Reduce or Remove Transparency on Liquid Glass

The new Liquid Glass design on iPhone is quite a change from what we had before. But sometimes, it comes at the cost of visibility — it can make text harder to read in certain situations.

Well, there are two ways to adjust how Liquid Glass looks on your phone. One removes it completely, and the other makes it easier to use without losing the effect. Let me show you both.

First, go into the Settings app, then Accessibility. From here, tap Display & Text Size, and turn on Reduce Transparency. Now if I go back into Photos, you’ll see a big difference. Instead of content showing behind the buttons, you just get a plain toolbar like we had back on iOS 18. The playful bounce of the buttons is still there, but it’s much clearer and easier to see.

That’s quite a drastic change, so let’s try something in the middle. Back in Accessibility settings, instead of Reduce Transparency, turn on Increase Contrast. You’ll notice a slight change straight away, but head back into Photos and look closely — the Liquid Glass buttons now have outlines around them and are less see-through. That makes them far easier to spot when browsing content, while still keeping the fun, dynamic Liquid Glass style.

Here’s a quick side-by-side: on the left, the frosted look from Reduce Transparency; on the right, the original Liquid Glass design.

So, you can pick whichever works best for you. And if you want to see dozens more iOS 26 tips and tricks, check out my channel down below and subscribe so you don’t miss the next QuickTip.