Apple is quietly admitting its Liquid Glass redesign wasn't perfect. With iOS 26.2 out now, users get granular controls to dial back the transparency on their Lock Screen clock - the second time in as many updates that Apple has given people an escape hatch from the semi-transparent design language that divided users since launching in iOS 26. The timing raises questions about whether Apple's bold design overhaul can survive without its original architect.
Apple isn't backing down from Liquid Glass entirely, but it's definitely backing off. The company's iOS 26.2 update, released Friday, introduces another transparency control - this time specifically for the Lock Screen clock - letting users dial down the "glassiness" if it's making their display harder to read.
This is the second time in two software cycles that Apple has given users an out from the design overhaul that was supposed to modernize the entire iOS experience and prepare devices for a potential future of AI smartglasses. When Liquid Glass launched with iOS 26 in June, it transformed interface elements like buttons, sliders, and notifications into semi-transparent, light-refracting components that looked sleek in demos but proved problematic in real-world use.
The backlash was immediate. Users complained that notifications became hard to read, artist names in Apple Music disappeared into the translucent backgrounds, and the whole interface felt more like a design statement than a functional operating system. "Some found that the transparency made their device difficult to use," according to TechCrunch's reporting, and Apple listened.
In iOS 26.1, the company introduced a system-wide slider that let users shift the entire interface toward a "frosted" look - essentially admitting that perfect transparency wasn't actually perfect for everyone. Now iOS 26.2 goes further, offering granular control over individual elements. The Clock widget specifically gets its own transparency slider. This isn't a global retreat; it's targeted customization that lets Apple keep Liquid Glass as the default while giving friction-averse users a path to readability.
But here's where it gets interesting: the timing of this rollback coincides with a major leadership shift in Apple's design division. Alan Dye, the executive who championed and designed Liquid Glass, left the company earlier this month for Meta, where he'll lead a new creative studio within Reality Labs. didn't paint it as a departure born from design differences, but replacing Dye with Stephen Lemay - a career interface and interaction designer - sends a message. Lemay's skill set is the antidote to Liquid Glass problems. His expertise is in making things usable, not conceptually bold.
