In September 2025 Apple discharged its version-26 OS suite — counting iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS Tahoe 26, watchOS 26, and more. A linchpin of this discharge was the presentation of a unused visual plan dialect Apple calls Fluid Glass.
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Apple
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What is Fluid Glass?
According to Apple’s official PDF on iOS 26 features:
“Combining the optical qualities of glass with a sense of smoothness, Fluid Glass shapes the establishment of the unused design… It reflects and refracts what’s underneath it in genuine time.”
Apple
In hone, this implies app symbols, menus, toolbars, route bars all receive translucency, visual profundity, layered blur/refraction impacts. For illustration: drifting tab bars in Apple Music shrink/expand powerfully, UI components alter as you scroll.
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The move is implied to bind together the see and feel over Apple’s environment (iPhone, iPad, Mac, observe, etc.) and deliver a new “expressive” stylish.
Indiatimes
Why it things (and why it produced feedback)
On the professional side: This is the greatest UI update for Apple’s OS in a long time (since iOS 7 maybe). It brings a outwardly striking, present day see and more energetic behaviors.
AppleInsider
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On the con side: A few clients found the tall degree of translucency and movement impacts in Fluid Glass driven to readability/legibility issues (particularly on active backdrops, in shinning light, or for clients with visual sensitivities).
MacRumors
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Apple appeared mindful of this: as portion of the beta cycle they started presenting controls to tone down straightforwardness, and presently in 26.1 they’re shipping a full flip for this.
2. The 26.1 Upgrade: What’s New
On November 3, 2025, Apple rolled out iOS 26.1 (and comparable overhauls: iPadOS 26.1, macOS Tahoe 26.1, watchOS 26.1, visionOS 26.1, tvOS 26.1).
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Let’s break down the major highlights — beginning with iOS, at that point covering macOS and the ecosystem.
iOS 26.1 (iPhone)
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Key unused features:
Liquid Glass Flip (Clear vs Tinted): Beneath Settings → Show & Brightness → Fluid Glass, you presently have a choice between the unique translucent “Clear” fashion and a modern “Tinted” fashion which increments murkiness / differentiate.
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This addresses criticism approximately readability/visual weariness from the more straightforward default design.
Slide to Halt for Alarms/Timers: For the Clock/Timer app, instep of basically tapping a expansive “Stop” button (which might be incidentally tapped), iOS 26.1 presents a ‘slide to stop’ signal for full halt. Tap still works for nap.
Macworld
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Disable Bolt Screen Swipe to Open Camera: If you found that swiping cleared out on the bolt screen opened the Camera as well effectively (now and then inadvertently), there’s presently a flip beneath Settings → Camera → Bolt Screen Swipe to Open Camera to turn that motion off.
MacRumors
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Apple Music Enhancements:
Swipe signals on the mini-player to skip forward/back.
Tidbits
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AutoMix bolster over AirPlay (so when gushing to AirPlay-compatible speakers, the programmed transitions/mixing in Apple Music presently apply)
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Live Interpretation / Apple Insights Expansion:
Live Interpretation by means of AirPods presently bolsters Japanese, Korean, Italian, Mandarin (Rearranged and Conventional).
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Apple Insights dialects have been extended (Danish, Dutch, Norwegian, Portuguese Portugal, Swedish, Turkish, Vietnamese) in 26.1.
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Other Littler Changes & Improvements:
Gain control for outside USB amplifiers when recording neighborhood capture.
Tidbits
Ability to indicate a area in Records app for nearby capture recordings.
MacRumors
Improved FaceTime sound quality in low-bandwidth conditions.
Apple Support
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Default empowering of Communication Security & web substance channels for youngster accounts (ages 13-17) in a few districts.
Cult of Mac
macOS Tahoe 26.1 (Mac)
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From discharge notes:
Liquid Glass flip: same thought as iOS — choice to select between the default Clear see and the modern Tinted see to increment darkness.
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Apple Music AutoMix over AirPlay bolster.
MacRumors
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Improved FaceTime sound quality beneath low-bandwidth conditions.
MacRumors
Default empowering of Communication Security & web substance channels for existing child/teen accounts (13-17) in a few locales.
9to5Mac
Ecosystem Wide / Other OS Updates
The overhaul coincides with iPadOS 26.1 (where for illustration the Slide Over multitasking mode returns) and watchOS 26.1, tvOS 26.1, visionOS 26.1.
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The timing marks a refinement pass: the starting 26.0 discharge conveyed the expansive plan and useful changes, and presently 26.1 is cleaning, altering, including user-requested controls.
3. Why This Upgrade Things (For You)
This upgrade is vital for a few reasons:
A. Client encounter & customization
The presentation of the Fluid Glass flip appears Apple tuning in to client input. For individuals who felt the default straightforwardness was as well overwhelming or made perusing difficult, the Tinted alternative is a welcome change.
Simple but important interface changes (e.g., slide-to-stop cautions, cripple camera swipe) move forward ordinary usability.
Enhancements in Apple Music and AirPlay address genuine world utilization (gushing to outside speakers, etc).
Expanded dialect and Live Interpretation back broadens utility globally.
B. Availability & Visual Comfort
Many clients with visual sensitivities found the ultra-transparent UI harder to perused. By giving a built-in, simple flip, Apple progresses openness.
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More control over interface behavior implies less inadvertent taps (e.g., camera opening or alert dismissals).
C. Environment integration & continuity
Features like AirPlay AutoMix and moved forward FaceTime sound appear Apple making strides cross-device and cross-platform continuity.
The upgrades for Mac and iPad illustrate that this is not fair a “phone” upgrade — it is portion of the broader OS 26 biological system refresh.
D. Solidness & polish
As with any major OS overhaul, the beginning dispatch (26.0) carried modern standards and a few trade-offs; 26.1 is almost cleaning client involvement, fixing things up, and giving more control to the user.
If you were holding off introducing 26.0 due to a few bandy, 26.1 presents a way better value.
4. What to Observe / Things to Keep in Mind
Here are a few commonsense tips and caveats:
Compatibility & preparation
iOS 26.1 underpins the same gadgets as iOS 26. That incorporates iPhones from iPhone 11 and more up to date (additionally iPhone SE 2nd gen) for iOS.
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macOS Tahoe has the same compatibility as the prior Tahoe discharge (Apple Silicon gadgets and a few Intel Macs).
Wikipedia
Make beyond any doubt you back up your gadget some time recently overhauling (as with any major OS update).
On Macs, guarantee you are stopped into control and have adequate free space.
Highlight rollout & locale availability
Some highlights (particularly Apple Insights dialects, Live Interpretation in AirPods, etc.) may be locale or gadget specific.
The Fluid Glass flip may not immediately reflect over each app or zone of the OS — a few apps may require updates.
Be mindful: whereas plan changes are enormous and discernible, a few fundamental execution or battery characteristics may alter — in spite of the fact that 26.1 is essentially a refinement upgrade, not a gigantic overhaul.
What if you like the unique design?
If you lean toward the unique “clear” straightforward fashion of Fluid Glass, you can keep it — the flip gives you the choice.
If you didn’t like Fluid Glass much or found it diverting, certainly test the Tinted mode and see if it helps.
For availability, moreover check Settings → Availability → Show & Content Measure → Diminish Straightforwardness if you need advance lessening of UI blur/transparency.
Cult of Mac
What’s still lost or future-looking
While 26.1 includes numerous refinements, it is still a mid-cycle upgrade; a few more profound Apple Insights highlights may come in afterward releases.
Some clients may still need finer-grained straightforwardness or movement control — it remains to be seen whether Apple will uncover advance customization.
With macOS, the coming forms (post-Tahoe) will likely move encourage toward Apple Silicon as it were — clients on more seasoned Intel Macs ought to check guide.
WIRED
5. How to Update
Here’s how to get the update:
On iPhone/iPad
Go to Settings → Common → Computer program Update.
If iOS 26.1 (or iPadOS 26.1) is recorded, tap Download & Install.
Make beyond any doubt your gadget is associated to Wi-Fi and has >50% battery (or plug into power).
After downloading, take after the prompts to introduce and reboot.
On Mac
Go to Framework Settings → Common → Computer program Update.
If macOS Tahoe 26.1 shows up, tap Upgrade Now.
Note: guarantee your Mac is stopped in and sponsored up (Time Machine or similar).
After Updating
Once upgrade is total, you might need to go to Settings → Show & Brightness (on iPhone) or Framework Settings → Appearance (on Mac) and check the Fluid Glass flip → choose “Clear” or “Tinted” to your liking.
Check your lock-screen camera swipe setting if you’d like to debilitate it.
Explore Apple Music mini-player motions and AirPlay AutoMix if you stream audio.
If you utilize AirPods with Live Interpretation, check dialect support.
Check availability settings if you felt UI clarity was a challenge some time recently.
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