On top of looking pretty, Apple says that it’s also functional. Liquid Glass UI elements will be able to expand and contract with nice-looking animations to adapt to what the app needs it to do. It also works with light and dark modes along with Apple’s new clear mode, which makes all of your icons look like glass.

Apple revealed iOS 26 featuring Liquid Glass at WWDC 2025, but the lack of an AI killer feature left analysts questioning its competitive edge.

What I’m getting at is that the main features of watchOS 26 are the design and name. Apple Watch will get the same Liquid Glass design as the iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Vision Pro.

Liquid Glass' will introduce glossy, translucent elements across the interface, suggesting a more immersive, fluid experience that Mark Gurman says is designed to echo the 20th anniversary iPhone that it will eventually run on.