Aqua (user interface)

Aqua is a graphical user interface, design language and visual theme used in Apple Inc.'s operating systems. It was originally based on the theme of water, with droplet-like components and a liberal use of reflection effects and translucency. Its goal is to "incorporate color, depth, translucence, and complex textures into a visually appealing interface" in macOS applications.^[2] At its introduction, Steve Jobs noted that "... it's liquid, one of the design goals was when you saw it you wanted to lick it".^[3]

Aqua was first introduced at the 2000 Macworld Conference & Expo in San Francisco. Its first appearance in a commercial product was in the July 2000 release of iMovie 2, followed by Mac OS X 10.0 the following year.^[4] Aqua is the successor to Platinum, which was used in Mac OS 8, Mac OS 9, and developer releases of Rhapsody (including Mac OS X Server 1.2). Apple continually revised Aqua with subsequent operating system revisions, including adding SwiftUI design standards and Swift language support into Aqua’s interface. In 2025, Apple introduced a new universal design across their platforms, called Liquid Glass.