iOS 26 SwiftUI .glassEffect() renders dark/gray on physical device - TestFlight doesn't fix it
.glassEffect() renders as dark/muddy gray on my physical iPhone instead of the light frosted glass like Apple Music's tab bar.
What I've confirmed:
Same code works perfectly on iOS Simulator
Apple Music and other Apple apps show correct Liquid Glass on same device
Brand new Xcode project with just .glassEffect() also renders dark
TestFlight build (App Store signing) has the SAME problem - still dark/gray
This rules out developer signing vs App Store signing as the cause
What I've tried:
Clean build, delete derived data, reinstall app
Completely reinstalled Xcode
All accessibility settings correct (Reduce Transparency OFF, Liquid Glass set to Clear)
Disabled Metal diagnostics
Debug and Release builds
Added window configuration for Extended sRGB/P3 color space
Added AppDelegate with configureWindowForLiquidGlass()
Tried .preferredColorScheme(nil)
Tried background animation to force "live" rendering
Environment:
iPhone 17 Pro, iOS 26.3
Xcode 26.2
macOS 26.3
The question:
Why does .glassEffect() work for Apple's apps but not third party apps, even with App Store signing via TestFlight? What am I missing?
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