I want to start by saying that I love iOS. I genuinely think it’s the best mobile operating system, which is why this update has been so disappointing for me.
I’ve been using an iPhone 13, and iOS 18 felt incredibly smooth. Animations were fluid, the UI felt polished, and everything had that premium Apple feel.
After updating to iOS 26, my experience completely changed.
For me, the biggest issues are:
• Liquid Glass feels distracting rather than premium.
• The reflections and transparency are everywhere and make the UI feel visually busy.
• Animations don’t feel as smooth or consistent as they did on iOS 18.
• Overall, the interface just doesn’t feel like the iOS I’ve enjoyed for years.
I’ve tried changing every appearance setting I can find, but nothing brings back the clean feeling that iOS 18 had.
I know some people like the new design, and that’s completely fair. But personally, this has been my least favorite iOS update, to the point where I’ve even thought about buying another iPhone just so I could use a version before iOS 26.
For me, I’d rate it 2/10.
Is anyone else on an iPhone 13 feeling the same way, or has your experience been different?