Apple made the first public beta of iOS 26 available. Along with other upgrades like a new Games app, the beta gives developers’ and beta testers’ iPhones a Liquid Glass look. However, I discovered a method to lessen the affects of the Liquid Glass design if you don’t like it. This will prevent background graphics from obscuring menus and making them difficult to see.
The design of iOS 26 caused controversy when Apple published the developer beta. While some people were thrilled about it, others, like me, were worried about how readable the new design would be. You may not be pleased with the new design even though Apple made changes to Liquid Glass during the iOS 26 testing process to increase readability by giving it a more frosted appearance. Fortunately, there are just a few simple actions you can do to drastically reduce the transparency of the Liquid Glass design.
Remember that iOS 26 is currently under beta testing. Keeping such issues off your main smartphone is the best course of action since it means that the upgrade may be glitchy for you and that your device’s battery life may be impacted. I suggest downloading the beta on a backup device if you want to test it out.
Additionally, Apple may make changes to Liquid Glass and other upgrade features prior to the official release of iOS 26 this autumn.
How Liquid Glass Should Be Adjusted
1. Go to Settings.
2. Select “Accessibility.”
3. Select Text Size & Display.
4. Press the Reduce Transparency toggle.
Any menus or areas impacted by the Liquid Glass design, such as those in applications like Messages, will become darker as a result.
To better distinguish Liquid Glass components, you may also hit the toggle next to Increase Contrast in the Display & Text Size menu. Many of those elements had a white outline when I activated this option.
To restore the design components to your device in the event that Apple makes changes to Liquid Glass during the beta, repeat the previous instructions to turn off Reduce Transparency.
This autumn, Apple plans to release iOS 26 with Liquid Glass on all eligible devices.
See my first thoughts on iOS 26 and all the additional features Apple promised to add to your smartphone later this year for more information.