How to Disable Liquid Glass Transparency on iPhone (iOS 26)
Not a fan of Apple’s new Liquid Glass look in iOS 26? Here’s how I reduced the transparency and made my iPhone way more readable.
Apple really went all-in with Liquid Glass in iOS 26. It looks fancy, futuristic, and very Apple™… but honestly? It’s not for everyone.
When I first updated my iPhone, I thought, “Wow, this looks cool.” A few days later, my eyes were already tired. The transparency looks nice in screenshots, but in real life it can make text harder to read—especially if you’re outside or using darker wallpapers.
So if you’re like me and just want a user interface that’s more solid and readable, here’s how to tone it down (or basically disable it).
Not in the mood for reading? Watch the video instead.
Option 1: Reduce Liquid Glass Using Tinted Mode
The first option is to soften the effect a bit. You can do this by activating Tinted mode with these steps:
- Open the Settings app
- Go to Display & Brightness
- Tap Liquid Glass
- Select Tinted
This immediately reduces some of the transparency. Menus become a little more readable, and the glassy look isn’t as aggressive anymore.
That said… in my opinion, it’s still very much Liquid Glass. Better, yes—but still shiny and see-through.
Option 2: Make It Way More Solid (The Real Fix)
This is the part that actually made my iPhone comfortable to use again. We’re going the extra mile by making the UI much more solid—what Apple calls Reduce Transparency—by following these steps:
- Go back to Settings
- Open Accessibility
- Tap Display & Text Size
- Turn on Reduce Transparency
Once you toggle this on, the difference is obvious. Backgrounds become much more solid, text pops more, and the whole UI just feels calmer.
This is the setting that finally made me say, “Yep, this is usable now.”
Video
Final Thoughts
If you like the Liquid Glass aesthetic, that’s totally fine. Apple did a great job visually. But if readability matters more to you than visual flair, reducing transparency is the way to go.
Personally, I keep Reduce Transparency turned on about half of the time. My eyes are happier, and my phone feels less like a piece of modern art and more like a tool I actually use every day.
That said, sometimes I miss the Liquid Glass animations, so I turn it back on. There’s no wrong choice here—just personal preference.
That’s it. A simple tweak with a big difference. As usual, thanks for reading. Leave a comment below if you have any questions.
Cheers!
