Liquid Glass Developer (iOS 26)

Purpose

Context-aware routing to iOS 26 Liquid Glass implementation patterns. Proper use of GlassEffectContainer, glassEffect modifiers, morphing transitions, and interactive effects.

When Auto-Activated

• Working with glass effects or iOS 26 visual effects
• Keywords: glass, liquid glass, glassEffect, GlassEffectContainer, iOS 26, morphing, UIGlassEffect, UIVisualEffectView, cornerConfiguration, GlassContainerViewIOS26, GlassEffectViewIOS26
• Editing files with glass effect modifiers
• Implementing navigation panels, floating buttons, or translucent UI

🚨 CRITICAL RULES (NEVER VIOLATE)

1. ALWAYS group glass elements in GlassEffectContainerIOS26 - Glass elements must be grouped for unified composition
2. ALWAYS use glassEffectIDIOS26 for morphing - Elements that appear/disappear need IDs for smooth transitions
3. Glass defines its shape - Use glassEffect(in: Shape), no separate clipShape() needed
4. Glass is for navigation layer only - Never apply to content, only floating controls
5. Use interactive glass for buttons - Buttons should use .regular.interactive() for touch feedback

📋 Quick Reference

Available Utilities (View+iOS26.swift)

// Wrapper for GlassEffectContainer with iOS version check
GlassEffectContainerIOS26(spacing: 20) {
    // Glass elements here
}

// Interactive glass effect (scaling/bounce on touch)
.glassEffectInteractiveIOS26(in: Circle())
.glassEffectInteractiveIOS26(in: .rect(cornerRadius: 16))

// Standard glass effect (no touch feedback)
.glassEffectIOS26(in: Circle())

// Morphing transition ID
.glassEffectIDIOS26("buttonId", in: glassNamespace)

// Circle glass button style (for Button views — handles full-frame hit testing)
.buttonStyleCircleGlassIOS26()

Complete Pattern Example

struct NavigationPanel: View {
    @Namespace private var glassNamespace
    @State private var isExpanded = false

    var body: some View {
        GlassEffectContainerIOS26(spacing: 20) {
            HStack {
                Button { } label: {
                    Image(systemName: "magnifyingglass")
                        .frame(width: 40, height: 40)
                }
                .glassEffectInteractiveIOS26(in: Circle())
                .glassEffectIDIOS26("search", in: glassNamespace)

                if isExpanded {
                    Button { } label: {
                        Image(systemName: "plus")
                            .frame(width: 40, height: 40)
                    }
                    .glassEffectInteractiveIOS26(in: Circle())
                    .glassEffectIDIOS26("add", in: glassNamespace)
                }
            }
        }
        .animation(.bouncy, value: isExpanded)
    }
}

Glass Shapes

// Circular buttons
.glassEffectInteractiveIOS26(in: Circle())

// Rounded rectangle
.glassEffectInteractiveIOS26(in: .rect(cornerRadius: 16))

// Capsule
.glassEffectInteractiveIOS26(in: Capsule())

🔄 Morphing Transitions

For smooth state transitions between glass elements:

@Namespace private var glassNamespace

// Elements with same container + IDs morph smoothly
GlassEffectContainerIOS26 {
    if editing {
        plusButton
            .glassEffectIDIOS26("leftButton", in: glassNamespace)
    } else {
        burgerButton
            .glassEffectIDIOS26("leftButton", in: glassNamespace)
    }
}
.animation(.bouncy, value: editing)

Key requirements:

1. Elements in same GlassEffectContainerIOS26
2. Each element has glassEffectIDIOS26 with shared namespace
3. Wrap state changes with animation

⚠️ Common Mistakes

No Container Grouping

// ❌ WRONG - Individual glass effects
HStack {
    button1.glassEffectIOS26(in: Circle())
    button2.glassEffectIOS26(in: Circle())
}

// ✅ CORRECT - Grouped in container
GlassEffectContainerIOS26 {
    HStack {
        button1.glassEffectInteractiveIOS26(in: Circle())
        button2.glassEffectInteractiveIOS26(in: Circle())
    }
}

Redundant clipShape

// ❌ WRONG - clipShape before glass
.clipShape(Circle())
.glassEffectIOS26(in: Circle())

// ✅ CORRECT - Glass defines shape
.glassEffectInteractiveIOS26(in: Circle())

Missing Morphing IDs

// ❌ WRONG - Abrupt appear/disappear
if isVisible {
    button.glassEffectInteractiveIOS26(in: Circle())
}

// ✅ CORRECT - Smooth morphing
if isVisible {
    button
        .glassEffectInteractiveIOS26(in: Circle())
        .glassEffectIDIOS26("button", in: namespace)
}

Glass on Content

// ❌ WRONG - Glass on content
Text("Hello World")
    .glassEffectIOS26(in: .rect(cornerRadius: 8))

// ✅ CORRECT - Glass only on floating controls
// Use standard backgrounds for content:
Text("Hello World")
    .background(Color.Background.primary)

📚 iOS Version Handling

All utilities handle iOS version checks internally:

• iOS 26+: Native glass effects applied
• iOS < 26: Fallback to Color.Background.navigationPanel + .ultraThinMaterial

// This works on all iOS versions
.glassEffectInteractiveIOS26(in: Circle())

// Equivalent to:
if #available(iOS 26.0, *) {
    self.glassEffect(.regular.interactive(), in: Circle())
} else {
    self
        .background(Color.Background.navigationPanel)
        .background(.ultraThinMaterial)
}

🔧 UIKit Implementation

Available Utilities (UIView+iOS26Glass.swift)

// Container for grouping glass elements (like GlassEffectContainerIOS26 in SwiftUI)
let container = GlassContainerViewIOS26(spacing: 12)
container.glassContentView.addSubview(yourContent)

// Individual glass effect view (always interactive)
let glassView = GlassEffectViewIOS26()
glassView.glassContentView.addSubview(yourButton)

// Glass button configuration
let config = UIButton.Configuration.glassIOS26()
let button = UIButton(configuration: config)

UIKit Pattern Example

final class NavigationBarView: UIView {
    private let glassContainer = GlassContainerViewIOS26(spacing: 12)
    private let buttonGlass = GlassEffectViewIOS26()

    override init(frame: CGRect) {
        super.init(frame: frame)
        setup()
    }

    private func setup() {
        // Add container to view
        addSubview(glassContainer) {
            $0.pinToSuperview(insets: UIEdgeInsets(top: 0, left: 16, bottom: 0, right: 16))
            $0.height.equal(to: 44)
        }

        // Setup circular button with glass
        buttonGlass.applyCircleShape(diameter: 44)
        buttonGlass.layoutUsing.anchors {
            $0.size(CGSize(width: 44, height: 44))
        }

        // Add button to glass content view (NOT directly to buttonGlass)
        buttonGlass.glassContentView.addSubview(myButton) {
            $0.center(in: buttonGlass.glassContentView)
        }

        // Add glass button to container's content view
        glassContainer.glassContentView.addSubview(buttonGlass)
    }
}

Shape Methods

// Circular buttons (44x44)
glassView.applyCircleShape(diameter: 44)

// Capsule/pill shape (e.g., for title views)
glassView.applyCapsuleShape(height: 44)

// iOS 26+: Uses cornerConfiguration = .capsule()
// iOS < 26: Uses layer.cornerRadius fallback

UIKit Critical Rules

1. Always add content to glassContentView - Never add subviews directly to the glass view

   // ❌ WRONG
   glassView.addSubview(button)
   
   // ✅ CORRECT
   glassView.glassContentView.addSubview(button)
   

2. Call shape methods once in setup - Not in layoutSubviews (unless height changes dynamically)

   // ❌ WRONG - Called every layout pass
   override func layoutSubviews() {
       super.layoutSubviews()
       glassView.applyCapsuleShape(height: bounds.height)
   }
   
   // ✅ CORRECT - Called once with fixed height
   func setup() {
       glassView.applyCapsuleShape(height: 44)
   }
   

3. GlassEffectViewIOS26 is always interactive - No property to set, touch feedback is built-in

4. Use glassIOS26() for text buttons

   var config = UIButton.Configuration.glassIOS26()
   config.title = "Done"
   config.baseForegroundColor = .Control.accent100
   let button = UIButton(configuration: config)
   

iOS Version Handling (UIKit)

// GlassEffectViewIOS26 handles version checks internally:
// iOS 26+: UIGlassEffect with cornerConfiguration
// iOS < 26: UIBlurEffect(style: .systemUltraThinMaterial) + Background.navigationPanel

// Example of internal implementation:
private func setupGlassEffect() {
    if #available(iOS 26.0, *) {
        let glassEffect = UIGlassEffect()
        glassEffect.isInteractive = true
        let effectView = UIVisualEffectView(effect: glassEffect)
        addSubview(effectView)
        glassEffectView = effectView
    } else {
        backgroundColor = .Background.navigationPanel
        let blurView = UIVisualEffectView(effect: UIBlurEffect(style: .systemUltraThinMaterial))
        addSubview(blurView)
    }
}

📁 Key Files

File	Purpose
View+iOS26.swift	SwiftUI glass effect utilities and wrappers
UIView+iOS26Glass.swift	UIKit glass effect utilities
HomeBottomNavigationPanelView.swift	Navigation panel with glass buttons
ChatInput.swift	Chat input with morphing burger/plus button
ChatActionPanel.swift	Action buttons with interactive glass
EditorNavigationBarView.swift	UIKit navigation bar with glass container
EditorNavigationBarTitleView.swift	UIKit title view with capsule glass

🔗 External Resources

• Understanding GlassEffectContainer - DEV
• GlassEffectContainer - Apple Docs
• iOS 26 Liquid Glass Reference
• WWDC25: Build a SwiftUI app with the new design

✅ Implementation Checklist

SwiftUI

• Glass elements wrapped in GlassEffectContainerIOS26
• Buttons use glassEffectInteractiveIOS26 (not just glassEffectIOS26)
• State-dependent elements have glassEffectIDIOS26 for morphing
• No redundant clipShape() before glass effects
• Glass only on navigation/floating controls, not content
• Animation wrapper for state changes (withAnimation(.bouncy) or .animation())

UIKit

• Glass elements wrapped in GlassContainerViewIOS26
• Content added to glassContentView (not directly to glass view)
• Shape methods called once in setup (not layoutSubviews)
• Text buttons use UIButton.Configuration.glassIOS26()
• Circular buttons use applyCircleShape(diameter:)
• Pill/capsule shapes use applyCapsuleShape(height:)

Testing

• Tested on iOS 26 simulator for glass appearance
• Tested on iOS 18 simulator for fallback behavior

🔗 Related Skills

• design-system-developer → Icons and colors used in glass buttons
• ios-dev-guidelines → SwiftUI patterns and view modifiers

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Navigation: This skill covers iOS 26 Liquid Glass patterns. For implementation details, see View+iOS26.swift.