iOS 26.1 Update:Apple is tweaking one of the flashiest yet most divisive features of its latest iOS overhaul, the Liquid Glass UI. The company’s upcoming iOS 26.1 update gives users more control over the hyper-transparent interface that made headlines and headaches when iOS 26 launched last month.
A Softer, Less Shiny Liquid Glass
When Apple rolled out iOS 26, the new Liquid Glass design was meant to mark a bold visual shift, sleek, reflective, and translucent across menus, buttons, and notifications. But while some users admired the modern sheen, others felt it was a usability nightmare. The excessive transparency made elements blend with the background, drawing comparisons to the overly glossy Windows Vista era.
Responding to mixed reactions, Apple has now introduced a transparency control in its latest beta version of iOS 26.1. The new toggle, spotted in Settings > Display and Brightness, lets users choose between two modes: “Clear” and “Tinted.”
Clear vs. Tinted: A Choice for the Minimalist and the Practical
According to MacRumors, the “Clear” option maintains the existing Liquid Glass look, highly transparent and showing layered backgrounds beneath buttons and system bars. The new “Tinted” mode, on the other hand, increases opacity and adds contrast, making text and controls easier to distinguish. This adjustment applies system-wide, from app interfaces to Lock Screen notifications.
Apple explains that the feature was directly influenced by user feedback. During the summer beta phase, many testers requested a way to tone down the see-through aesthetic. “The added setting provides additional customisation in iOS 26.1, iPadOS 26.1, and macOS Tahoe 26.1,” the company noted.
Beyond Transparency: More Tweaks Coming in iOS 26.1
The transparency control isn’t the only refinement arriving in this update. The iOS 26.1 beta also introduces a new slide-to-stop gesture for alarms and timers, support for new Apple Intelligence languages, a redesigned Apple TV app icon, and minor adjustments across the Settings app.
For users who found Liquid Glass more distracting than dazzling, iOS 26.1 could be the fix they have been waiting for. With the new “Tinted” mode, Apple seems to be dialing down the shine and turning up the usability.
