Hands-on experience with the iOS 26 public beta: Is this what the iPhone system will look like in the next decade?
At the recent WWDC, Apple shifted its focus from AI to UI, bringing about the most significant design change since iOS 7 - Liquid Glass.
Different from the hype during the rumor period, the performance of iOS 26 in the first three Beta versions has sparked endless debates among all those who were looking forward to it, with mixed reviews.
Early this morning, Apple officially pushed the first public beta version of iOS 26. After multiple rounds of adjustments and refinements, this highly - anticipated new visual system has finally reached a level of maturity that allows the public to "experience it firsthand" and has come to us in a more refined form.
Right away, ifanr also conducted a hands - on test of the first public beta version of iOS 26.
Summary for those in a hurry:
Upgrade points of iOS 26:
- Comprehensive upgrade of the "Liquid Glass" design language
- Major overhaul of the camera app interface, making it more concise and intuitive
- Return of the navigation bar in the photo album app, with clearer categorization and higher usage efficiency
- New spatial photos added to the photo album, converting 2D photos into a three - dimensional effect and can be used as wallpapers
- New game app added, providing one - stop management of games and social interactions
- New preview app added, enabling quick viewing and editing of PDF files
Upgrade points of the iOS 26 public beta version compared to the developer preview versions Beta 1, Beta 2, and Beta 3:
- The Liquid Glass design achieves a better balance between texture and readability
- Power consumption and overheating return to normal levels
- Full Chinese localization of the settings interface
- Optimization of the pre - selection box of the built - in input method in native software
- Fix of the icon offset bug in the desktop Dock bar, restoring the centered arrangement when there are less than four icons
- Fix of bugs related to auxiliary screenshot and AirPods connection
- Return of the logic of swiping up to enter the background, with the previous app displayed by default
- Fix of the garbled code problem in the contacts
- Fix of the problem where the battery icon in the control center disappears
- The colon in the time on the lock screen returns to the centered position
Hands - on with Liquid Glass
If you still remember the flat design wave brought by iOS 7, then the "Liquid Glass" design of iOS 26 will be another change worthy of being recorded in Apple's design history.
This new language, originating from the design concept of Vision Pro, is named "Solarium" by Apple, aiming to bring an unprecedented sense of transparency and vitality to the user interface.
You can feel this visual impact the moment you light up the screen.
The time and quick widgets seem to float above the screen, presenting a semi - transparent and delicate glass texture.
The Dock bar and folders at the bottom have also evolved into this transparent form. Even the edges of the icons have added an HDR effect, shining brightly in the light.
As a system - level design language, Liquid Glass has been integrated into every aspect of iOS 26:
- Notification center: When pulling down, there is a clear glass refraction effect at the edge, as if sliding a real piece of glass in the real world
- Control center: Each switch is like a warm glass block, and it will respond in real - time during interaction and render a realistic light and shadow effect
- Native apps: When dragging the bottom navigation bar in the App Store, the icons will flow smoothly under your fingertips like liquid. Whether it's Apple Music, Maps, or Health, you can feel this transparency and vitality
Apple doesn't want the UI to just be a layer floating on the glass. Instead, it truly turns the glass into part of the interface: it can transmit light, has depth, moves, and "comes alive".
This is exactly the narrative style that Apple is best at.
Return to Simplicity and Intuition: Complete Renewal of the Camera and Photo Album
In addition to the stunning visual effects, iOS 26 has also carried out a radical reshaping of two core apps, solving the problem of increasing bloat in previous versions.
A More Pure Camera App
Apple has rearranged the complex camera modes, and the main interface has been extremely simplified, leaving only two core buttons: "Photo" and "Video".
Other modes (such as Portrait and Panorama) are hidden by default and can be called up by swiping left or right on the main interface. This not only retains the integrity of the functions but also makes daily shooting simpler and more straightforward.
In addition, the layout of other buttons is also clearer:
- In the upper - right corner are the permanent shortcut controls such as the flash
- The control bar next to it can expand a secondary menu, which contains all the professional parameters in the current mode, making them clear at a glance
- In the upper - left corner, you can quickly switch the specifications and resolutions of videos and photos
The problems of repeated controls and complex modes in the camera interface in previous versions have finally been solved by iOS 26.
Left: iOS 18 / Right: iOS 26 public beta version
A More User - Friendly Photo Album
Different from the much - criticized waterfall flow in iOS 18, the liquid glass navigation bar at the bottom has officially returned in the photo album of iOS 26.
The new photo album completely separates the "Library" from the "Collections". The "Library" returns to its pure form, allowing you to browse all photos and videos in chronological order without interference;
Previously, the categorizations such as photo albums, media types, and people have all been summarized into the powerful "Collections", and it supports customization, allowing you to pin frequently used modules to the top.
Although it hasn't completely changed back to the way we're familiar with, it's much more user - friendly than before.
In addition, the photo album has added an interesting function - spatial photos.
Just tap a button, and ordinary 2D photos can get a three - dimensional effect. This feature can also be applied to wallpapers, bringing you a more interesting experience when you pick up your phone.
Two New Members: Apple's "Steam" and an Efficiency Tool
In addition to optimizing existing apps, iOS 26 has also brought two brand - new apps.
"Games": A One - Stop Game Center
In recent years, Apple's ambition in the game market has been obvious.
Whether it's that about two - thirds of the revenue from its App Store comes from games and in - game transactions, or the huge potential game - playing population of over one billion users, it's determined that games are an area that cannot be ignored.
On iOS 26, the Game Center, which always popped up a window when starting a game, has finally been transformed into an independent "Games" app.
Here, you can:
- Manage all installed games in one stop
- View detailed playing time and achievements
- Get personalized game recommendations and the latest news
- See your friends' game dynamics at any time
Simply put, you can think of it as Apple's Steam.
It's worth mentioning that this app will also appear on the Mac to manage the games installed on it.
This not only provides a much - needed management center for the large group of game players on the iPhone but also demonstrates Apple's determination to turn the iPhone and Mac into more competitive game platforms.
"Preview": The Mac Efficiency Tool Comes to the iPhone
The other newly added app is much more low - key and practical - Preview.
Yes, the Mac efficiency tool that we're extremely familiar with has finally come to the iPhone. It provides more powerful PDF viewing and lightweight editing functions, allowing you to process PDF files quickly and efficiently on your phone without relying on third - party apps.
The iOS 26 Public Beta Version with Good Completion
After looking at the major updates of iOS 26, we've also summarized some differences between the public beta version and the preview version for friends who have updated to the developer preview version -
After updating and experiencing it right away, ifanr found that the iOS 26 public beta version is almost the same as the re - pushed version of iOS 26 Beta 4. The main change still lies in the controversial Liquid Glass.
The transparency of this version of Liquid Glass can be regarded as moving closer to Beta 2 on the basis of Beta 3, basically being the middle value between the two, which can be considered as a balance between the texture of Liquid Glass and readability.
This adjustment is applied to system - native apps such as Apple Music and the App Store, but there hasn't been a major change to the Liquid Glass effect in the control center for now.
It's worth mentioning that to balance readability, Apple has some subtle tricks - when there are messages in the notification center, Apple will slightly reduce the brightness of the wallpaper to indirectly improve readability. Only after the messages are cleared will the background wallpaper return to normal brightness.
In addition to Liquid Glass, there are also some minor adjustments in the iOS 26 public beta version compared to the previous developer preview versions:
- The icons of the Maps app and the Camera app have been slightly changed
- The Camera app provides an introduction to the new camera design
- The Camera app can switch to the front - facing lens without waiting
After looking at the new features, we found that some old bugs in the iOS 26 developer preview version have also been fixed in the iOS 26 public beta version:
- The problem of garbled contact avatars has been fixed
- The problem of the battery icon disappearing in the control center has been fixed
- The colon in the time on the lock screen has returned to the centered position
- The logic of swiping up to enter the background has returned, and the previous app is displayed by default
- The problem of the search bar disappearing in the Contacts app has been fixed
- The performance of overheating and frame drops has been improved
Although many bugs have been fixed, after a short period of use, there is still a probability of encountering the situation where the video sound still plays after exiting the video playback in the photo album. If you encounter other bugs or discoveries, welcome to leave a message in the comment section to tell everyone.
From ifanr's actual usage experience, the state of the first public beta version of iOS 26 is not bad.
After minor adjustments in Beta 2 and extreme conservatism in Beta 3, Apple seems to have found a new balance for the highly - discussed and highly - anticipated Liquid Glass, allowing this design update, which is like a high - stakes gamble, to be successfully implemented.
In addition, mainstream and commonly used apps are more comprehensively adapted, and the much - criticized power consumption and overheating problems in the developer version have also been significantly optimized.
Taking my iPhone 15 Pro as an example, under normal use, the battery drains about 8% per hour. It can be said that it has reached the stable level