iOS 27 has a bunch of changes, including a refined Liquid Glass design — but how much has changed from iOS 26?

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It's fair to say that Liquid Glass was rather controversial following its debut at WWDC 2025. It's no surprise that such a drastic change caused loyal iPhone users to complain; the same thing happened when iOS 7 made similarly drastic changes back in 2013. But this didn't change the fact that the backlash was so severe that Apple has made a point to tweak Liquid Glass in iOS 27.The effect hasn't been removed, so any diehard Liquid Glass haters are going to be disappointed. But Apple has made some changes that could prove beneficial to those of you with valid criticisms about Liquid Glass and how the transparency effects actually work. Not only is there a new slider to control how the transparency effects work, but Apple also claims it has adjusted how Liquid Glass elements look on screen.But just how much has changed compared to iOS 26? I decided to compare the newly-released iOS 27 beta with last year's software to find out.Why people hated Liquid Glass

(Image credit: Apple)Beyond the people who criticize change simply because they don't like change, what was the deal with Liquid Glass, and why did people hate it so much?The reduced readability was a common complaint, with multiple users complaining about blurry icons and the icons themselves having a strange "tilted" look that you can't ever unsee. Dark mode drew some particular ire from users, with some people complaining that the slight glow around Liquid Glass icons was distracting — and in some cases caused dizziness.Others noted that the keyboard experience wasn't consistent across apps, with third-party apps frequently defaulting back to the old pre-iOS 26 keyboard design instead of the one infused with Liquid Glass effects. Those with older phones also experience inconsistent performance, and even Apple itself said that upgrading to iOS 26 would cause temporary issues with battery life and performance.Those issues were supposed to fix themselves, but it seems people have a long memory for problems that occur when changes they already don't like happen.Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips.The main complaint when Liquid Glass first appeared after the release of the iOS 26 beta was that the effect couldn't be switched off. Apple did actually change this later on, offering binary "clear" and "tinted" options within the settings, while early adopters found there was a "reduce transparency" toggle hidden in the accessibility menu.What Apple says has changed