How to Disable Glass Morphism Effects on iPhone: A Quick Guide to Clearer, Easier-to-Read Screens
How to Disable Glass Morphism Effects on iPhone: A Quick Guide to Clearer, Easier-to-Read Screens
Glass morphism—the frosted-glass visual effect introduced in iOS 18—creates a modern, blurred aesthetic that some users find beautiful and others find distracting or uncomfortable. If this effect bothers you or causes eye strain, iOS 18 includes simple accessibility settings to disable it entirely.
What is Glass Morphism?
Glass morphism is a visual design effect that creates a frosted-glass appearance on interface elements throughout iOS 18. When you open the Control Center, view notifications, or navigate your home screen, you’ll see elements with blurred backgrounds—this is glass morphism in action. The effect makes content behind these elements appear distorted and hazy, creating a layered, modern look. However, this visual complexity can cause eye strain, dizziness, or discomfort for users sensitive to motion effects or visual density. iOS 18 provides straightforward accessibility controls to remove these effects entirely. Current as of: iOS 18 - January 2025
Why Disable Glass Morphism Effects?
- Reduced Eye Strain: Solid, clear interface elements are easier on your eyes than blurred, multi-layered designs, especially during extended phone use
- Improved Clarity and Focus: Without background distortion, text and icons stand out more clearly, making interfaces easier to scan and understand
- Better Performance: Reducing visual effects can slightly improve battery life and responsiveness on older iPhone models
- Accessibility for All Users: Some people experience dizziness or disorientation from layered visual effects—disabling them makes iOS genuinely usable for everyone
Things to Consider
- Visual Style Change: Disabling glass morphism gives your iPhone a cleaner, more utilitarian appearance—this is intentional and not a sign of any problem
- Third-Party App Effects: Some apps design their own visual effects that you cannot control through iOS settings; these may remain even after disabling the system-wide glass morphism
- Requires iOS 18 or Later: This setting is specific to iOS 18 and may not be available on earlier iOS versions
How to Disable Glass Morphism Effects – Step by Step
Open the Settings app by tapping the gear icon on your home screen. The Settings icon has a gray background with interlocking gears.
Scroll down and select ‘Accessibility’ from the Settings menu. This section contains all visual and interaction customization options for your iPhone.
Tap ‘Display & Text Size’ to access visual effect controls. This submenu contains settings for how your iPhone displays text and visual elements.
Look for the ‘Reduce Transparency’ toggle and tap it to turn it ON. When enabled, the toggle will turn green. This is the primary control that disables glass morphism effects throughout iOS 18.
Test the change immediately by opening your Control Center to see the difference. On Face ID iPhones (iPhone X and newer), swipe down from the top-right corner. On older iPhones, swipe up from the bottom of the screen. You’ll immediately notice that frosted-glass elements now display as solid colors instead of blurred backgrounds.
Optional: Enable ‘Reduce Motion’ for additional visual relief. While still in the Accessibility menu, scroll down and find ‘Motion’ settings. Toggle ‘Reduce Motion’ ON to minimize all animation effects across the system. This compounds the reduction of visual stress and is especially helpful if you’re sensitive to motion effects.
Return to your home screen and test your settings by navigating through common areas: open Control Center, swipe between home screen pages, switch between apps, and check your notifications. You should immediately notice cleaner, less-distorted interface elements throughout iOS.
What If Glass Morphism Effects Are Still Visible?
Verify the setting is actually enabled: Double-check that ‘Reduce Transparency’ shows a green toggle—not all visual elements respond equally to this setting, and the change can be subtle on some screens.
Check for third-party app effects: Some apps design their own glass morphism effects into their interface. These cannot be controlled by iOS accessibility settings and may remain even after disabling the system-wide effect.
Ensure you’re running the latest iOS 18 version: Go to Settings > General > Software Update to check if updates are available. Newer updates may improve or refine how this setting works.
Force-restart your device if changes don’t appear immediately: Hold the Volume Up button and then Volume Down button, then hold the Power button until you see the “slide to power off” screen (or until the power-off slider appears). Wait for your iPhone to restart completely—this refreshes all system visual settings.
Disabling glass morphism effects takes about 30 seconds and gives you a cleaner, more accessible iPhone interface. Whether you’re sensitive to motion effects, prefer clarity over modern aesthetics, or simply want to reduce eye strain, these accessibility settings put control in your hands—use them confidently.