YouTube: New Liquid Glass look & Live Activities planned for iOS apps
Google is apparently planning a design update for YouTube and YouTube Music on iOS. Discovered clues point to the imminent introduction of Apple’s typical liquid glass look. There will also be support for live activities.
New design for iOS users
Just over a year ago, Apple unveiled its Liquid Glass design. The new look was not met with enthusiasm everywhere, so the developers from Cupertino defused the interface with the subsequent iOS update. Nevertheless, a number of third-party providers integrated transparent and reflective elements into the UI of their apps, such as WhatsApp. Now Google is also working on a visual adjustment of YouTube and YouTube Music for the iPhone.
The goal is probably a better visual integration of the applications into the system. How Aaron Perris on X As a screenshot shows, Google is currently preparing the change internally. Feature flags discovered in the apps’ code indicate the innovation. Although the shared image does not allow direct assignment to a specific app, the expert reports an update for both platforms. It is not yet known what the new user interface will look like or when the final versions will be released.
Puzzles about integrating live activities
The two streaming applications will also support live activities in the future. The iOS feature allows real-time information to be displayed directly in the Dynamic Island of Apple’s smartphones. However, the specific benefit for a classic video platform is still unclear. According to speculation, the extension could be used to display current scores of sporting events via YouTube TV in real time on the lock screen. For pure listeners of music or consumers of standard videos, the added value of the integration remains questionable for the time being.
Live Activities are actually intended for navigation, timers or running background processes. Displaying a simple progress bar for music would hardly offer any advantages over the existing controls in the iOS control center. Google has to find creative solutions here to convince users of the concept and create real added value in everyday life.
Increasingly inconsistent Google design
Switching to liquid glass comes with various advantages and disadvantages. On the one hand, this would allow the apps to fit more harmoniously into the iOS environment. On the other hand, Google is giving up a piece of its own cross-platform design identity. The in-house design, known as Material 3 Expressive, has shaped the appearance across almost all platforms and ensures high recognition value. Google introduced the Material You design language years ago to make interfaces more dynamic. The further development Material 3 Expressive offers even smoother animations and more color options. If Google now switches to Apple standards for video applications, the company is breaking this consistency.
However, this is also the case with other applications. Google Chrome and Gemini already use elements from Liquid Glass on iOS. In contrast, Gmail and Google Maps continue to rely strictly on the classic Google design. In the Android camp, developers naturally completely forego the Apple look. What exactly the end result will be for video apps remains to be seen.
