With the Monday release of iOS 26 Beta 2, Apple fixed one of the more obvious issues with Liquid Glass, a divisive new user interface design for iPhones, iPads and other Apple devices. This was announced at WWDC 2025 earlier this month.
The updated user interface modernizes the look and feel of the operating system with design systems inspired by the optical quality of the glass, including methods of refraction of light and its semi-transparent nature.
However, the early iOS 26 testers quickly pointed out the flaws in the updated appearance of the early developer beta, somewhat unfair. The beta build is not yet complete, but users have shared screenshots and share the areas where liquid glass is missing in terms of readability and ease of use.
One of the greater concerns for users was the way that the liquid glass barely reads the Control Center (a menu that you access by swiping on the right side of the iPhone screen). Due to its semi-see-through nature, it was difficult to distinguish the Control Center buttons and sliders from the iPhone home screen icons and widgets shown below.
In the newly released beta, Apple addressed the control center issue by adjusting the background blur.
As many people have pointed out, the first beta notifications were also difficult to read. In the updated beta, they are a bit sharper, especially for readability on bright and light backgrounds, but still require work.
iOS 26 is sophisticated, but users want control. Customize the Control Center layout and adjust the blur/transparency level. Not everyone wants to overload frost grass. Personalize>One Size Fit R. #iOS26 #AppleFeedBack https://t.co/yfuav2v6og
– Tech-Reviewit 👨🏼💻 (@craigmlambo22) June 23, 2025
These are probably not final adjustments given that iOS 26 will not be released until fall. However, it shows that Apple actively listens to early user feedback and adjusts accordingly.
In Beta 2, Apple also added an accessibility section to its App Store product page, enabled iCloud Sync, the journaling app on the iPad, added order tracking capabilities to its Apple wallet, and introduced the Apple Music Radio Widget.