Telegram Android Sidebar Layout Guide: Disable Liquid Glass UI Step by Step

Table of Contents

• Understanding Telegram Android Sidebar Layout and Liquid Glass UI

• What Is Liquid Glass UI in Telegram

• Step-by-Step Guide to Disable Liquid Glass UI

• Customizing Your Sidebar Navigation Settings

• Switching Between Navigation Layouts

• Optimizing Your Telegram Android Experience

• Why Choose an Enhanced Telegram Client

The Telegram Android sidebar layout offers users multiple ways to organize their messaging interface, and understanding how to manage the Liquid Glass UI feature helps you create a personalized experience that matches your preferences. Many Android users find that disabling this visual effect improves performance and simplifies navigation. This guide walks you through the process of modifying your sidebar layout and removing the Liquid Glass UI effect from your Telegram application.

Understanding Telegram Android Sidebar Layout and Liquid Glass UI

The Telegram Android application provides several interface options for organizing your chats and channels. The sidebar layout represents one of the most popular navigation methods, allowing users to access their conversations quickly without cluttering the main screen. The Liquid Glass UI is a visual enhancement that adds a frosted glass effect to certain interface elements, creating a modern aesthetic but potentially consuming additional system resources on some devices.

When you use Telegram on Android, the sidebar appears on the left side of your screen, displaying your chat list and providing quick access to settings and features. The Liquid Glass effect applies a translucent, blurred background to menu items and interface elements, giving them a premium appearance. However, not all users prefer this visual style, and some devices benefit from disabling it to improve battery life and overall performance.

What Is Liquid Glass UI in Telegram

The Liquid Glass UI represents a design trend that mimics the appearance of frosted glass by using blur effects and transparency. In Telegram Android, this effect appears on various interface components, including the sidebar menu, chat bubbles, and notification panels. The visual effect creates depth and sophistication but requires your device to process additional graphics rendering.

Understanding this feature helps you make informed decisions about your interface preferences. The Liquid Glass effect works by applying a Gaussian blur filter to background elements, then layering semi-transparent colors on top. This creates the illusion of looking through frosted glass. While aesthetically pleasing, this process demands more from your device's GPU and can impact performance on older or mid-range Android phones.

The effect becomes particularly noticeable when you scroll through your chat list or open the sidebar menu. You see the blurred background shifting and changing as interface elements move. Some users find this engaging and modern, while others prefer a cleaner, more straightforward interface without these visual embellishments.

Step-by-Step Guide to Disable Liquid Glass UI

Disabling the Liquid Glass UI in Telegram Android involves accessing your application settings and modifying the appearance preferences. Follow these steps to remove this visual effect from your interface:

Step 1: Open Your Telegram Application
Launch Telegram on your Android device. Make sure you have the latest version installed from the Google Play Store to ensure you have access to all current settings options.

Step 2: Access the Settings Menu
Tap the three horizontal lines (hamburger menu) located in the top-left corner of your screen. This opens the main navigation menu where you can access various options including Settings, Saved Messages, and other features.

Step 3: Navigate to Settings
From the menu, select "Settings" at the bottom of the list. This takes you to the main settings page where you can modify various aspects of your Telegram experience.

Step 4: Find Appearance Settings
Look for the "Appearance" or "Chat Settings" option within the Settings menu. This section controls how your interface looks and functions. Tap on it to access appearance-related options.

Step 5: Locate the Liquid Glass Option
Within the Appearance settings, scroll through the available options to find the "Liquid Glass UI" or "Glass Effect" toggle. The exact naming may vary depending on your Telegram version, but it typically appears under visual effects or interface customization options.

Step 6: Disable the Feature
Tap the toggle switch next to the Liquid Glass UI option to turn it off. The switch changes color from blue (enabled) to gray (disabled), confirming that the feature is now deactivated.

Step 7: Verify the Changes
Exit the Settings menu and return to your main chat list. You should immediately notice that the frosted glass effect no longer appears on your sidebar and interface elements. The background now displays as a solid color or standard interface without the blur effect.

Customizing Your Sidebar Navigation Settings

Beyond disabling the Liquid Glass UI, Telegram Android offers numerous customization options for your sidebar layout. These settings allow you to tailor your navigation experience to match your workflow and preferences.

Adjusting Sidebar Width and Position
Some versions of Telegram allow you to adjust the width of your sidebar or choose whether it appears on the left or right side of your screen. Access these options through Settings > Appearance > Sidebar Layout. You can drag the sidebar edge to resize it or select from preset width options.

Organizing Your Chat Folders
The sidebar displays your chat folders, which help organize conversations by category. You can create custom folders by going to Settings > Folders and selecting "Create Folder." Assign chats to specific folders to keep your sidebar organized and reduce clutter. This organizational system works independently of the Liquid Glass UI setting.

Customizing Sidebar Colors and Themes
Navigate to Settings > Appearance > Themes to select from various color schemes. Telegram offers light, dark, and custom theme options. Each theme affects how your sidebar appears, including text color, background color, and accent colors. Disabling Liquid Glass UI works with any theme you choose.

Managing Notification Badges
Your sidebar displays notification badges on chats with unread messages. You can customize how these badges appear by going to Settings > Notifications and adjusting badge display options. Some users prefer to hide badges entirely, while others want them prominently displayed.

Switching Between Navigation Layouts

Telegram Android provides flexibility in how you navigate your application. You can choose between different layout options depending on your device size and personal preference.

Side Navigation vs. Bottom Navigation
The sidebar layout represents one navigation option, but Telegram also offers bottom navigation, where your main menu appears at the bottom of your screen. To switch between these layouts, go to Settings > General > Navigation Layout. Select either "Side Navigation" or "Bottom Navigation" based on your preference. The bottom navigation option works better on smaller screens, while side navigation suits larger devices.

Tablet-Optimized Layouts
If you use Telegram on an Android tablet, the application automatically adjusts to a tablet-optimized layout that may differ from phone layouts. This layout often features a split-screen design with your chat list on one side and the conversation on the other. You can still disable Liquid Glass UI in tablet mode through the same Settings > Appearance path.

Gesture Navigation Customization
Beyond layout selection, you can customize gesture controls for your sidebar. Swiping from the left edge of your screen typically opens the sidebar menu. You can adjust sensitivity and behavior through Settings > General > Gestures. Some users prefer to disable certain gestures to prevent accidental sidebar opening.

Optimizing Your Telegram Android Experience

Disabling Liquid Glass UI represents just one way to optimize your Telegram Android experience. Several other settings work together to improve performance and usability.

Reducing Battery Consumption
Visual effects like Liquid Glass UI consume battery power by requiring constant GPU processing. Disabling this feature, combined with other optimizations like reducing animation speed and limiting background activity, extends your battery life. Go to Settings > Data and Storage to manage background data usage and optimize battery consumption.

Improving Performance on Older Devices
Older Android devices with limited processing power benefit significantly from disabling visual effects. If you experience lag or stuttering when scrolling through your chat list, disabling Liquid Glass UI often resolves these issues. Additionally, reducing animation speed through Settings > Appearance > Animation Speed helps older devices run more smoothly.

Customizing Font Sizes and Display Settings
The sidebar layout works better when text sizes match your preferences. Go to Settings > Appearance > Text Size to adjust how large or small your chat names and messages appear. Larger text improves readability, while smaller text allows more conversations to fit on your screen simultaneously.

Managing Storage and Cache
Your Telegram application accumulates cache files over time. Clearing this cache improves performance and frees up storage space. Navigate to Settings > Data and Storage > Storage Usage to see what files are consuming space. You can safely delete cache files without losing your messages or contacts.

Why Choose an Enhanced Telegram Client

While the standard Telegram Android application provides excellent functionality, many users discover that enhanced third-party clients offer additional features and customization options. Turrit represents a popular enhanced Telegram client that builds upon the official application with additional features and improved customization.

Turrit allows you to switch between side navigation and bottom navigation layouts with even greater flexibility than the standard client. The application provides advanced sidebar customization options, including the ability to pin up to 10 chats across all folders, compared to the standard Telegram limit. This enhanced organization system helps power users manage multiple conversations more efficiently.

The Turrit client includes built-in translation features that work across your entire chat interface. You can translate messages before sending them with 99% accuracy using AI-powered translation. The real-time translation feature translates entire chats dynamically as you scroll, making it easier to communicate with contacts who use different languages. Page translation extends this capability to external links and instant view articles opened within the application.

Turrit offers significant performance improvements through customizable upload and download acceleration, reaching speeds up to 20 times faster than standard Telegram. This feature proves particularly valuable when sharing large files or downloading media from channels. You can configure auto-resume functionality to continue downloads when returning to the application or when switching between Wi-Fi and mobile data.

The Turrit application provides unlimited cloud storage without subscription fees, allowing you to collect and access your favorite images, videos, music, and files faster and more easily. Unlike the standard Telegram approach of storing everything in Saved Messages, Turrit's Cloud Drive offers organized file management with no upload or download speed limits. You can share your Cloud Drive with others or view Cloud Drives shared with you, creating a collaborative file-sharing experience.

Turrit supports logging into 10 accounts simultaneously, compared to the standard Telegram limit of 3 accounts. This feature benefits users who manage multiple Telegram accounts for different purposes. You can receive messages from every account by enabling notifications for all accounts in the notification settings, ensuring you never miss important messages across any of your accounts.

Turrit includes advanced message filtering capabilities that allow you to block specific keywords and filter channel advertisements. The message filter lets you instantly hide spam, ads, and annoying messages by long-pressing or tapping a message and selecting "Words to Block." You can manage your filters through Settings > Tools > Block Messages, adding or editing filters as needed. This feature keeps your chats clean and focused on relevant conversations.

The Turrit client offers privacy detection features that prevent phone number leaks and block unwanted direct messages from strangers. You can check your privacy score and boost your protection with one tap through Settings > Useful Tools > Privacy Detection. Your privacy settings apply across all Telegram clients connected to your account, ensuring consistent protection across devices.

Turrit provides a music playlist feature that eliminates the need to download songs to a separate music player. You can mark your favorite music files, add songs to playlists, and set timers directly within the application. Access your music through Settings > Saved Files > Music > My Playlist. The playback timer feature allows you to set automatic pause times of 30, 60, or 90 minutes, perfect for falling asleep to your favorite songs or maintaining focus during work sessions.

Turrit includes a Video Flow feature that works like scrolling through TikTok, allowing you to browse videos from your chats in a continuous stream. You can tap the heart icon to save your favorite videos and download videos 20 times faster to your saved files. The player gesture operation mode lets you swipe up or down to adjust volume and brightness, or swipe left or right to control video progress, providing an immersive viewing experience without leaving the video player.

Turrit allows you to customize your app icon to match your home screen theme. Navigate to Settings > Chat Settings > App Icon to choose from different colors and designs. This personalization extends your Telegram experience beyond the application interface itself, creating a cohesive visual experience across your device.

The Turrit client supports group remarks, allowing you to add custom names to groups that only you can see. This feature helps you keep your chat names simple and makes it easier to find your groups when you have many conversations. You can set different display names for the same group across different contexts, improving organization without affecting how other group members see the conversation.

Turrit provides content search functionality that allows you to explore more groups, channels, and bots directly from the search bar. The improved keyword search function helps you discover relevant communities and services. You can click "Explore" in the search bar to discover more search results, and channel owners can submit their groups and channels for better visibility.

The Turrit application includes quick search functionality that switches quickly with or without the "#" symbol. You can perform keyword searches across groups, channels, and saved messages, with the feature enabled by default. Manage quick search settings through Settings > Tools > Appearance Customize > Quick Search.

For users who want to disable swiping to the next unread channel, Turrit provides this option in the settings. You can also disable auto-play next, adjust sticker sizes, and customize numerous other interface behaviors to match your preferences. These granular controls give you complete authority over how your Telegram experience functions.

Disabling the Liquid Glass UI in standard Telegram Android represents a straightforward optimization, but exploring enhanced clients like Turrit opens up possibilities for even greater customization and functionality. Whether you prefer the simplicity of the official client or the advanced features of enhanced alternatives, understanding your sidebar layout options and visual effect settings helps you create the perfect messaging experience for your needs.