0.5.0 keeps the same page functions and the same click targets. The default paint and a few arguments changed. This note is what you will see, what to call, and how to sit closer to the 0.4.0 look.

What changed visually

Existing apps pick up the new defaults the next time they load glass_theme() or glass_page(). You do not need a new page function.

Piece	0.5.0 default
Intensity	`0.5` (was `0.45`). Slightly more tint, a stronger rim, and a narrower blur range.
Edges	Darker outer edge, more even diffusion. Fill alphas are the same.
Specular	Static top and bottom bands. The highlight does not follow the pointer, and the ambient drift is gone.
Lens	Chromium refracts the backdrop through a convex squircle (index about 1.5). Safari and Firefox keep blur and tint.
Selection	Nav pills, tabs, button groups, and the theme toggle spring an indicator between the active item. Menus and popovers scale out of their trigger.
Press	Buttons and nav links scale and rotate slightly while pressed, then spring back.
Tab bars	Shrink while scrolling down, expand on scroll up or interaction.
Icons	Nav bars, tab bars, and non-primary buttons use monochrome clear-glass ink. Light mode is `#1d1d1f`. Dark mode is near-white.
Sidebar	Still docked. The detached iPadOS 26 card is opt-in.

Reduced motion skips the press spring and the tab shrink. Reduced transparency, increased contrast, forced colors, and flatten mode turn the lens off. Those OS settings now override the inline --glass-* values the intensity script writes, including before the page finishes booting.

shinychat page_chat() / chat_ui() and bslib offcanvas() use the same material: glass header and history, tinted user bubbles, a floating composer, and an offcanvas panel that scales in from its trigger. Bootstrap still owns the offcanvas slide.

What changed in the API

glass_theme(), glass_page(), and update_glass_theme() take these arguments. Defaults match the table above.

Argument	Default	Turn it down
`intensity`	`0.5`	Any value from `0` (Ultra Clear) to `1` (Tinted)
`refraction`	`TRUE`	`FALSE` removes the Chromium lens
`morph`	`TRUE`	`FALSE` removes the springing indicator and menu scale
`press`	`TRUE`	`FALSE` removes the press spring
`minimize_tabs`	`TRUE`	`FALSE` keeps tab bars full size
`icon_style`	`"clear"`	`"color"` leaves author icon colors. `"all"` also restyles icons inside cards
`scroll_edge`	`TRUE`	`FALSE` removes the toolbar fade. 0.4.0 already painted this edge; the argument is new
`floating_sidebar`	`FALSE`	`TRUE` detaches the sidebar into a rounded card

nav_morph is unchanged: the navbar still compacts on scroll down.

New public tokens (see [glass_css_tokens()]): --glass-ior, --glass-refraction-scale, --glass-dispersion, --glass-diffusion, --glass-specular-top, --glass-specular-bottom, --glass-edge, --glass-press-scale, --glass-scroll-edge-fade, --glass-minimize-scale, --glass-icon-clear.

shinyreact useGlassTheme() reports the same knobs, plus reducedTransparency, increasedContrast, and forcedColors. GlassIntensitySlider defaults to 0.5. GlassSidebar floats when floating is set or the theme opts in. glass_page_react() still passes the theme as theme so the compiled CSS is not dropped.

Approximating the 0.4.0 look

This turns off the motion and the lens, restores the old intensity midpoint, and leaves icon colors alone. Static specular bands stay. Pointer tracking does not come back. The darker edge is part of the 0.5.0 material; soften it with tokens if the rim is too strong.

library(shinyglass)

legacy <- glass_theme(
  intensity = 0.45,
  refraction = FALSE,
  morph = FALSE,
  press = FALSE,
  minimize_tabs = FALSE,
  icon_style = "color",
  tokens = list(
    diffusion = "1",
    edge = "rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.22)"
  )
)

scroll_edge stays at its default (TRUE) because 0.4.0 already drew that toolbar. Pass scroll_edge = FALSE only when you want the fade gone. floating_sidebar stays FALSE.

The edge value above is an example override, not a pixel copy of 0.4.0. glass_css_tokens() lists the names tokens accepts.

update_glass_theme() takes the same switches after the app is open:

update_glass_theme(
  session,
  intensity = 0.45,
  refraction = FALSE,
  morph = FALSE,
  press = FALSE,
  minimize_tabs = FALSE,
  icon_style = "color"
)

`material = "clear"`

material = "clear" is deprecated and will leave in a later release. When you omit intensity, that call still maps to 0.12 and warns, so older apps stay clearer than the midpoint. Prefer intensity:

# 0.4.0
glass_theme(material = "clear")

# 0.5.0, same paint, no warning
glass_theme(intensity = 0.12)

update_glass_theme(material = "clear") and shinyreact setMaterial("clear") use the same mapping and the same warning. If you also pass intensity, that value wins and the warning still fires.

Migrating to 0.5.0

What changed visually

What changed in the API

Approximating the 0.4.0 look

`material = "clear"`

Chat and offcanvas