UniversalGlass

Bring SwiftUI’s iOS 26 glass APIs to earlier deployments with lightweight shims—keep your UI consistent on iOS 18+, yet automatically defer to the real implementations wherever they exist.

OS 26 introduces new SwiftUI glass APIs, but these only ship on the latest platforms. UniversalGlass isn't a pixel-perfect recreation; it offers compatibility layers and API conveniences so your code paths stay unified on older systems, then quietly defers to Apple’s implementation on platforms that ship it.

• Glass for every surface – Apply universalGlassEffect to any view, shape, or custom UniversalGlass configuration. Liquid accents, tinting, and interactivity
• Buttons that feel native – .universalGlass() and .universalGlassProminent() mirror the future SwiftUI button styles, including a custom material fallback that respects tint, control size, and press animations
• Containers & morphing – Drop content into UniversalGlassEffectContainer and use union/ID helpers to bridge to SwiftUI’s morphing APIs
• Backports when you want them – Import the optional UniversalGlassBackports target to get .glass, .glassProminent, and .glassEffect. They’re convenience shims that forward to the true SwiftUI APIs on iOS 26.
• Modular design – Glass effects, button styles, transitions, and previews live in focused files

• On pre-OS 26 systems the fallback UniversalGlassEffectContainer ignores the public spacing parameter; a fix is planned.

Add UniversalGlass to your Package.swift dependencies:

.package(url: "https://github.com/Aeastr/UniversalGlass.git", branch: "main")

Then add the target to any product that needs it:

    dependencies: [
        .product(name: "UniversalGlass", package: "UniversalGlass")
    ]

Need the optional shorthand APIs (.glass, .glassEffect, etc.)? Add the backport module too:

    dependencies: [
        .product(name: "UniversalGlass", package: "UniversalGlass"),
        .product(name: "UniversalGlassBackports", package: "UniversalGlass")
    ]

import UniversalGlass
// import UniversalGlassBackports if you prefer the native names

struct Card: View {
    var body: some View {
        Text("Cosmic Glass")
            .font(.headline)
            .padding(.horizontal, 36)
            .padding(.vertical, 18)
            .universalGlassEffect(.regular.tint(.purple))
            .padding()
            .background(
                LinearGradient(
                    colors: [.black, .purple.opacity(0.6)],
                    startPoint: .topLeading,
                    endPoint: .bottomTrailing
                )
            )
    }
}

Need a custom shape?

Circle()
    .frame(width: 120, height: 120)
    .universalGlassEffect(in: Circle())

Preset helpers roughly match Apple’s tiers:

• .ultraThin → clear glass
• .thin → clear glass with a light tint from the system background
• .regular → regular liquid glass
• .thick → regular glass with a stronger background tint
• .ultraThick → regular glass with a deep background tint

Button("Join Beta") {
    // action
}
.tint(.pink)
.controlSize(.large)
.buttonStyle(
    .universalGlassProminent()
)

Legacy fallbacks apply a capsule material with tint-aware highlights, drop shadow, and press animations

@Namespace private var glassNamespace

UniversalGlassEffectContainer(spacing: 24) {
    HStack(spacing: 16) {
        AvatarView()
            .universalGlassEffect()
            .universalGlassEffectUnion(id: "profile", namespace: glassNamespace)

        DetailsView()
            .universalGlassEffect()
            .universalGlassEffectTransition(.matchedGeometry)
    }
}

When a runtime supports GlassEffectContainer or glassEffectTransition, UniversalGlass forwards automatically; otherwise it falls back to material and blur transitions.

@State private var showSettings = false

VStack {
    if showSettings {
        SettingsPanel()
            .transition(.blur)
    }

    Toggle("Show Settings", isOn: $showSettings)
        .universalGlassButtonStyle()
}
.animation(.easeInOut(duration: 0.3), value: showSettings)

Need a custom feel? Use AnyTransition.blur(intensity:scale:) and apply the timing via .animation on the parent view. When you explicitly need the back-port animation used under the hood, reach for .fallbackBlur:

// Force the same animation UniversalGlass uses on older platforms.
SettingsPanel()
    .transition(.fallbackBlur)

// Dial in a custom blend while still supplying your own animation.
SettingsPanel()
    .transition(.blur(intensity: 8, scale: 0.85))
    .animation(.spring(response: 0.5, dampingFraction: 0.8), value: showSettings)

import UniversalGlassBackports

Button("RSVP") {}
    .buttonStyle(.glassProminent)

CardView()
    .glassEffect(.regular.tint(.mint))

SwiftUI’s real implementations automatically replace these extensions when available.

Contributions are welcome—bug reports, feature proposals, docs, or polish. Before submitting a PR, please:

1. Create an issue outlining the change (optional for small fixes).
2. Follow the existing Swift formatting and file organisation.
3. Ensure swift build succeeds and add previews/tests where relevant.

If UniversalGlass helps your project, consider starring the repo or sharing it with your team. Feedback, ideas, and issues are all appreciated!

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