How to make your iPhone homescreen icons clear using iOS 26

1 week ago 4

Barbara Krasnoff

Barbara Krasnoff is a reviews editor who manages how-tos and various projects. She’s worked as an editor and writer (and occasional sci-fi author) for more years than she cares to admit to.

Back in 2024, we described how the then-new iOS 18 enabled you to tint your homescreen icons, allowing you to tweak the look of your iPhone’s display. Now, with Apple’s introduction of its Liquid Glass design for iOS 26, you can make your icons completely clear (assuming you’re a fan of the new invisible look).

The process of customizing your icons works exactly the same as it did for the tint:

  • Long-press anywhere on the wallpaper background so that the icons start to do their little dance. You’ll see an Edit button in the top-left corner; tap it, and then select Customize.
  • At the bottom of the screen, a pop-up menu will offer several options, including Light and Dark (so that the icons won’t change no matter what mode you’re in), Tinted, and Clear. Go ahead and tap Clear.

A screenshot of an iPhone home screen with normal icons.

A screenshot of an iPhone home screen with see-through icons.

And that’s it! Your homescreen icons will immediately assume the Liquid Glass design, letting you see through them to your wallpaper (which is kind of nice, especially if you’re really proud of your wallpaper).

If you want to try something else, such as the tinted look, or go back to the way things were, just follow the same steps. Have fun!

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