Pocket Casts, a leading third-party podcast app for iPhone, has rolled out an update to its iOS app, incorporating Apple’s Liquid Glass design language. This makes it one of the first major third-party apps to fully embrace the translucent look Apple introduced with iOS 26.
What Is Liquid Glass, Exactly?
Liquid Glass is Apple’s term for the frosted, translucent interface style that replaced the flat design iOS used for over a decade. Imagine looking through a slightly frosted shower door — UI elements like buttons, panels, and menus appear to float above the content behind them, capturing colors and blurriness from whatever’s underneath. Apple introduced this style broadly with iOS 26, and it quickly sparked discussions, both positive and negative, about its impact on iPhone design.
For Pocket Casts users, this update means the app’s player screen, navigation bars, and episode lists now reflect that same glassy, layered look found in Apple’s own apps like Music and Podcasts. Buttons adapt colors from album artwork, and panels blur the content scrolling behind them, moving away from flat colored backgrounds.
Why Pocket Casts Did This Now
The timing isn’t just coincidence. Apple has strongly encouraged developers to adopt Liquid Glass ahead of iOS 27, which is set to refine the design even more. According to MacRumors, Apple recently unveiled a range of improvements for Liquid Glass in iOS 27, including enhanced readability, more personalization options, and adjustments to sidebar behavior. Apps that haven’t made the switch will start to feel out of place on iPhones running the latest software.
Pocket Casts has always been design-focused — it was among the first podcast players to properly adopt iOS design standards. So, getting ahead of this trend aligns perfectly with its history.
What Actually Changed in the App
According to the update details from 9to5Mac, you can see the changes most clearly in a few key areas:
- The now-playing screen features Liquid Glass panels that capture colors from podcast artwork, similar to Apple Music’s player screen.
- Navigation and tab bars now boast the translucent glass treatment instead of solid backgrounds.
- Action buttons (like skip, speed, and sleep timer) have been redesigned to match the rounded, glassy button shapes introduced in iOS 26.
The core features — queue management, chapter support, and variable playback speed — remain unchanged. This update is all about visual enhancements.
| By The Numbers: Pocket Casts & Liquid Glass | |
|---|---|
| App Store rating (iOS) | 4.8 out of 5 |
| iOS 26 release | 2025 (introduced Liquid Glass) |
| iOS 27 expected refinements | Readability, personalization, sidebar behavior |
| Pocket Casts platform | iOS, Android, macOS, web |
| Years since last major redesign | ~3 years |
What This Means for Everyday Users
If you’re a Pocket Casts subscriber who just wants to listen to podcasts, the changes won’t impact you much. Your library, subscriptions, and settings will remain unchanged. The app simply looks different, aligning more closely with the rest of your iPhone’s interface if you’re on iOS 26 or later.
The real upside is that apps adopting Liquid Glass early tend to be better positioned for the iOS 27 launch. Apple has acknowledged there are readability issues — some users found text harder to read against the glassy, blurred backgrounds. If Pocket Casts has already integrated these updates, those enhancements should roll out automatically when iOS 27 arrives.
Users still on older iOS versions might notice the app looks a bit off. Liquid Glass effects are designed for newer rendering capabilities in iOS 26 and later. On older software, the translucent panels usually revert to simpler solid colors.
What the Community Is Saying
“Finally. Pocket Casts was starting to look like it was built for iOS 15. The new player screen actually matches my phone now.”
“I appreciate the effort, but the glass effect on the episode list makes the text a little harder to scan quickly. Hope they tune the contrast before iOS 27.”
The readability issue is important. It’s the same criticism that followed Apple’s own Liquid Glass rollout, and it’s exactly what Apple claims to be addressing in iOS 27.
What To Watch
- iOS 27 release (fall 2026): Apple’s promised readability and personalization improvements to Liquid Glass will apply across all apps that have adopted it, including Pocket Casts. This is when the design should feel more polished.
- Android version: Pocket Casts is cross-platform. The iOS update doesn’t affect Android, where Google’s Material You design language serves a similar purpose. Keep an eye out for whether Pocket Casts rolls out a similar refresh for Android alongside Android 17’s launch.
- Other major podcast apps: Overcast, Castro, and Spotify’s iOS app haven’t fully embraced Liquid Glass yet. Pocket Casts moving early puts some pressure on them. Overcast, in particular, has a dedicated user base that closely monitors its design choices.
Maya Torres
Maya Torres is the Consumer Tech Editor at Explosion.com with 7 years covering product launches for major technology publications. She has reviewed over 300 devices across smartphones, laptops, wearables, and smart home products. Maya specializes in translating spec sheets into real-world buying advice and attends CES, MWC, and Apple keynotes as press. Her reviews focus on helping readers decide what to buy, not just what specs look good on paper.
