Apple rolls out iOS 26 Beta 3 with UI changes, colorful wallpaper options, and more

IOS 26

Apple has released the third beta update for its latest operating system, iOS 26, for iPhone. This update includes more colour choices for the stock wallpaper for home and lock screens, changes in the appearance of the Liquid Glass UI, and other minor visual enhancements. The update also adds a darker tone to the notifications, to make the text more readable, following user complaints in earlier releases.

iOS 26 Beta 3 update: Here’s what’s new

One of the key changes in iOS 26 Beta 3 is the visual change of the Liquid Glass UI, which brings a slightly darker appearance to the design language, potentially increasing the readability of notification and announcement texts. Multiple users have reported that this change is most noticeable in the media player in the Apple Music and Podcasts apps. This design is also visible in the navigation bar, which now appears less transparent and more solid.

Further, the update brings new color options to the default iOS 26 wallpaper. These are named Halo, Dusk, Sky, and Shadow. These wallpaper versions come with different shades of blue and one with purple, showing more noticeable color shifts in Dark Mode. Apple has also made small adjustments to the Control Center, tweaking the colours of icons like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, AirDrop, and Mobile Data with a brighter appearance to match the colour scheme of the overall UI.

Apple has also confirmed that it has fixed some minor bugs, which could cause iPads connected to external displays to go into sleep mode while in active video calls. Other changes include updated icons for the Files and Photos apps.

iOS 26 Beta 3 update: Eligible devices, How to download

The iOS 26 Beta 3 is available as a free over-the-air (OTA) software update to registered Apple developers and beta testers on iPhone 11 and later models. Subsequently, users need to head to Settings > General > Software Update page and choose iOS 26 Developer Beta from the Beta Updates row to download this update.