Everything New in iOS 26 Beta 6

[Diffcard]

If it takes this much time for Apple to get the translucency right, and it has to tweak and vary it across various apps/elements, is this really a flexible UX? How should app designers approach this?

Should Apple not have built some logic into the transparent elements that would automatically set translucency based on what was on the screen behind?

 

[marcelvelky]

Beta 6 has been great in the ~8 hours of use so far…

The animations are seriously awesome. Last time they were changed was iOS 11 and ever since then everyone complained about how slow it made the OS feel.

Overall, iOS 26 has been the most stable beta in a long time. Yes with lag, overheating and poor battery life, but those are all normal. Outside of these, things have been fixed and everything has been functional. New and existing features have actually worked. Even better when you realize that for the first time in years, everyone complained announced feature was included day one.

Very happy to see this and I’m looking very forward to the succeeding iOS 26 updates.

Also, I love the new toggles. I guess I’m the only one. Alas, different strokes for different folks.

I do not know if this is new, but there is a subtle new animation with magsafe. If old news, nevermind.

 

[Apple Mac Daz]

What is the purpose of the Preview app? It's just a carbon copy of the Files app, there's literally nothing different about it other than the weird backsplash that looks like a rendering error.

Same I don’t get the game app either when all games are in the AppStore

 

[aperfectcircle]

Same I don’t get the game app when all games are in the AppStore

Yeah, haven’t figured out the point of that one either. Maybe an orphaned agile team didn’t get assigned any work and thought they’d make themselves useful

 

[mazz0]

In English we read from left to right. So left comes old, right comes new. So left comes former beta, right comes new beta. Okay? Thanks.

At least it was consistent in this article. In others they would do several where it’s b2 on the left and b3 on the right, then b4 on the left and b3 on the right.

 

[mazz0]

I just can’t get over the ugly pill shaped toggle. Old one looks much more pleasant. Why change toggle shape for the sake of change?
But I suppose that’s how Apple shoehorn unpleasant little things at us, considering after 6 betas they had no intention to revert the design back to pre-iOS 26 design.

It’s at once not as bad and worse than that. That big silly glass blob only appear momentarily while toggling. It looks ridiculous, but only for a second!

 

[mazz0]

6 betas and they still haven’t fixed text going behind the status bar and making it hard to read

Edit: Huh, interestingly, iPad doesn’t have this problem, as it has a frosted bar across the top (I used a window to make it easier to demonstrate in this screenshot, but it’s there in full screen too):

Is this a setting, something that differs between iOS and iPadOS, or something that’s only broken on certain models?

 

[Shirasaki]

It’s at once not as bad and worse than that. That big silly glass blob only appear momentarily while toggling. It looks ridiculous, but only for a second!

No I don’t mean the glass blob. I mean the pill-shaped toggle we have in iOS 26 and macOS 26. The toggle we see in iOS 18 and below looks just fine and functions just as well. The pill-shaped toggle started from beta 1.

 

[svish]

Very happy with all the changes. It is more transparent now. Ringtones are a nice addition. Hope the transparency levels do not reduce before the final rollout.

 

[mazz0]

No I don’t mean the glass blob. I mean the pill-shaped toggle we have in iOS 26 and macOS 26. The toggle we see in iOS 18 and below looks just fine and functions just as well. The pill-shaped toggle started from beta 1.

Ah, yeah, I forgot that had changed. Yeah, I don’t love it, but it doesn’t bother me too much - not compared to the rest…

 

[Sputman99]

Preview app great, windows on iPad great - rest of it is liquid glass fluff and must have taken loads of time to get right when they could put towards something else. Also Tim Cook giving the administration a gold bar is sick to the stomach. I’m not even sure I want to buy another Apple product if Tim decides to work with the current administration - Tim is gay and the Christian nationalists want to remove any of those rights - what is the matter with him - is the bottom line the only thing that matters. And all Apple can worry about is some translucency and rounded corners - I am sick to my stomach

 

[BMJT]

Those new toggle designs are utter nonsense, pure form over function, there are some nice elements to this aesthetic but overall I think it’s a massive mistake.

 

[Octavius8]

It is hard to read the time!.
This school project has gone too far!.
You are breaking usability.
You are choosing form over function!.

 

[Octavius8]

How about different audio sources sliders?.
One slider for music, other for ringer. Is that too hard?. Android has it since for ever.
iOS 26 is a graphic design effort, not a progtsmming effort.
Apple is dying.

 

[tfigs]

I usually wait around this time to test out the Public Beta. Is this version stable enough, or better to wait another week? I understand it's beta and I send in reports. Thanks

 

[turbineseaplane]

Not sounding good here:

 

[turbineseaplane]

6 betas and they still haven’t fixed text going behind the status bar and making it hard to read


View attachment 2536755

Edit: Huh, interestingly, iPad doesn’t have this problem, as it has a frosted bar across the top (I used a window to make it easier to demonstrate in this screenshot, but it’s there in full screen too):

View attachment 2536763

Is this a setting, something that differs between iOS and iPadOS, or something that’s only broken on certain models?

Hmm, interesting...

 

[Nikhil72]

Not sounding good here:

View attachment 2536804

Sounds like a solid bit of aversion to change. Been an iOS user since the original iPhone and this is the most fun and personality Apple has shown in design language in a long time. There’s a coherence and style unique to Apple now that I think consumers are going to really enjoy, especially with the new performance boost. Screenshots are great for rage baiting, but in actual use these issues aren’t particularly noticeable while the interface is in motion to its final destination. And they’re ultimately going to tweak for years to come as this interface is likely to stay for at least half a decade. I think those complaining are largely looking for a status quo of aesthetic to be maintained but then also bemoaning Apple when they don’t take a risk.

On the flip side is Android’s ME3; opinionated, but childish in its splashes of color and not particularly different from the flatness we’ve seen from google before.

 

[insomniac86]

Those new toggle designs are utter nonsense, pure form over function, there are some nice elements to this aesthetic but overall I think it’s a massive mistake.

How is it form over function? The new toggle operates exactly like the old one.

In both designs, tapping the toggle switches it between "on" and "off." This illustrates function over form, as the appearance has changed, but the functionality remains the same.

 

[turbineseaplane]

How is it form over function? The new toggle operates exactly like the old one.

In both designs, tapping the toggle switches it between "on" and "off." This illustrates function over form, as the appearance has changed, but the functionality remains the same.

Because they are harder to see.

That's the definition of prioritizing form over function.

Nobody is debating that they still "do the toggle thing they are supposed to do when pressed".

 

[anthony131]

I will never understand how anyone would put the BEFORE on the Right and the AFTER on the Left.
Although, this does clarify how someone could have such a backwards opinion of this horrid UX.

I don't know. I guess I like the ability to read words on a user interface without feeling nauseous when I'm using them. I guess I'm the delusional one.

 

[SirWill]

That change on the clock for Beta 6, would make that useless for me. Actually most all of this liquid glass stuff is going to make it harder for anyone with vision issues. I am really missing the old android days of tons of 3rd party skins you could use.

 

[stephanjp]

They are all on iPad. Curious to know if others are seeing these issues.
1: when you click on the Home Screen (not an app icon) the screen opens the last app you were looking at.
2: if you have two apps open side by side, they both appear on the edges of the screen.

I haven’t loaded it on my phone because I can’t afford to be without the phone if something goes wrong.

If you click on the Home Screen and you have multiple windows open and click on the wallpaper all the open windows will fly off to the edges of the screen.

Yeah, that lock screen clock is now nearly unreadable.

Them turn off the effect on the clock. Easy.

 

[stephanjp]

Preview app great, windows on iPad great - rest of it is liquid glass fluff and must have taken loads of time to get right when they could put towards something else. Also Tim Cook giving the administration a gold bar is sick to the stomach. I’m not even sure I want to buy another Apple product if Tim decides to work with the current administration - Tim is gay and the Christian nationalists want to remove any of those rights - what is the matter with him - is the bottom line the only thing that matters. And all Apple can worry about is some translucency and rounded corners - I am sick to my stomach

I hear you. Unfortunately our president needs to be constantly flattered and bribed to get any consideration of him doing the right thing. BTW Cook looked very uncomfortable at the presentation.

 

[gluckett]

Them turn off the effect on the clock. Easy.

Add a slider and let everyone decide for themself. Easy.