Figma Introduces the New Glass Effect and Apple’s Liquid Glass UI Kit

A New Era of Transparency and Depth in Design

Figma has officially rolled out the Glass Effect — a powerful visual feature that brings a glass-like, transparent style to UI elements. Designers can now add realistic depth, light refraction, and frosted backgrounds to their projects. The effect comes with customizable controls such as blur intensity, prism dispersion, lighting angle, and background transparency

How It Works and Current Limitations

Since Glass Effect is still in beta, there are several limitations to be aware of:

• It can only be applied to frames (one effect per frame).

• It does not work with fully opaque layers, mixed corner radii, or when exporting to SVG.

• Glass Effect and blur cannot be applied together — only the Glass setting takes priority.

• Currently unsupported in Figma Sites.

Figma has also released a demo file showcasing real-world use cases, giving designers a quick way to test the effect.

Apple’s Liquid Glass UI Kit for iOS 26

Alongside Figma’s update, Apple introduced its own Liquid Glass UI Kit, designed exclusively for iOS 26. Unlike a simple blur, Apple’s Liquid Glass simulates realistic glass physics — transparency, refraction, and contextual adaptation to light and content (apple.com, theverge.com).

Key features of the Liquid Glass UI Kit:

• Official design templates for Figma matching iOS 26 guidelines.

• Adaptive components for SwiftUI, UIKit, and AppKit.

• Glass-themed widgets, control zones, and system UI elements.

Why This Matters for Designers

The Glass trend is more than an aesthetic — it’s a new building block for digital interfaces. Here’s why it matters:

• Adds depth, focus, and elegance to UI layouts.

• Enhances animations and interactive states.

• Brings visual consistency between Figma designs and Apple’s ecosystem.

• Speeds up workflow through official design kits and reusable components.

Quick Comparison: Figma vs Apple

Here’s how the two approaches differ:

• Figma Glass Effect: gives designers custom control with blur, prism, and transparency options. Ideal for prototyping and creative projects.

• Apple Liquid Glass: goes further with physics-based refraction, native to iOS 26, making apps feel realistic and immersive.

• Compatibility: Figma’s effect currently works only in frames (beta), while Apple applies Liquid Glass system-wide.

• UI Kit: Figma provides only a demo file, while Apple offers a complete design kit for Figma, SwiftUI, and UIKit.

Conclusion

With the release of Figma’s Glass Effect and Apple’s Liquid Glass UI Kit, designers now have access to advanced tools that elevate digital products into a new visual dimension. These innovations are setting the stage for a glass-inspired design era — clean, dynamic, and adaptive.