But instead of receiving applause, it became the butt of online jokes. The tech community on social media was not impressed.
iOS 26 introduces Liquid Glass
According to multiple reports, Liquid Glass reimagines the user interface with translucent layers, curved edges, and fluid animations. Apple said the new design adapts in real-time to lighting environments and offers users a more ‘alive, ambient’ feel.
The core apps like Safari, FaceTime, Photos, and Music all have new designs with new aesthetics, which promise a unified look across the Apple ecosystem.
Apple said its Liquid Glass builds on a legacy of translucent design, tracing roots from MacOS X’s Aqua (2001) to the Big Sur refresh in 2020.
Comparisons to Windows Vista’s Aero are drawn
Social media users, after the announcement, drew instant comparisons to Windows Vista’s Aero Glass interface—a translucent design Microsoft introduced nearly two decades ago.
A user on X (formerly Twitter) said they were no “design expert” and added, “Apple’s Liquid Glass = Windows Vista Aero 2.0.”
I’m not a design expert.
Apple’s Liquid Glass =
Windows Vista Aero 2.0.I know, I know. “Everything old is new again”.
But this just seems like a glossy, lame fraud.
Read: shameless rip-off pawned as innovation.
This is nostalgia slathered in Cupertino polish.
Callback to… pic.twitter.com/ZNyaIWN9Ep
— Farooq (SF Ali) ????????️Ⓜ️ (@sfali789) June 9, 2025
Meanwhile, another user shared a picture of a Windows Vista Aero screenshot and wrote, “Can’t wait to use liquid glass on my Mac!”
Can’t wait to use “liquid glass” on my mac!#WWDC25 #WWDC2025 #wwdc pic.twitter.com/JryK0MIrIR
— Anthony Garone (@atgarone) June 9, 2025
One user by the name of Morning Brew merely wrote ‘Liquid Glass’ in the caption and shared two pictures. One of the pictures was a comparison between Windows Vista and Apple’s ‘Liquid Glass’ UI. The other picture was of a dialogue which read, “I was looking through some old photos, and they looked very uhh…similar.”
“Liquid Glass” pic.twitter.com/LRahrcinA6
— Morning Brew ☕️ (@MorningBrew) June 9, 2025
One user shared two side-by-side comparison pictures of Apple’s Liquid Glass and Windows Vista Aero and wrote, “Liquid Glass… welcome back Aero Glass.”
Liquid Glass…
welcome back Aero Glass #WWDC25 ???? https://t.co/2wp4LTC4B3 pic.twitter.com/JcDXnGGmoE
— Pavloh (@ImPavloh) June 9, 2025
What tech experts say
The Verge’s David Pierce, in an article, noted that one could not look at Liquid Glass “without thinking of Windows Aero”. Pierce noted the two have “similar glassy and translucent design language”.
He said that Liquid Glass and Windows Aero were good ideas which focus on personalisation and customisation, and aim to help users understand what they’re doing on their devices.
Wes Fenlon, Senior Editor at PC Gamer, is also referring to Liquid Glass as ‘Apple Aero.’ Fenlon said: “Apple unveiled its new ‘Liquid Glass’ design, which will reign supreme in the upcoming iOS 26 and MacOS 26—something we used to call Windows Aero back in the late 2000s.”
Fenlon continued to cite that Microsoft had similar ideas roughly 18 years ago, stating, “Apple may tout Liquid Glass ‘merges the optical properties of glass with a fluidity unique to Apple,’ but I’m sceptical.”
“Apple Aero looks nice! As nice as when Microsoft finally upgraded Vista’s glass interface and finally perfected it with their classic OS, Windows 7,” he said.
