Apple’s iOS 26 Beta Preview: Liquid Glass and Subtle Upgrades
At WWDC 2025, Apple unveiled iOS 26, marking the biggest visual overhaul since the company moved away from skeuomorphic design. The new Liquid Glass aesthetic brings a fresh, modern look with layered transparency and fluid animations. Menus and buttons respond dynamically to touch, sometimes splitting into new options. The redesign extends to the lock and home screens, featuring a tall clock font with slight transparency and a subtle 3D effect that adds depth to wallpapers.
Early beta builds struggled with readability due to excessive transparency, but updates have improved opacity. A toggle in Accessibility settings lets users reduce transparency further, though a slider for customization would be welcome. Another practical change is the relocation of the search bar to the bottom of the screen, making it easier to reach on larger iPhones.
Visual Intelligence, an Apple Intelligence feature, now works with screenshots, offering context-aware actions. For example, it can extract event details from a ticket screenshot and add them to your calendar. It also identifies objects like plants or cars and allows selective focus by circling items. While Android has offered similar features for years, this is a step forward for iOS.
Apple Intelligence’s Writing Tools have improved, handling longer voice memos and PDF summaries more effectively. Genmoji and Image Playground also see upgrades, with deeper customization and ChatGPT integration for AI-generated art. However, Genmoji’s new avatars may not always resemble users accurately—some testers reported mismatches in skin tone or facial features.
The Camera app has been streamlined, showing only photo and video modes by default. Swiping up reveals additional settings like flash and exposure, while a six-dot icon provides quick access to advanced options. AirPods with an H2 chip can now start video recording by holding the stem.
Apple Music introduces AutoMix, a smarter crossfade feature that blends tracks by adjusting tempo and layering elements. It works well about 80 percent of the time, offering a more DJ-like experience. Playlist pinning is another handy addition for saving recommendations.
Messages gains custom chat backgrounds and improved spam filtering. Live translation works across Messages, calls, and FaceTime, though language support varies. Spam messages can be muted or filtered into a separate folder, though some promotional texts still slip through.
New apps like Games and Preview feel unnecessary. Games merges the App Store’s gaming section with installed titles but doesn’t enhance discovery. Preview, borrowed from macOS, organizes viewable files but duplicates much of the Files app’s functionality.
AirPods receive minor but welcome updates, including charging notifications and enhanced recording quality. Sleep detection automatically pauses playback when no movement is detected, ideal for travel.
iOS 26 focuses on refining design and usability over flashy AI features. Liquid Glass modernizes the interface, while small tweaks like bottom-aligned search bars and smarter screenshot tools improve daily use. The absence of major Siri upgrades remains notable, leaving Apple’s assistant trailing competitors. For now, iOS 26 offers a polished, if incremental, update.
