iOS 26 isn't quite ready to launch yet, but we're far enough along in the testing process that Apple is seeding the update out to millions of public beta testers today. iOS 26 is also now refined enough that we're able to share more detail on what this update will really mean for iPhone users when it comes in September.
When Apple showed off Liquid Glass on stage at WWDC 2025, it was dramatically different from iOS 18. Translucency was heavily used throughout the OS, with see-through buttons, navigation bars, menus, and more. There was such a heavy focus on translucency that early users expressed concerns over usability and readability.
During the developer beta testing period, Apple has walked back the more dramatic Liquid Glass effects somewhat, and gone back and forth on the design. The Control Center is no longer so transparent that it's hard to see the buttons, navigation bars look much more opaque, and notifications are no longer unreadable on busy backgrounds.
Beta 3 in particular resulted in complaints that Apple had gone too far walking back its design changes, mainly because it eliminated a lot of the transparency in apps. Apple then re-added some of that transparency in beta 4, which is what public beta testers are getting. Beta 4 is not as translucent as beta 1 and beta 2, but the reintroduction of more of the Liquid Glass effect has upset people who heavily favor legibility over design. There's still a significant split between those who prefer the translucency, and those who think it's a major design mistake.
Apple isn't done tweaking Liquid Glass, and the public beta feedback could result in better balance between visibility and the Liquid Glass look. It would be great if Apple implemented a transparency slider, allowing users to decide how much "frost" they want for the interface.
The Liquid Glass time and control buttons on the Lock Screen draw the eye and are aesthetically pleasing paired with a photo-based wallpaper. Apple added a feature where the time will dynamically change in size based on your wallpaper, and it's also able to dip further behind the subject of an image. This is available on Apple Watch for the Photos face too, and it works even better on the wrist. App icons have a stacked glass effect, and folders, the dock, the App Library, and Lock Screen notifications are still largely translucent. You can opt into the all-glass look for your app icons and widgets, which enhances the effect. Darker backgrounds will also give a glassier look, with Apple using more opaqueness for lighter backgrounds to improve readability.
While the actual glass look of the redesign has seen changes during the beta, navigation tweaks and simplifications have remained. The Photos app is the best example, and it has a streamlined two-tab main interface that reveals more as you need it. The pop-out menus and buttons that have replaced more complicated button-laden layouts from iOS 18 are a welcome change across Apple's apps.
Some of the design updates are optional. Safari has a more compact design that tucks tab tools away behind a menu, but you can also choose to use the same Safari design that you have in iOS 18. There's a unified Phone app that merges recent calls, missed calls, and voicemails, but you don't have to use it. There are places in the interface where the menus and navigation bars fall away when not needed to emphasize content, with Safari serving as an example. The tab bar collapses down when you scroll down, and comes right back up if you scroll up. It's an intuitive change that makes sense.
Apple walked back at least one controversial design change that was introduced in iOS 18. The Photos app no longer has a unified view, and it's now split into a Library tab and a Collections tab. It's not the full navigation bar that was available before iOS 18, but it is a compromise between the full bar and the unified look. Everything in iOS 26 is round, and the soft curves work better than stark lines with the Liquid Glass look. Buttons that weren't round before are now. Menu bars have rounded corners and are more pill-shaped. Even the keyboard has more rounded edges.
There are features beyond Liquid Glass, though maybe not as many as we've had in past years. Apple didn't emphasize Apple Intelligence as much as it did at WWDC 2024 for obvious reasons, but there are quite a few Apple Intelligence features in iOS 26... Click here to read rest of article
Article Link: iOS 26 Review: Testing Apple's Biggest iPhone Update
- Article Link
- https://www.macrumors.com/review/ios-26-public-beta/
