ios-liquid-glass

Files (18)

• SKILL.md
• adopting-liquid-glass.md
• adopting-liquid-glass.videos.md
• applying-to-custom-views.md
• applying-to-custom-views.videos.md
• glass.md
• glasseffect.md
• glasseffectcontainer.md
• landmarks-activity-badges.md
• landmarks-background-extension.md
• landmarks-building-app.md
• landmarks-horizontal-scrolling.md
• landmarks-toolbar-glass.md
• liquid-glass-overview.md
• reference.md
• view-glasseffect.md
• view-glasseffectid.md
• view-scrolledgeeffectstyle.md

SKILL.md (first lines)

# iOS Liquid Glass Reference

API reference for the Liquid Glass design system (iOS 26+): glass effects, containers, morphing transitions, and related system behaviors. This documents what the system provides — design direction is yours.

## When to Use

- Implementing glass materials, `glassEffect` modifiers, or `GlassEffectContainer`
- Navigation surfaces that use system glass (tabs, toolbars, sheets)
- Checking how glass adapts to accessibility settings
- Creating app icons with Icon Composer

## Apple's Stated Design Principles

Apple describes Liquid Glass with three principles (reference, not a mandate):

| Principle | Description |
|-----------|-------------|
| **Hierarchy** | Controls float above content. Glass frames content rather than obscuring it. |
| **Harmony** | Software design aligns with hardware — concentric corners, fluid gestures. |
| **Consistency** | Adapts across iPhone, iPad, Mac — same identity, contextual expression. |

One functional constraint worth knowing: glass is designed for the navigation/control layer. Applying it to content surfaces defeats its sampling model (see containers below).

## Liquid Glass Core API

### Basic Glass Effect

```swift
import SwiftUI

// Simple glass application
Text("Action")
    .padding()
    .glassEffect() // .regular variant, .capsule shape

// With explicit parameters
Button("Confirm") { }
    .padding()
    .glassEffect(.regular, in: RoundedRectangle(cornerRadius: 12), isEnabled: true)
```

### Glass Variants

| Variant | Use Case |
|---------|----------|
| `.regular` | Toolbars, nav bars, tab bars, standard controls |
| `.clear` | Floating controls over media (photos, maps, video) |
| `.identity` | Conditional disable: `glassEffect(isActive ? .regular : .identity)` |

### Glass Modifiers

```swift
// Semantic tinting
.glassEffect(.regular.tint(.accentColor))

// Interactive behaviors (scaling, shimmer, touch illumination)
.glassEffect(.regular.interactive())

// Combined
.glassEffect(.regular.tint(.blue).interactive())
```

### Custom Shapes

```swift
// Standard shapes
.glassEffect(.regular, in: .capsule)
.glassEffect(.regular, in: .circle)
.glassEffect(.regular, in: RoundedRectangle(cornerRadius: 16))

// Container-concentric (matches device/container corners)
.glassEffect(.regular, in: .rect(cornerRadius: .containerConcentric))
```

## GlassEffectContainer & Morphing

### Container Setup

Glass cannot sample other glass. Use containers for multiple glass elements:

```swift
GlassEffectContainer(spacing: 30) {
    HStack(spacing: 20) {
        ForEach(actions) { action in
            Button(action.title, systemImage: action.icon) { }
                .frame(width: 44, height: 44)
                .glassEffect(.regular.interactive())
        }
    }
}
```

### Morphing Transitions

```swift
struct ExpandableActions: View {
    @State private var isExpanded = false
    @Namespace private var namespace

    var body: some View {
        GlassEffectContainer(spacing: 30) {
            VStack(spacing: 30) {
                if isExpanded {
                    ActionButton(icon: "rotate.right")
                        .glassEffectID("rotate", in: namespace)
                }

                HStack(spacing: 30) {
                    if isExpanded {
                        ActionButton(icon: "slider.horizontal.3")
                            .glassEffectID("adjust", in: namespace)
                    }

                    Button {
                        withAnimation(.bouncy) { isExpanded.toggle() }
                    } label: {
                        Image(systemName: isExpanded ? "xmark" : "plus")
                            .frame(width: 56, height: 56)
                    }

From Prisma-Labs-Dev/apple-skills, MIT.

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