Even after Apple made changes to Liquid Glass during the beta phase, some customers may still find it difficult to read.

Above a throng, an iPhone is held in a hand. The screen displays the iOS 26 logo.
On July 24, Apple made the first public beta of iOS 26 available. Along with other upgrades like a new Games app, the beta gives developers’ and beta testers’ iPhones a Liquid Glass look. However, I discovered a method to lessen the affects of the Liquid Glass design if you don’t like it. This will prevent background graphics from obscuring menus and making them difficult to see.

The design of iOS 26 caused controversy when Apple released the developer beta. While some people were thrilled about it, others, like me, were worried about how readable the new design would be. You might not be pleased with the new design even though Apple made changes to Liquid Glass during the iOS 26 testing process to increase readability by giving it a more frosted appearance. Fortunately, there are only a few simple actions you may do to drastically reduce the transparency of the Liquid Glass design.

Here’s how to improve the readability of iOS 26’s Liquid Glass design.

Remember that iOS 26 is currently under beta testing. Keeping such issues off your primary smartphone is the best course of action because it means that the upgrade may be glitchy for you and that your device’s battery life may be impacted. I suggest downloading the beta on a backup device if you wish to test it out.

Additionally, Apple may make changes to Liquid Glass and other upgrade features prior to the official release of iOS 26 this autumn.

How Liquid Glass Should Be Adjusted

1. Go to Settings.
2. Select “Accessibility.”
3. Select Text Size & Display.
4. Press the Reduce Transparency toggle.

Any menus or areas impacted by the Liquid Glass design, such as those in applications like Messages, will become darker as a result.

From the iOS 26 beta, two screenshots. The Liquid Glass effect, which is fully visible in the image on the left, is lessened in the image on the right due to the Reduce Transparency setting being activated.
The Liquid Glass design is fully visible on the left, while the Reduce Transparency setting is activated on the right.

To better distinguish Liquid Glass elements, you may also hit the toggle next to Increase Contrast in the Display & Text Size menu. Many of those components had a white outline when I activated this option.

To restore the design elements to your device in the event that Apple makes changes to Liquid Glass during the beta, repeat the previous instructions to turn off Reduce Transparency.

This autumn, Apple plans to release iOS 26 with Liquid Glass on all eligible devices.

Disclaimer:

This article is based on Apple’s iOS 26 public beta and is intended for informational purposes only. Features discussed, including Liquid Glass, are subject to change before the official release. Always use caution when installing beta software, and avoid doing so on your primary device. This post is not affiliated with or endorsed by Apple Inc.