At Apple’s WWDC 2025 event, the company unveiled Liquid Glass, its most significant software design change in over a decade. This new visual overhaul has sparked speculation about Apple’s rumored AR glasses, set to debut next year.
Users are drawing connections between Liquid Glass and potential AR glasses due to the design similarities with Apple’s Vision Pro VR headset. The name Liquid Glass reflects the concept of each phone window being like a pane of glass, transparent and slightly reflective. Despite some opacity issues in the developer beta, Liquid Glass gives the screen a sleeker look.
The Vision Pro VR headset, although not a commercial success, showcased impressive UX design by making the headset-wearing experience less disorienting. Apple leveraged mixed reality capabilities by overlaying windows onto a user’s real-world environment instead of a synthetic background.
Reports indicate that Apple’s AR glasses would feature cameras, microphones, speakers, and built-in Siri for functions like phone calls, music playback, live translation, and directions. Notifications, pictures, and overlays would be visible on the display.
To compete with rivals like Meta’s Ray-Bans and Google’s smart glasses, Apple needs to venture into lighter hardware. Known for its elegant and modern designs, Apple is positioning itself uniquely in this space.
If Apple incorporates transparent design elements into its AR glasses, it must ensure that notifications seamlessly integrate into the user’s surroundings without obstructing their vision. Liquid Glass is likely to play a role in the design of Apple’s rumored AR glasses.
