I tried the iOS 26 beta – These 5 features make my iPhone feel new

The public beta version iOS 26 is there, and it’s not just another cycle of subtle adjustments. This year’s update brings some of the most important changes to the appearance and feeling of your iPhone. Between the new flashy interface, the reworked applications and the surprisingly fun touches in familiar places, Apple bets very well on personalization and varnish. I have been testing the beta version for some time, and these features have impressed me the most.

1. Liquid glass: a new transformer look

(Credit: Apple / PCMAG)

Liquid Glass is Apple’s new interface design, and it completely transforms the iPhone. Notifications, applications, contextual menus, buttons and almost everything you could click are now transparent and superimposed, creating a fresh and catchy appearance.

By testing the beta version, I noticed that the glass effect reveals that the icons move subtly depth when you tilt your screen. Likewise, interface elements shine or blur according to the background content, and the translucent effects give applications an elegant, almost holographic sensation. I also customized the home screen applications to be fully transparent and go all-in on the aesthetics of liquid glass. It is a major aesthetic change compared to the flatter and more static design seen in recent iOS versions and a welcome addition.

2. Messages: New visual and usability options

(Credit: Apple / PCMAG)

With iOS 26, the messages app is more customizable than ever. I changed the background of a few cats, either by selecting in the dynamic preset options, or using a photo of my library. The result was much more personalized messages.

I really appreciated the ease with which it was to reorganize the elements of the menu bar in a message wire by dragging and placing them in the order I preferred. I no longer had to scroll through the default to find the options I use the most.

The other new features that I have tested include:

• Surveys: This allows you to send a survey to a person or a group. You can add more choice of surveys even after sending it.

• Tapping of indicators: You can now see exactly who type a group text or in head-to-face threads with non-iPhone users.

Together, I noticed that these upgrades make messages the most important redesign in iOS 26 after liquid glass.

3. Camera application: rationalized for one hand shots

(Credit: Apple / PCMAG)

Apple changed the IOS 26 camera interface to make it more intuitive, especially for one hand use. When I used the camera application, I discovered that key controls were brought closer to my thumb. This allowed me to jump between photo and video modes with a quick blow.

I appreciated the clearer and simpler look of the application and I was happy to see that I could switch the common tools, such as flash mode and night, with a single tap – more to search through many layers. In addition, I adjusted the exhibition before taking a photo, rather than after the fact. No, this is not a complete overhaul, but it is the most used redesign that has seen the application of the camera has seen for years.

4. Photos application: an intelligent overhaul

(Credit: Apple / PCMAG)

The overhaul of the photos of iOS 18 has frustrated some people due to congested provisions and buried files. With iOS 26, Apple makes its faux pas aroused. In the open photos, I immediately noticed that it was much more friendly.

The new arrangement focuses on two main tabs: one for your full photo library and another for albums and media types such as screenshots, videos and shared content. To test the flexibility of the application, I collapsed these sections and trained them to reorganize the files. This simple split facilitated the passage to what I was looking for exactly without typing in endless menus or guess where there were photos or videos.

The rationalized interface should be particularly welcome to all those who found the changes from last year confusing or difficult to navigate. It is not a total return to the old provision of photos, but it establishes a much better balance between the first and the new.

(Credit: Apple / PCMAG)

With each iOS update, Apple focuses more on making the lock screen a showcase for customization, and iOS 26 is no exception. When I activated Shuffle photo, the locking screen has traveled images with adaptive numbers of numbers. This means that the police, the size and placement of the clock have changed to complete my wallpaper, whether it is a person, a pet or an object. Combined with a new 3D movement effect that made its entry when I tilted the phone, my locking screen was more alive than ever.

Smaller adjustments have also improved general conviviality. For example, I tested locking screen widgets and I found that they now work even if you use depth -effect wallpaper – something that was not possible before. Time and other elements have a translucent and glassy look that binds to the theme of liquid glass. The redesign of the lock screen is the perfect front door of the new aesthetics of iOS 26.

How the beta iOS 26 version accumulates

IOS 26 marks one of the most notable visual updates of the iPhone for years. After spending time with the beta version, I noticed that many of the big changes focus on personalization and conviviality, the first being something that Apple has only adopted a contribution. This combination makes the update larger than the typical annual refreshment. As always, some of these interesting features can receive adjustments before the final version of the operating system, but the public beta version offers a clear overview of the place where Apple then goes. And it’s impressive.