New iOS 26.1 beta: Liquid Glass improved, camera nerve removed

There is still criticism of the look of iOS 26: A large number of users find the transparent, glassy liquid glass look of the operating system confusing to illegible. With iOS 26.1, which is expected in October, this is now set to change: After there has been a kind of anti-transparency switch somewhat hidden in the accessibility area for a long time, the iPhone manufacturer is now implementing the function much more accessible.

New, prominent switch

The new feature is in iOS 26 beta 4, which has also been available as a public pre-release and is prominently located in the system settings under “Screen & Brightness”. It is simply called Liquid Glass and has two dots: “transparent” and “colored”. One of them can be ticked off. “Choose your preferred appearance for Liquid Glass,” Apple writes. “Transparent” (which Apple calls “clear” as a mistranslation) is “more transparent and shows the underlying content”. If “colored” is selected, this “increases the opacity and adds more contrast”.

The effect is similar to the previously available “Reduce transparency” function in the accessibility section, but acts more aggressively and less aggressively after initial checks. For example, the notifications on the lock screen, which are too transparent for many users, are easier to read in both dark and light mode when “colored” is selected. Applications with search bars also display the latter in higher contrast (and thus only immediately findable for some users).

Camera swiping can now be turned off

The control center is also less transparent. Apple had adjusted this again and again as part of the iOS 26 beta, but it ultimately remained too transparent for some users. Here, too, the look is more opaque and therefore easier to read when “colored” is activated. However, Liquid Glass will not be completely abolished. Nevertheless, Apple has to ask itself why more attention was not paid to user-friendliness in advance. Meanwhile, the default mode remains “Transparent”.

Another innovation in iOS 26.1 beta 4 concerns the lock screen. In the camera settings, it will be possible to start opening the camera from there using a swipe gesture. This is helpful, for example, to prevent another person from taking a photo very easily without the user noticing. In addition, it happened that the camera activated unintentionally. However, the long press on the camera button from the lock screen remains active.