iOS 26 Liquid Glass effect not working on iPhone 15 Pro

Hello everyone!! I have finally figured out how to get that darn Liquid Glass effect to finally work!! It’s actually quite easy. People weren’t being specific enough or have an older model iPhone. But I have FIGURED it out!! Ok so first things first, go to settings, then scroll to accessibility, then after that once you’re in accessibility scroll all the way down until you see “Per-App Settings”, press on that, then it will say “App Customization” there should be a “Home Screen & App Libary” option (if you don’t have one just press on “Add App”, once you have “Home Screen & App Libary” opened turn off Bold Text, Reduce Transparency, Increase Contrast, Differentiate Without Color, Prefer Horizontal Text, Smart Invert, Reduce Motion, and Prefer Non-Blinking Cursor. I am hoping that I helped a few people!! :D

bestofboston9 wrote:

I want to thank lobsterghost1 for indirectly solving my problem. I read his detailed Liquid Glass description and afterwards I meticulously went through every accessibility setting on my iPad where LG works and my iPhone where it didn’t. I found a discrepancy on “reduce white point”. Once I adjusted that setting, Liquid Glass started working again. And the toggle started functioning too. I certainly hadn’t changed this setting recently, so I suspect something in the upgrade flipped it.

You've made my day! While I didn't mention White Point in my user tip, if my user tip helped you find the issue, I'm delighted, to say the least. And it was very nice of you to come back and tell everyone what solved this for you. I hope it helps anyone else who may be having a similar issue.

Thank you for being so kind!

bestofboston9 wrote:

I’ve restarted my phone several times. First thing I tried when Liquid Glass stopped working and the toggle switch was inoperable. Made no difference…

Again, you didn't answer my question. Restart is NOT the same as a Force Restart. Did you follow the directions in the link I provided to Force Restart your iPhone?

1. Quickly press and release the volume up button
2. Then immediately quickly press and release the volume down button
3. Then immediately press and KEEP HOLDING the side poser button. KEEP HOLDING it past any message on your screen (like swipe to power off) and KEEP HOLDING it until you see the Apple Logo (can take up to 30 seconds). Once you see the Apple Logo, let go of the side power button.

I want to thank lobsterghost1 for indirectly solving my problem. I read his detailed Liquid Glass description and afterwards I meticulously went through every accessibility setting on my iPad where LG works and my iPhone where it didn’t. I found a discrepancy on “reduce white point”. Once I adjusted that setting, Liquid Glass started working again. And the toggle started functioning too. I certainly hadn’t changed this setting recently, so I suspect something in the upgrade flipped it.

bestofboston9 wrote:

I want to thank lobsterghost1 for indirectly solving my problem. I read his detailed Liquid Glass description and afterwards I meticulously went through every accessibility setting on my iPad where LG works and my iPhone where it didn’t. I found a discrepancy on “reduce white point”. Once I adjusted that setting, Liquid Glass started working again. And the toggle started functioning too. I certainly hadn’t changed this setting recently, so I suspect something in the upgrade flipped it.

Hello~ It’s very nice of you to come back and say “thank you” to fellow forum member *lobsterghost1*. Lots of time and thought go into helping others here and you would be surprised at how a small bit of thanks goes into making that worthwhile. Now…thank you to you :-)

~Katana-San~

Hey! Just go to settings, then Accessibility and then to Motion and Reduce motion! I was dealing with the same problem as you but I turned off the motion stuff and now the Liquid Glass works! Hope this will help.

Duhghee wrote:

I have the same problem on iPhone 16. The backgrounds of the folders are not clear but gray. And those apps that should have clear backgrounds are also gray or something like that. There is no clear at all.

That's right. There is NO clear. It is translucent. Did you look at my screenshot of my phone? To achieve that look in Settings > Accessibility > Reduce Transparency AND Increase Contrast are both turned OFF.

This worked for me! Thanks for the input!

Reduce transparency - OFF

AND

Increase contrast - OFF

bestofboston9 wrote:

I have an iPhone 16 pro. When I was running iOS 26, Liquid Glass worked fine and I liked the look. I know what it looks like when it’s working! When I upgraded to 26.1, Liquid Glass stopped working. The Liquid Glass toggle does not let me select “tint”. I have tried all the various suggestions about reduce transparency and other settings. Nothing brings back the Liquid Glass look and nothing lets me toggle the setting. Liquid Glass is just broken on my phone with iOS 16.1. Hope Apple fixes this. I would recommend not to install 26.1. Btw - I have an older iPad and when I upgraded that to iOS 26.1, Liquid Glass still works on it.

The first I'd do on your iPhone is Force Restart it (Something I do after EVERY iOS update) --> Force restart iPhone - Apple Support

Then, I wrote this to help people with Liquid Glass --> Liquid Glass - Love It Or Hate It - It's … - Apple Community

Chrizony wrote:

Same here. My folders, dock and control center aren't glassy at all...

iPhone 16 Pro

iOS 26 (23A341)

[Edited by Moderator]

That is as glassy as they get, you're fully glassed.

Slowly pull down from the top and observe the glassy effect

I have an iPhone 16 pro. When I was running iOS 26, Liquid Glass worked fine and I liked the look. I know what it looks like when it’s working! When I upgraded to 26.1, Liquid Glass stopped working. The Liquid Glass toggle does not let me select “tint”. I have tried all the various suggestions about reduce transparency and other settings. Nothing brings back the Liquid Glass look and nothing lets me toggle the setting. Liquid Glass is just broken on my phone with iOS 26.1. Hope Apple fixes this. I would recommend not to install 26.1. Btw - I have an older iPad and when I upgraded that to iOS 26.1, Liquid Glass still works on it.

bestofboston9 wrote:

I just performed a “hard reset” using the recipe you provided. It made no difference from the way I was performing a reset. Liquid Glass and toggle are still broken…

Then it's time to schedule an appointment at your Apple Store Genius Bar and let Apple check your phone --> Genius Bar Reservation and Apple Support Options - Apple

They are grey because you chose clear which takes on the color of the wallpaper. Choose Default

I was having the same issue and what worked for me was pairing my wallpaper. Hope this helps.

This is how my home screen looks with Liquid Glass:

If you are expecting it to be totally clear, it's not. It's kind of like using a Translucent case on your iPhone as opposed to using a totally clear case.

[Edited by Moderator]