Apple is finally giving iPhone owners a way to shut off one of the most divisive visual tricks in its modern interface. With iOS 26, and more specifically the 26.1 update, the company is adding a control that lets users rein in the shiny, glassy look that has dominated the system since last year. The change is small on paper, but it speaks volumes about how far Apple is willing to bend when a design flourish starts to feel like a daily irritation.
At the same time, iOS 26.1 quietly adds a handful of other quality-of-life tweaks that respond directly to long-running complaints about accidental taps and visual clutter. Taken together, these options mark a subtle shift from “you will use it this way” toward something closer to genuine choice, without abandoning the Liquid Glass aesthetic that defines the release.
Liquid Glass, from showcase feature to daily frustration
When iOS 26 arrived, Apple pitched its new “Liquid Glass” interface as the visual signature of the update, a glossy, translucent layer that made buttons and panels look like they were floating above your wallpaper. Coverage of the release highlighted how Liquid Glass sat alongside upgrades like Apple Intelligence, turning the update into both a visual and AI overhaul. On paper, it was a classic Apple move, pairing a bold new look with under-the-hood smarts to signal a generational shift.
In practice, that shimmering glass quickly became a flashpoint. Usability specialists warned that the new language made interface elements look airy and often invisible, arguing that Liquid Glass Is and that Usability Suffers when content is obscured by decorative shine. That critique echoed what many iPhone owners were already feeling: the interface looked impressive in screenshots, but it made it harder to see where to tap and what was actually on screen.
The backlash: “massive flop” posts and shine-fatigued users
As the novelty wore off, frustration spilled into public forums. One widely shared thread described iOS 26 as a “massive flop” with iPhone users, with the poster saying they used to type entire paragraphs without looking at the screen but Now had to retype sentences because the new behaviors and visuals kept getting in the way. That kind of anecdote captured a broader mood: the update felt like it was prioritizing spectacle over muscle memory.
Elsewhere, iPhone owners zeroed in on the shine itself. In one discussion, a user complained about the new effect added to the UI and another replied, “Could you please point me to the setting where you can disable liquid glass?” The question went unanswered for months because there was no such toggle. That absence turned Liquid Glass from a bold design choice into a kind of forced experiment that users could not opt out of, even if it made their phones harder to read in bright light or more visually overwhelming.
iOS 26.1: the update that finally hands back control
The turning point arrives with iOS 26.1, which Apple positions as a refinement pass on the original release. Official notes highlight new languages for Live Translation with AirPods and a new tinted option for Liquid Glass, signaling that the company is not abandoning the aesthetic but is willing to soften it. That tinted option is the first sign that the design is becoming less of a monolith and more of a spectrum that users can tune.
More importantly for everyday usability, the same 26.1 cycle introduces a setting that lets iPhone owners disable the Liquid Glass effect outright. Reporting on the Furthermore update notes that users can now turn off the glossy treatment that had been applied across the system, a change that arrives alongside another highly requested tweak to rein in accidental camera launches. Together, these options show Apple listening to the chorus of complaints that the new look was not just polarizing, it was actively getting in the way of how people used their phones.
How to tame Liquid Glass and other iOS 26 annoyances
For anyone who has been gritting their teeth at the reflections and blur, the new controls are straightforward. In iOS 26.1, Apple adds a dedicated setting that lets you reduce or disable the Liquid Glass effect, so panels and buttons revert to a flatter, more traditional appearance instead of shimmering over your wallpaper. Guides that walk through how to turn it off frame the change as a practical win for people who value clarity over visual flair.
That new toggle joins a growing list of “fix it yourself” tips that have circulated since iOS 26 landed. One popular breakdown of the five most frustrating things about the update leads with a simple instruction: Disable Liquid Glass. The piece notes that Whenever you think about iOS 26, the first thing that comes to mind is almost certainly that shiny interface, and that turning it down is the fastest way to make the system feel calmer and more familiar. Short Instagram explainers echo the same sentiment, with one creator urging viewers to Turn off these 3 annoying IOS26 features and promising that Three tweaks will make the phone feel saner.
Beyond shine: lock screen camera and other pain points
The Liquid Glass toggle is not the only sign that Apple is rethinking some of its more aggressive interface decisions. In iOS 26.1, the company also adds a new setting that gives you control over the camera shortcut on your lock screen. Users can now go into Settings, open Camera, and choose whether that quick-launch icon should be active or whether they prefer using the dedicated Camera Control instead. This change directly addresses complaints that the lock screen camera was too easy to trigger by accident in a pocket or bag.
Short-form tech support clips have been hammering this point for months. One viral video labels the lock screen camera behavior as one of the worst features on iOS 26 and walks viewers through how to fix it, tagging the post with Jan and #techsupport and asking viewers “What else?” they want fixed. Another creator groups the lock screen camera with other annoyances in a reel titled Three annoying iOS 26 features to turn off, urging viewers, “Let’s do this. Make sure you share this with friends.” The fact that Apple is now baking those fixes into the system suggests that the company is paying attention not just to formal feedback channels but to the grassroots troubleshooting culture that springs up around every major iOS release.
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