iOS 26 introduces Liquid Glass, Apple’s glossy new design that gives panels, widgets, and wallpapers a translucent glass-like effect. It makes your iPhone look sleek and modern, but some users updating to iOS 26 have noticed something strange. Instead of the shiny blur, their interface looks flat and solid, almost as if Liquid Glass is not working at all.
This can be confusing, but it isn’t a bug. In most cases, Accessibility settings are preventing the Liquid Glass effect from showing. Apple allows users to adjust transparency and contrast for better visibility, but these same options can turn off the translucent style across iOS 26.
How to enable Liquid Glass on iPhone
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Open the Settings app.
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Tap Accessibility.
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Select Display & Text Size.
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Turn Reduce Transparency off.
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Turn Increase Contrast off.
Once both settings are disabled, Liquid Glass should reappear instantly. Panels in Control Center, app folders, and widgets will regain their smooth translucent design.
What changes when you fix it
With Reduce Transparency or Increase Contrast enabled, iOS swaps translucent layers for solid ones. This makes text easier to read, but it also hides Liquid Glass. When you turn both options off, your iPhone restores the depth and blur that Apple designed, giving the interface its signature glossy style.
Why this happens
Accessibility settings are built to help users who need a clearer, high-contrast display. Reduce Transparency adds opaque backgrounds, while Increase Contrast darkens UI elements. These changes override the Liquid Glass effect, so if either is enabled, the new design disappears.
Bottom line
If Liquid Glass is not working on iOS 26, the solution is simple. Check Accessibility settings and turn off Reduce Transparency and Increase Contrast. That’s all it takes to bring back Apple’s glossy translucent design. And if you prefer a more solid look, you can leave those settings on — iOS 26 gives you the choice.
