Apple Addresses Liquid Glass Backlash In Latest iOS Beta For iPhone

This year’s version of iOS brought big changes to the user interface, and people either love it or hate it. Thankfully, Apple hasn’t tuned out the criticism and will include an option to give users more control over the look and feel of the OS. These optional settings have already appeared in iOS 26.1 Beta 4, which means it should be in the final release of iOS 26.1.

The new design language, Liquid Glass, turns the transparency on to the max in an effort to try and seem like it’s out of the way. However, it often becomes a usability nightmare because text can become difficult to read when an element of the interface doesn’t have a nice, solid color behind it. This is by far and away the biggest complaint from those who aren’t fans of the new look.


Apple will be improving the situation by providing a new setting where users will be able to choose from either the default clear appearance or a tinted appearance. For those who participate in the beta program, head over to “Settings,” then tap on “Display and Brightness.” Here, you’ll find the new “Liquid Glass” option.

For those who aren’t running betas on their phone, but are eager to minimize the glassy effects, there’s a way to accomplish this that will hold you over until the official fix arrives. Go to “Settings,” then go to “Accessibility,” then tap on “Display and Text Size,” and toggle on “Reduce Transparency.” It can lead to some wonkiness at times depending on the app being used, but it will be a big improvement.

While it’s disappointing that these options weren’t available from the start, it’s nice to see Apple is willing to let users dial in the look and feel of iOS.