Apple has released the iOS 26 Beta 3 OTA update for iPhones and it comes with minor but significant visual changes. Now available to registered developers and beta testers, the iOS 26 Beta 3 update will offer features out of the previous betas, with a significantly more polished appearance, better readability, and user customization.
The new Liquid Glass interface is one of the most immediately noticeable modifications in the iOS 26 Beta 3 update. Announced at WWDC 2025, the idea of a liquid glass look is to offer a transparent, glass-style finish to the iPhone. But, when it was first introduced in iOS 26 Beta 1, people have started to experience problems in the name of readability, especially when they had light wallpapers to begin with. Apple has been iterating on the new UI with each beta.
The Liquid Glass interface is now darker in iOS 26 Beta 3, especially in apps like Apple Music and Podcasts. This darker color is helpful for the better readibility of text and overall look when using darker themes. It’s a sign that Apple is still listening to its customers and iterating on its design language.
A couple of more new things in iOS 26 Beta 3 is the newly added stock wallpapers. So, there users have four different wallpaper themes now. These new choices are added to provide more controls for customizing home and lock screens, and they pack a bigger punch when used with Dark Mode.
The dock layout has also been tweaked in the iOS 26 Beta 3 update. Prior to this the icon was aligned to the left and if you had less than four items in the dock it would be left-aligned. Now, they are kept in the center for a cleaner and more symmetrical results. Impressive tweaks like these demonstrate Apple’s ability to sweat the little things when it comes to UI polish.
There are other visual changes too, for example the icons of the Files and Photos apps have been adjusted. These are relatively minor but are in line with the general visual overhaul taking place across iOS 26 betas.
As of today Apple released the iOS 26 Beta 3 as a developer and public beta for iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro as an OTA (over-the-air) update. Although the beta is available to all testers, Apple Intelligence capabilities remain available only on iPhone 16 models and the iPhone 15 Pro/Pro Max. The most likely public release of iOs 26 should come in September when the iPhone 17 series will release.
The iOS 26 Beta 3 update represents Apple’s effort to refine the aesthetic and improve the usability as per the community’s feedback. OS 26This update helps to define the final vision of iOS 26 with its dark interface, dynamic wallpapers and improved dock features.
