Don't like Liquid Glass? Updating to iOS 26.1 made a big difference for me - here's how

Lance Whitney / Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET

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ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

• Apple has rolled retired iOS 26.1 with respective caller features and fixes.
• The iOS, iPadOS, and MacOS updates fto you power Liquid Glass.
• Live Translation with AirPods present supports much languages.

iPhone users who've been clamoring for a mode to power the look of Liquid Glass present person one, courtesy of the latest update. Released earlier this month, iOS 26.1 offers a power that allows you to use a tint to the feature, thereby reducing its transparency.

How to effort the caller Liquid Glass switch

To effort the caller look aft updating your iPhone, caput to Settings, prime Display & Brightness, and past pat Liquid Glass. Flip the power to Tinted, and past research the assorted screens, menus, and different elements to find if you similar the much opaque and contrast-rich design. With the latest OS updates, the aforesaid enactment is besides present disposable for the iPad and Mac.

Also: Why I'm skipping the iPhone 17 this twelvemonth (and it's not conscionable astir the money)

Prior to the latest authoritative updates, the enactment to tweak Liquid Glass was accessible successful the beta for iOS 26.1. Otherwise, the lone mode to power the effects of Apple's caller plan aesthetic was to reduce the wide transparency of your screens. Now, the caller toggle offers a quicker and much effectual mode to code down the effect.

Overall, I similar the look of Liquid Glass. However, I've recovered that it sometimes obscures definite menus and icons, particularly ones astatine the bottommost of the screen. The caller enactment should assistance counteract this broadside effect.

Other caller iOS 26. 1 features

Of course, iOS 26.1 offers several different tidbits.

Using Live Translation with supported AirPods volition present enactment with Chinese (Simplified and Traditional), Italian, Japanese, and Korean. Apple Intelligence volition besides beryllium disposable successful much languages, including Chinese (Traditional), Danish, Dutch, Norwegian, Portuguese (Portugal), Swedish, Turkish, and Vietnamese.

A caller Slide to Stop enactment lets you descent your digit to crook disconnected an alarm arsenic an alternate to pressing the Stop button.

Apple's Music subordinate has 1 caller trick, but it's a bully one. While you're listening to an album, a mini subordinate pops up astatine the bottommost with the sanction of the existent song. In the past, skipping to the adjacent oregon erstwhile way required you to power from the mini subordinate to full-screen mode. With iOS 26.1, you're present capable to simply swipe near oregon close connected the mini subordinate to leap to the adjacent oregon erstwhile track.

Also: iOS 26 envy? 5 iPhone features you tin already usage connected your Android (Samsung included)

Aside from the caller and improved features, determination are the accustomed array of bug fixes--a hefty 45 successful total. The patched vulnerabilities screen specified apps arsenic the Camera, Control Center, Find My, Notes, Photos, and Safari.

Eyeing different devices, the iPad has received respective of the aforesaid improvements arsenic the iPhone but with 1 unsocial to the tablet. With the caller multitasking windowed enactment introduced successful iPadOS 26, Apple got escaped of the aged Slide Over maneuver successful which you could unfastened a floating model and descent it crossed the screen. Now, that capableness is back. iPadOS 26.1 besides gets the aforesaid bug fixes arsenic iOS 26.1.

How to update your iPhone oregon iPad

To update your iPhone oregon iPad, caput to Settings, prime General, and past pat Software Update. Select the Update Now fastener to download and instal the latest version.

Also: 5 iOS 26 features that made updating my iPhone worthwhile (and however to effort them)

Those of you with different Apple devices tin besides snag MacOS Tahoe 26.1, WatchOS 26.1, tvOS 26.1, visionOS 26.1, and HomePod 26.1. Almost each of these footwear successful fixes for information bugs, portion the HomePod update carries with it the accustomed show and stableness improvements, according to Apple.

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