Apple restores ‘Liquid Glass’ clarity, enhances AI tools in iOS 26 beta 4

Apple has rolled out the fourth beta of iOS 26, delivering a mix of visual tweaks and AI-powered enhancements. Released on 22 July, the new build reverts several changes made in the previous beta, particularly in how the system handles the Liquid Glass interface.

After a brief experiment with toned-down transparency, which some users dubbed the “frosted glass” phase, Apple has brought back the more polished, reflective look seen in beta 2. While background reflections have been revived, the Notification Center now features an automatic darkening effect to improve readability.

The update also reintroduces the AI-generated notification summaries for news, a feature that was previously disabled due to user complaints about errors in summarising content from the News and Entertainment categories. Now back in action, the tool carries a disclaimer: “Summarisation may change the meaning of the original headlines” and urges users to “Verify information.”

iOS 26 beta 4 includes a redesigned camera app interface, complete with a prompt highlighting the new changes when it launches for the first time. Users can also now disable Call Screening, silence calls from unknown numbers, and prompt unidentified callers to explain the reason for their call.

Apple has added a new “Welcome” screen upon update, along with a dynamic background that shifts colours based on context or time of day. While Apple has yet to publish official release notes for this beta, further changes may be discovered in the coming days.

Alongside iOS, Apple also released the fourth beta versions of iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, tvOS and visionOS. The final release of iOS 26 is expected in September, coinciding with the debut of the iPhone 17 lineup.