                }
            }
        }
    }
}

Navigation Patterns

Tab Bar (Floating)

TabView {
    Tab("Home", systemImage: "house") {
        HomeView()
    }

    Tab("Search", systemImage: "magnifyingglass") {
        SearchView()
    }

    Tab("Profile", systemImage: "person") {
        ProfileView()
    }
}
// Tab bar now floats, reacts to background, collapses on scroll

Toolbar with Grouping

.toolbar {
    ToolbarItemGroup(placement: .topBarTrailing) {
        Button("Edit", systemImage: "pencil") { }
        Button("Share", systemImage: "square.and.arrow.up") { }
    }

    ToolbarSpacer(.flexible, placement: .topBarTrailing)

    ToolbarItem(placement: .topBarTrailing) {
        Button("Done", systemImage: "checkmark") { }
            .tint(.accentColor)
    }
}

Sheets with Morphing

struct ContentView: View {
    @State private var showSettings = false
    @Namespace private var namespace

    var body: some View {
        NavigationStack {
            ContentView()
                .toolbar {
                    ToolbarItem(placement: .topBarTrailing) {
                        Button("Settings", systemImage: "gear") {
                            showSettings = true
                        }
                        .matchedTransitionSource(id: "settings", in: namespace)
                    }
                }
                .sheet(isPresented: $showSettings) {
                    SettingsView()
                        .navigationTransition(.zoom(sourceID: "settings", in: namespace))
                        .presentationDetents([.medium, .large])
                }
        }
    }
}

SF Symbols Effects

Image(systemName: "checkmark.circle")
    .symbolEffect(.drawOn, value: isComplete)

Image(systemName: "heart.fill")
    .symbolEffect(.bounce, value: isFavorite)

Haptics API

import UIKit

// Impact feedback
let generator = UIImpactFeedbackGenerator(style: .medium)
generator.impactOccurred()

// Selection feedback
let selection = UISelectionFeedbackGenerator()
selection.selectionChanged()

// Success/error
let notification = UINotificationFeedbackGenerator()
notification.notificationOccurred(.success)

Accessibility Behaviors

Automatic Glass Adaptations

Glass automatically adapts to:

Reduce Transparency: More frosting
Increase Contrast: Stark borders
Reduce Motion: Tones down animation

Manual Checks

@Environment(\.accessibilityReduceTransparency) var reduceTransparency
@Environment(\.accessibilityReduceMotion) var reduceMotion

var animation: Animation? {
    reduceMotion ? nil : .bouncy
}

System expectations: minimum 44x44pt touch targets, accessibility labels, Dynamic Type support.

Reference

For official Apple documentation links, WWDC session IDs, and API quick reference tables, see reference.md.