Last June 9, Apple announced its preview of iOS 26 for their devices, remarking it is “a major update that brings a beautiful new design, intelligent experiences, and improvements to the app users rely on every day.”
While the update offers a livelier and more enjoyable experience through the system, preserving the “instant familiarity of iOS,” online critics raised another notable familiarity as they drew comparisons with the new design and the Frutiger Aero’s visual aesthetic that thrived back in the mid 2000s to the early 2010s.
The Frutiger Aero was an iconic visual style most commonly seen in the Windows XP desktop, projecting a green hill and a vibrant blue sky. Its aesthetic was composed of glossy user interface (UI) textures, blue and green color palettes, and nature-inspired elements.
Further, this featured “lens flares, bokeh effects, Abstract Tech patterns, aurora-inspired gradients, and the frequent use of the Frutiger typeface.”
Apple’s iOS 26 new interface design is known as “Liquid Glass,” a set of “new interface elements that have the ‘sheen and see-through visuals of a glassy surface.’”
It is apparent that a great number of social media users heavily observe the iOS 26s semblance with the Frutiger Aero due to its translucent and nature-like motif. Several online community members shared their delight in the nostalgic feel in which the new Apple update has brought them, though other platform users have opposed its similarity.
@mawitech Its so glitchy lol #techtok #ifon #iphone #ios26 ♬ frutiger aero – amirthetrash
As per WIRED, Apple’s Liquid Glass is now available for developers, with a public beta scheduled for next month. It currently faces modifications for further development, however, with Output’s product designer Allan Yu and Iteration’s co-founder Josh Pucket highlighting iOS 26s need for improvement in features such as its readability and motion control, generally noting their concern on the update’s overall feasibility.
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