Apple on Monday previewed a new software interface design, called Liquid Glass, during the company’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference held at its US headquarters in Cupertino, California.
For the very first time, the new design extends across Apple’s different operating systems – iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS Tahoe 26, watchOS 26 and tvOS 26 – which have been rebranded to mark the coming year, rather than a version number.
Chinese consumers, however, expressed their disappointment with the new design, as the hashtag “iOS26 Ugly” became the top-trending topic on Chinese microblogging app Weibo on Tuesday. The platform saw more than 20,000 mainland netizens express their discontent over the new design.
Yan Binglu, a 22-year-old iPhone user from Chengdu, capital of southwestern Sichuan province, said she was now rethinking a plan to upgrade her smartphone this year because she found the new interface unappealing.
“This new system looks less beautiful than before,” Yan said. “I have always updated to the latest iOS on my phone, but I will stay with my current version of iOS this time.”
