Each autumn, Apple draws a new boundary between what our devices were and what they might become — and this year, that boundary arrives with a new name and a new face. iOS 26, now open to public beta testers, introduces Liquid Glass, a translucent design philosophy meant to unify the look and feel of every screen in Apple's ecosystem. The version number itself is a quiet declaration: Apple is no longer counting releases, it is counting years, aligning its software to the calendar the way a carmaker names a new model. Beneath the aesthetic ambition lie practical gifts — spam filters, live trans
iOS 26 Public Beta 2 Now Available: Liquid Glass Design and Key Features Explained
The translucent look has sparked debate, but Apple is already listening.
Mark
Why skip from iOS 18 straight to iOS 26? That's a pretty dramatic jump.
Mimi
Apple decided to align its iOS version numbers with the year of release, like car model years. Since iOS 26 launches in 2025, they're calling it 26. It's a cleaner system than the old numbering, though it does feel like a marketing reset.
Mark
And this Liquid Glass thing—is it actually an improvement, or just Apple chasing aesthetics?
Mimi
It's both. The translucent design is visually fresh after years of the same home screen layout, but it's also functional. The floating buttons are genuinely less distracting. That said, Apple's already dialing back the transparency based on user feedback, so the final version will probably feel less extreme than what's in the beta.
Mark
What about Siri? I thought Apple was supposed to make it smarter.
Mimi
That's been pushed to 2026. Apple overpromised on AI last year, so this time they're being more cautious. They're reportedly looking at partnering with ChatGPT or Claude to power a better version, but nothing's happening this year.
Mark
The Hold Assist feature for phone calls—that actually sounds useful.
Mimi
It is. Anyone who's spent twenty minutes on hold listening to bad music will appreciate being able to step away and get notified when a human picks up. It's the kind of quality-of-life fix that doesn't sound revolutionary but genuinely improves daily life.
Mark
Are there any real risks to installing the public beta?
Mimi
Yes. It's unfinished software. Bugs, crashes, battery drain—all possible. Apple recommends not using it on your main phone unless you're comfortable with those risks. The final version comes in September, so if you can wait, that's the safer bet.
Il Polso
- Apple has thrown open the doors to iOS 26's public beta, inviting everyday users to live inside a redesign that replaces familiar interfaces with translucent, glassy surfaces that shift with light and shadow.
- The Liquid Glass aesthetic has already ignited debate — comparisons to Windows Vista's Aero era are circulating — forcing Apple to quietly dial back transparency in certain areas before the software even reaches its final form.
- Practical frustrations are being addressed in parallel: a single-screen Phone app, automatic spam filtering for unknown senders, live call translation, and a Hold Assist feature that frees users from the purgatory of hold music.
- iPadOS 26 makes a long-overdue leap toward true multitasking, introducing resizable, movable windows and a menu bar that brings tablet computing closer to the desktop experience users have long demanded.
- Siri's promised intelligence upgrade has slipped to 2026, with Apple reportedly weighing partnerships with ChatGPT and Claude to fill the gap — a rare public acknowledgment that its own AI ambitions are running behind schedule.
- The final release is expected in September, and while most iPhones from 2019 onward qualify, the beta carries real risk for anyone running it on a primary device.
Each autumn, Apple draws a new boundary between what our devices were and what they might become — and this year, that boundary arrives with a new name and a new face. iOS 26, now open to public beta testers, introduces Liquid Glass, a translucent design philosophy meant to unify the look and feel of every screen in Apple's ecosystem. The version number itself is a quiet declaration: Apple is no longer counting releases, it is counting years, aligning its software to the calendar the way a carmaker names a new model. Beneath the aesthetic ambition lie practical gifts — spam filters, live translation, hold-music liberation — alongside a candid admission that Siri's deeper intelligence will have to wait until 2026.
Apple's next major software update is now available to anyone willing to sign up for the public beta. iOS 26 public beta 2 arrived this week, offering early adopters their first sustained look at what the company plans to ship this fall. The version number alone signals a shift: Apple is abandoning sequential numbering in favor of a year-based system, a quiet but deliberate realignment of how it frames its software roadmap.
The visual centerpiece is Liquid Glass, a translucent design language first shown at Apple's developer conference in June. Home and lock screens gain clear, glassy widgets that respond to light and dark modes, while floating buttons appear throughout apps like Phone and Maps. The look has drawn inevitable comparisons to Windows Vista's Aero aesthetic, and Apple has already begun adjusting transparency levels in response to user feedback. The company intends to extend this unified visual language across macOS, iPadOS, and the rest of its ecosystem.
Practical improvements run alongside the aesthetic overhaul. The Phone app consolidates contacts, recent calls, and voicemail onto a single scrollable screen. Hold Assist notifies users the moment a representative picks up, ending the obligation to monitor hold music. Messages gains automatic spam filtering that routes unknown senders into a separate folder, and Live Translation brings real-time interpretation to phone calls, FaceTime, and texts. Group chats can now host polls, and the Photos app restores the Library and Collections tabs that disappeared in last year's redesign. A Visual Intelligence feature lets users screenshot anything on screen and search for similar items online.
IPadOS 26 takes a more substantial step, introducing true windowing — multiple apps running simultaneously, resizable and freely movable — alongside a swipe-down menu bar with familiar options like File, Edit, and Windows. AirPods are also receiving updates, including studio-quality audio recording and camera control via a single press.
Siri remains the notable absence. Apple's promised intelligence upgrades have been pushed to 2026, with reports indicating the company is exploring partnerships with OpenAI's ChatGPT and Anthropic's Claude to accelerate its capabilities. The final version of iOS 26 is expected in September, likely within a week of Apple's iPhone announcement, following the same pattern as last year's iOS 18 launch.
Apple's next major operating system update is now in your hands—or at least available to anyone willing to sign up for the public beta. iOS 26 public beta 2 dropped this week, giving early adopters their first real chance to live with the software Apple will officially release this fall. The version number itself signals something new: Apple is abandoning its traditional numbering scheme and jumping straight to 26, aligning iOS with a year-based system similar to how car manufacturers label model years. It's a small change in nomenclature that reflects a larger shift in how the company thinks about its software roadmap.
The centerpiece of this update is Liquid Glass, a translucent design language that Apple showcased at its developer conference in June. The aesthetic overhauls the iPhone's home and lock screens with clear, glassy widgets and apps that adapt to your device's light and dark modes. Floating buttons appear throughout apps like Phone and Maps, designed to be less visually intrusive while remaining easy to tap. The look has drawn comparisons to Microsoft's Windows Vista Aero designs from nearly two decades ago—a resemblance that's sparked some debate among users. But Apple has already begun incorporating feedback into the beta releases, dialing back the transparency in certain places. The company plans to extend this translucent look across all its operating systems, from macOS to iPadOS, creating a unified visual language across its entire ecosystem.
Beyond aesthetics, iOS 26 focuses on practical improvements that address long-standing frustrations. The Phone app has been redesigned to let you scroll through contacts, recent calls, and voicemail all on a single screen. A new feature called Hold Assist will notify you the moment a representative picks up during a call, freeing you from the obligation to listen to hold music while waiting. Messages gets spam filtering that automatically separates unknown senders into a dedicated folder, a relief for anyone drowning in texts about unpaid tolls. Live Translation brings real-time conversation translation to phone calls, FaceTime, and text messages, though Apple's demonstrations showed the feature creates natural pauses in dialogue. Group chats gain the ability to create polls for deciding everything from restaurant choices to whose car to take on a road trip.
Apple is also restoring a feature users have missed since last year's Photos app overhaul: tabs. The Library and Collections sections will return to their own separate spaces, eliminating the need to scroll endlessly to find what you're looking for. A new Visual Intelligence feature works like reverse image search, letting you screenshot anything on your screen—a pair of shoes in an Instagram photo, for instance—and search for similar items online. The lock screen itself becomes more customizable with new clock designs, 3D wallpaper effects, additional widget options, and improved focus mode controls.
iPadOS 26 brings more substantial changes to Apple's tablets. The update introduces true windowing, allowing multiple apps to run simultaneously on screen with the ability to resize and move them freely. A new menu bar appears when you swipe down, offering options like File, Edit, and Windows, along with a search function. The Liquid Glass aesthetic extends to the iPad's lock screen, home screen, and dropdown menus. AirPods are getting attention too, with studio-quality audio recording for clearer sound in noisy environments, the ability to control your camera with a single press, and hints of a live translation feature spotted in the beta code—triggered by pressing both earbud stems simultaneously.
Siri remains in limbo. Apple promised a smarter voice assistant at last year's developer conference, but that rollout has been delayed until sometime in 2026. Reports suggest the company is exploring partnerships with third-party AI models like OpenAI's ChatGPT or Anthropic's Claude to power a more capable version. Apple is also reportedly developing its own stripped-down AI chatbot to compete with ChatGPT. For now, Siri watchers should expect no major changes in the current betas.
Most iPhones released since 2019 are eligible for the update, with the exception of the iPhone XR, XS, and XS Max. That includes everything from the iPhone 11 through the iPhone 16 and the newly rumored iPhone 16e. The public beta is free to join through Apple's Beta Software Program at beta.apple.com. A word of caution: installing an unfinished operating system on your primary device carries real risks. The final version is expected to arrive in September, typically within a week of Apple's iPhone announcement event. Last year, iOS 18 rolled out on September 16, exactly seven days after the iPhone 16 lineup was unveiled.
Citazioni salienti
Apple has already incorporated user feedback into the design, dialing back the transparency in at least some places.— Apple's approach to iOS 26 beta refinement
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