Apple Redesigns its Camera App With New ‘Liquid Glass’ Aesthetic
Apple has unveiled a new “liquid glass” design for its Camera and Photos app at WWDC 2025.
The redesign is part of Apple’s liquid glass aesthetic that is overhauling the look of every one of Apple’s operating systems (OS). The semi-transparent design affects the Camera app and its controls as well as the Photos app and how pictures appear on a user’s lock screen.
During WWDC today, Apple explained that liquid glass is a translucent material that “reflects and refracts its surroundings, while dynamically transforming to help bring greater focus to content.”
For the first time, the new look is affecting all of Apple’s platforms including iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS Tahoe 26, watchOS 26, and tvOS 26.
Tab bars and sidebars have been redesigned too. In iOS 26, when users scroll, tab bars shrink to bring focus to the content while keeping navigation instantly accessible. When users scroll back up, tab bars fluidly expand.
Apple says that in iPadOS and macOS, the updated sidebars make apps like Apple TV “even more immersive.” They refract the content behind them, while reflecting content and the user’s wallpaper from around them.
These updated design elements apply across fresh new experiences in apps such as Camera, Photos, Safari, FaceTime, Apple Music, Apple News, and Apple Podcasts.
“At Apple, we’ve always believed in the deep integration of hardware and software that makes interacting with technology intuitive, beautiful, and delightful,” says Alan Dye, Apple’s vice president of Human Interface Design.
“This is our broadest software design update ever. Meticulously crafted by rethinking the fundamental elements that make up our software, the new design features an entirely new material called Liquid Glass. It combines the optical qualities of glass with a fluidity only Apple can achieve, as it transforms depending on your content or context. It lays the foundation for new experiences in the future and, ultimately, it makes even the simplest of interactions more fun and magical.”
Apple also unveiled a new feature allowing users to take a photo remotely using their AirPods. By holding the AirPods stem, the user can snap a photo or start a video recording even at a distance.
“For users who like capturing themselves singing or dancing, the new features make it easy to perform in sync with a soundtrack while simultaneously recording the video,” Apple adds.
