Apple has released iOS 26 Beta 2, addressing concerns with its new Liquid Glass interface and introducing several improvements and features.
Why it matters: The updates demonstrate Apple’s commitment to enhancing user experience while fine-tuning the interface based on early tester feedback.
The details:
- The Control Center’s background blur has been adjusted to improve clarity and ease of use.
- Notifications have been made sharper, though further improvements are needed for readability on brighter and lighter backgrounds.
- Users are calling for more personalization options, such as the ability to customize the Control Center layout and adjust blur and transparency levels.
- Apple has introduced an Accessibility section to the App Store product pages, enabled iCloud sync for the Journaling app on iPads, added order tracking features to Apple Wallet, and introduced an Apple Music Radio widget.
iOS 26 brings exciting changes to iPhones this fall, including the new Liquid Glass aesthetic, which offers a translucent theme where apps and widgets are clear and adapt to dark and light modes based on surroundings.
New and notable features:
- Phone App Redesign: Allows scrolling through contacts, recent calls, and voicemail messages on one screen, and introduces Hold Assist to notify users when an agent comes to the phone.
- Live Translation: Enables real-time translation during phone calls, FaceTime, and text messages.
- Polls in Group Chats: Facilitates decision-making in group messages.
- Filtering Unknown Senders in Messages: Filters spam texts into a separate folder.
- Visual Intelligence: Allows searching for anything visible on the iPhone screen.
- Photos Tabs: Reintroduces Library and Collections tabs for easier navigation.
iOS 26 also introduces an AI-powered adaptive power mode designed to extend iPhone battery life, but it will only be available on newer models.
Supported devices for Adaptive Power Mode:
- iPhone 15 Pro
- iPhone 15 Pro Max
- iPhone 16 Plus
- iPhone 16 Pro
- iPhone 16 Pro Max
What’s next: The public beta for iOS 26 will be available soon, with the final version set to release in the fall, typically in September, shortly after the annual Apple iPhone event.
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