iOS 26 Public Beta Review: Liquid Glass Returns with Mixed Feelings
Apple has officially launched the iOS 26 Public Beta, giving the broader public access to a refreshed version of iOS that’s already stirred plenty of debate. The star of the show? The much-discussed Liquid Glass effect is back-and this time, it’s bolder than ever.
Introduced at WWDC 2025, iOS 26 brought sweeping UI changes under the banner of Liquid Glass, a hyper-translucent visual style that has evolved through four developer beta stages. Now, with the Public Beta mirroring Developer Beta 4, we’re getting a clearer idea of what might ship in the final version this September.
The Liquid Glass effect has gone full tilt. Say goodbye to the more restrained frosted matte aesthetic of Developer Beta 3-Apple has doubled down on the glossier, transparent look from earlier builds. Some love the sleek, futuristic vibe, while others (myself included) find it pushes form over function, compromising readability and accessibility.
Photos, Apple Music, and the App Store all reflect this change. Navigation bars are now ultra-translucent, sacrificing legibility for style. If you’re someone who relies on clearly visible UI elements, this shift might not sit well with you. Thankfully, Apple’s Accessibility settings offer a workaround. Toggling “Reduce Transparency” will restore the cleaner, more legible layout reminiscent of DB3.
On the performance front, Apple deserves some praise. The iOS 26 Public Beta feels faster, more stable, and offers noticeably better battery life. Gone are the overheating issues from early dev builds. However, some quirks remain-like a persistent audio bug in the Photos app that causes videos to continue playing sound even after they’re closed, sometimes stacking multiple audio streams. The only current fix? Manually pausing each video. Not ideal, but at least it’s a known issue and can be reported through the Feedback app.
Should you install iOS 26 Public Beta? If you like experimenting and don’t mind the occasional glitch, it’s a solid preview of what’s coming. But if you prefer a polished, bug-free experience-or if translucent UI drives you nuts-you might want to wait.
At the end of the day, Liquid Glass is back in full force. Whether that’s a visual treat or a design misstep depends entirely on your taste. Apple is clearly testing the waters with bold design choices, and iOS 26 is their statement piece. Just don’t forget-you can always tone it down in settings.