Fourth round of testing, and Apple continues to put the pedal to the metal with iOS 26.1. This beta 4 release brings two long-awaited changes: more control over the Liquid Glass design and the option to disable the camera gesture on the lock screen, two long-standing requests from users who asked for more customization and fewer accidental activations.
Appearance adjustment for Liquid Glass
The most visible change is a selector that allows decide how Liquid Glass is displayed in the interface. From Settings > Display & Brightness you can choose between two modes: Transparent (Clear) or Tinted (Tinted). It's not a granular slider, but rather a binary selection that applies to notifications, bars, and other elements.
Transparent mode retains the glass effect of iOS 26, allowing the background to be seen under the interface layers, while Tinted mode increases opacity and contrast to make it easier to read. This setting also comes to iPadOS 26.1 already macOS Tahoe 26.1, where it's located under System Preferences > Appearance; on Mac the visual differences are somewhat more subtle.
Goodbye to accidental camera openings
Another notable novelty is the possibility of disable the swipe gesture to open the camera from the lock screen. If it's played tricks on you in your pocket, you can now go to Settings > Camera > Swipe access on the lock screen and uncheck it to prevent accidental opening.
Apple Intelligence and other tweaks
Apple has tweaked the Apple Intelligence section in Settings: its interface is now aligned to the left, in line with the rest of the system, and the “Beta” label disappears On iOS, however, the branding is still present in macOS Tahoe 26.1 beta 4, so it's unclear whether this is a visual change or a permanent status change. The new visual language Apple's is affecting several areas of the system.
The Phone app adds a switch to remove haptic feedback when connecting or ending a call. It's not a huge change, but it adds control for those who prefer quieter behavior.
Language support is also expanded: Apple Intelligence adds Traditional Chinese, Danish, Dutch, Norwegian, Portuguese from Portugal, Swedish, Turkish, and Vietnamese, while AirPods Live Translation adds Mandarin (Simplified and Traditional), Italian, Japanese, and Korean, strengthening international expansion of these functions.
Availability and release window
iOS 26.1 beta 4 can be installed from Settings > General > Software Update, both in the Developer Program and in the public betaAs always, it's a good idea to use a secondary device if you rely on your iPhone for everyday use.
If there are no setbacks, Apple prepares the final version for the last days of the month or the first week of NovemberUntil then, we may see minor additional adjustments based on tester feedback.
With these additions, iOS 26.1 beta 4 demonstrates that this update goes beyond maintenance: increased readability with Tinted mode, fewer accidental camera activations, and small tweaks that polish the experience. Everything points to a version that, without any major fireworks, clearly improves daily use.
