Meanwhile, the third iOS 26 beta added more changes to Liquid Glass to make it more readable, new wallpapers and several other fixes. As such, we’d expect the first public beta to take all the recommendations and fixes from the developer beta. This also goes for the full public release, which could look very different.

Apple tones down its new Liquid Glass aesthetic in iOS 26 beta 3, making interface elements more readable after user complaints.

Looking at the home screens, the primary difference you'll find is that in iOS 26 the background of the dock and the search option that sits in between the dock and the home screen icons are more transparent and have a sheen to the edges, whereas in iOS 18, these are slightly darker.