iOS 26, Apple's long-awaited update for the iPhone, became widely available last week.
Released to match the new iPhone 17, iOS 26 includes a stylish visual redesign called “Liquid Glass.”
The new "sleek and elegant" design brings transparent, glass-like effects to app icons, the lock screen and the home screen, according to Apple.
However, Liquid Glass seems to have an unintended effect.
Users complain that the visual redesign makes them feel "drunk" because app icons look a little slanted.
On Reddit, one user wrote: "I didn't notice it at first glance, but now I can't help but see the slanted app icons."
Another posted: "This update makes me feel drunk."
While a third said: "Everything in iOS 26 is an optical nightmare. It's terrible."
In fact, app icons in iOS 26 are not physically slanted, but an unwanted optical illusion makes them appear that way.
The illusion is caused by glowing light effects added by Apple designers to the upper left and lower right corners of the icons.
However, it is not believed that the engineers intended the effect, which gives the impression that the icons are slightly tilted in 3D space.
A Reddit user described this "weird design flaw" as "jumping" icons that appear to be sliding.
Another wrote: "Wow, no, I can't get it out of my mind. The clock icon is moving and sliding at the same time. It hurts my eyes."
While another added: "The app icons look good, but their outlines are ruining everything, in my opinion."
The gradient effect is most noticeable when the icons are in "Dark", "Clear" or "Tinted" modes on a dark or black background, MacRumors reports.
One way to reduce the effect is to use colored backgrounds, which draw attention away from the corners.
Users can also go to Settings > Accessibility > Motion > Reduce Motion.
“Reduce Motion” reduces user interface movement, including the “parallax” effect of icons – the perceived change of an object even when it is stationary.
One Reddit user advised others: "Turn off the parallax effect on apps and it will disappear."
However, one person responded: "It's not going away. You still have that ugly white outline around the icons, and it seems like a lot of the icons are being updated with new blurry images. Horrible."
Apple has been contacted by the Daily Mail for comment.
The new iOS update, unveiled in June, is optimized for the iPhone 17, but also works with previous models.
iOS 26 brings personalized backgrounds to Messages, a new Games app, and a Live Translation tool that translates calls in real time.
But the biggest change is the Liquid Glass design, which "makes apps and system experiences more expressive and enjoyable," according to Apple.
It brings "greater focus on content and a new level of liveliness to controls, navigation, app icons, widgets and more."
However, Liquid Glass was not welcomed by all Apple fans, with one user calling it "the ugliest thing Apple has ever done."
Another said that Steve Jobs "would have fired everyone at Apple" for this design.
Liquid Glass isn't the only feature that's causing problems for users - many are also complaining about battery drain after the update.
Some users are not happy with the iPhone 17, which according to them has an aluminum frame that scratches easily.
The iPhone 17 starts at £799/$799 and goes up to £1,199/$1,199 for the Pro Max version, and the price increases if more memory is required.
Does your iPhone support iOS 26?
iOS 26 will be available for these iPhones:
iPhone 16, 16 Plus, 16 Pro, 16 Pro Max, 16e,
iPhone 15, 15 Plus, 15 Pro, 15 Pro Max
iPhone 14, 14 Plus, 14 Pro, 14 Pro Max
iPhone 13, 13 mini, 13 Pro, 13 Pro Max
iPhone 12, 12 mini, 12 Pro, 12 Pro Max
iPhone 11, 11 Pro, 11 Pro Max
iPhone SE (2020), iPhone SE (2022)
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