<div id="readability-page-1"><div> <p id="speakable-summary">The iPhone’s new glassy look has been toned down with Monday’s release of the third developer beta of iOS 26. This follows user complaints that the update made parts of the user interface more difficult to read.</p> <p>At WWDC 2025 in June, the tech giant introduced its new design language, known as Liquid Glass, which is inspired by the optical qualities of glass in the real world, including how it refracts light and its translucent nature.</p>   <p>But the early version in the first developer beta of iOS 26 and the accompanying updates for Apple’s other devices still left room for improvement in terms of usability, accessibility, and legibility. </p> <p>Last month, Apple fixed some of the more prominent issues with Liquid Glass, like how it made the Control Center so transparent that the iPhone Home Screen icons and widgets shone through, creating visual clutter and confusion.</p> <p>Monday’s update sees Apple taking yet another step to dial things back from an overly-glassy look in a number of key areas. While beta 2 addressed problems with the Control Center, beta 3 shifts its focus to other areas of the mobile operating system, like Notifications and navigation within Apple’s first-party apps, like Apple Music.</p> <p>For instance, the navigation bar in Apple’s streaming music app no longer sees the background shining through a bit, opting for a more solid white. </p> <figure><img height="680" src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/apple-music-beta-2-and-3.png/query-dz02Mjg?x-oss-process=image/auto-orient,1/interlace,1/resize,w_1440,h_1440/quality,q_95/format,jpg" width="628" original-src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/apple-music-beta-2-and-3.png/query-dz02Mjg"/><figcaption><span><strong>Image Credits:</strong>screenshot of iOS 26 beta 2 and 3</span></figcaption></figure> <p>Notifications are also less translucent, as the background behind the text is darkened, increasing contrast. </p> <div> <div>  <p>Techcrunch event</p> <div>  <p><span>Boston, MA</span> <span>|</span> <span>July 15</span> </p>  <p><span>REGISTER NOW</span>  </p></div> </div> </div> <figure><img height="680" src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/notifications-side-by-side.png/query-dz02Mjg?x-oss-process=image/auto-orient,1/interlace,1/resize,w_1440,h_1440/quality,q_95/format,jpg" width="628" original-src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/notifications-side-by-side.png/query-dz02Mjg"/><figcaption><span><strong>Image Credits:</strong>screenshot of iOS 26 beta 2 and 3</span></figcaption></figure> <p>While the changes arguably make features easier to read, some users now complain that Apple has gone too far in the other direction with a return to more of a “frosted glass” aesthetic.</p> <p>However, it’s worth remembering these are just developer betas — early versions of the mobile operating system that won’t be finalized until its public release this fall. The point of beta software is to allow Apple to collect feedback, find bugs, and address issues before the software rolls out more broadly. </p> <p>That means Apple could continue to tweak the Liquid Glass look-and-feel over the coming releases to find the sweet spot for the new glassy look within every app and screen. </p> <figure><div> <blockquote><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Announce a huge redesign just to throw much of it away. Apple should be allowing users to choose how much glass they want instead of just reversing by 75%. At least rename it now to Frosted Glass. Lol. https://t.co/obp9rWe5Ji</p>— Mark Gurman (@markgurman) July 7, 2025</blockquote> </div></figure> <figure><div> <blockquote><p dir="ltr" lang="en">iOS 26 beta 3 featuring Diluted Glass</p>— Benjamin Mayo (@bzamayo) July 7, 2025</blockquote> </div></figure> <figure><div> <blockquote><p dir="ltr" lang="en">ios 26 beta 3 is a complete cop out, they just rolled back the glass rather than making it work well. frosted glass with dark backgrounds is what it is now.</p>— xadacka (florian stravock) (@xadacka) July 7, 2025</blockquote> </div></figure> <figure><div> <blockquote><p dir="ltr" lang="en">They nerfed tf out of Liquid Glass in IOS 26 beta 3 thanks to some of yall whining mfs</p>— cloud ☁️ (@cloudoca) July 7, 2025</blockquote> </div></figure> <figure><div> <blockquote><div dir="ltr" lang="es"><p>Es ABSURDO lo que Apple está haciendo con Liquid Glass en iOS 26 beta 3 🤦🏻‍♂️</p><p>iOS 26 cada vez es mas iOS 18 en cuanto a diseño. No tiene sentido que presuman y anuncien un “nuevo diseño” si al final lo van a dejar 80% igual que iOS 18 🙄</p><p>Primero el CC y ahora las Barras de… pic.twitter.com/sJx9Q06Rrm</p></div>— Omar Santiago (@SantiTech_) July 7, 2025</blockquote> </div></figure> </div></div>

AAPL

<p>Apple has toned down the Liquid Glass design in the third developer beta of iOS 26, responding to user complaints about readability issues. The update improves usability by reducing transparency in areas like Notifications and navigation bars in apps such as Apple Music. While some users appreciate the changes, others feel it has shifted too far towards a frosted glass aesthetic. As these are beta versions, further adjustments may be made before the public release this fall.</p>

- The third developer beta of iOS 26 has been released, addressing user complaints about the readability of the new Liquid Glass design.  
- This update improves usability by reducing transparency in key areas like Notifications and navigation within apps, making text easier to read.  
- While some users appreciate the changes, others feel Apple has reverted too much to a "frosted glass" aesthetic, highlighting the ongoing feedback process before the public release.

iOS 26 beta 3 dials back Liquid Glass