The iOS 26 Developer Beta has been out for ten days now at the time of writing, and, while there are significant enhancements, Apple definitely has its work cut out to get it ready for general release in September 2025. iOS 26 is largely a positive shift; however, it brings with it a host of performance issues (as expected from the first beta iteration). Here are my main takeaways after a week with iOS 26 on my iPhone 16 Pro—keeping in mind it’s still a developer beta, and everything’s subject to change.
Liquid Glass
Liquid Glass: Apple’s largest and perhaps most controversial design language update yet. Glossy and vaguely reminiscent of Windows Vista, the new interface is already dividing users. While attractive, the new UI is consequently performance-intensive, battery-hungry, and at times reduces clarity. Personally, I’m a fan of the new look; however, Apple needs to make significant strides in accessibility and performance for this change to be a net positive.
Apple Music
Apple Music receives a range of enhancements from the addition of Apple Intelligence in iOS 26, the most significant among them being the addition of intelligent auto-mixing. Rather than incorporating a voiced AI assistant, Apple elected to focus purely on the music. The new feature makes bold mixing decisions, sometimes jumping as far ahead as a minute into a track. This approach, while not always seamless, is miles ahead of Spotify’s AI DJ. For those that appreciate live mixing and performances, intelligent auto-mixing brings with it a similar substitute for the moments where that is not feasible, such as when driving. Now whoever’s on aux must think about track cohesion (much like a DJ would).
Phone App Refresh
The phone app receives a significant overhaul in iOS 26, including impactful additions such as call screening and Hold Assist. Call screening has been a game-changer for my daily life, allowing me to decide whether to pick up any call—be it a scam, package delivery, or any other unknown number. Apple also adds Hold Assist, an Apple Intelligence-powered agent that takes over the call while I wait for a representative. Now, I can skip the elevator music entirely and focus on something else instead. Both of these features have immediate impact—especially with the prevalence of scam calls and perpetually understaffed call centers.
Still Some Rough Edges
While this may be the first iteration of the iOS 26 Developer Beta, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the thermal issues, significantly reduced battery life, and frequent device freezes. While the iPhone’s impressive leaps in processing power may allow it to handle a commensurate advancement in UI design, the real question is whether the apparent performance and battery duration tradeoffs are worth the redesign. Again, it’s too early to jump to conclusions—but let’s hope subsequent beta iterations bring iOS 26 back to performance parity with its predecessors.
Holding Out Judgment
Overall, iOS 26 appears to be a positive shift, at least feature-wise. Public perception on Liquid Glass and other UI adjustments, like most cosmetic changes, will just be a matter of personal preference and trade-offs. I’ll be holding out judgment until Apple sorts out the usual bugs and beta hiccups.