You’ve seen the screenshots. The ones where the app icons look like they’re made of literal puddles of water. It’s called Liquid Glass, and it is the heart of the iOS 26 dev beta. Apple has finally moved past the flat design era that defined the last decade. Honestly, it’s about time. But if you’re thinking about jumping onto the developer track today, there is a lot more under the hood than just some shiny new buttons and translucent menus.
We are currently deep into the testing cycle for iOS 26.3. As of January 12, 2026, Apple seeded Beta 2 to developers. It’s a mid-cycle update, which usually sounds boring. Except this one isn't. It’s basically the "fix-it" update for everything that was missing when the original iOS 26 launched last fall.
Why iOS 26 dev beta is actually different this time
In the past, betas were for bug fixes. Now? They’re for survival. Apple is currently juggling massive European Union regulations while trying to keep Siri from falling behind the AI curve.
The biggest thing most people are missing is the new Adaptive Power mode. It’s not just Low Power Mode with a new name. This thing uses Apple Intelligence to learn your specific usage spikes. If it knows you play Genshin Impact every day at 6:00 PM, it throttles background tasks at 4:00 PM to save juice for your gaming session. It is only supported on the iPhone 15 Pro and later because, well, Apple wants you to buy a new phone.
The RCS encryption breakthrough
Let’s talk about the green bubbles. For years, texting an Android user was like sending a postcard through the mail—no privacy. iOS 26.3 Beta 2 just dropped the first real evidence of end-to-end encrypted RCS.
A French developer named Tiino-X83 actually found the "SupportsE2EE" key in the carrier bundles of this latest beta. Right now, it looks like it’s being tested with four carriers in France. This is huge. It means that soon, when you text your friend with a Pixel, the "Encrypted" lock icon will actually show up. No more relying on WhatsApp or Signal just to have a private conversation with the "other side."
🔗 Read more: How Many Inches is an iPhone 14 Plus? What Most People Get Wrong
The Liquid Glass aesthetic is a polarizing mess
The UI is a total departure. Icons now use a "Clear" theme. It’s translucent. It’s layered. It’s... a lot.
Some people hate it. They say it looks like a return to the tacky "skeuomorphism" of iOS 6. Others think it’s the most futuristic the iPhone has ever felt. In the iOS 26 dev beta, you can actually toggle how "glassy" you want the interface to be. Apple added a transparency slider for the Lock Screen clock in the latest 26.2 and 26.3 updates because the initial feedback was that the glass effect made the time impossible to read against bright wallpapers.
New "Visual Intelligence" in Screenshots
I use screenshots for everything. Recipes, gym schedules, memes. Usually, they just rot in my photo library.
iOS 26 changed that. Now, when you snap a screenshot, a little "Visual Intelligence" button pops up. You can tap it to:
- Automatically create a Calendar event from a flyer.
- Ask ChatGPT to explain what is happening in the image.
- Find a product on Amazon just by circling it in the shot.
It’s surprisingly fast. During the January 2026 testing, the integration with ChatGPT became much smoother. It no longer feels like two different apps talking to each other; it feels like one cohesive brain.
👉 See also: How Many Miles 1 Light Year Really Is: The Massive Number Behind the Galaxy
Should you actually install it?
Probably not. At least, not on your main phone.
Developer betas are notoriously unstable. We’re seeing reports of the "Adaptive Power" mode actually causing more battery drain in some instances because the AI is constantly re-learning. Plus, Beta 2 has some weirdness with the new "Call Screening" feature where it occasionally hangs up on legitimate contacts thinking they’re spam.
If you absolutely must try it, here is how you do it without bricking your life:
- Back up everything. Do not skip this. If you need to downgrade, you will lose your data if you haven't backed up to a Mac or iCloud while on iOS 25.
- Go to the Apple Developer website. You don’t need to pay the $99 anymore. Just sign in with your Apple ID.
- Open Settings > General > Software Update.
- Tap "Beta Updates" and select the iOS 26 Developer Beta.
What is coming next?
The clock is ticking. History tells us that x.3 updates usually go public about a week after Martin Luther King Jr. Day. In 2026, that puts the official release of iOS 26.3 around January 26 or 27.
Expect Apple to refine the Notification Forwarding feature for EU users in the next few weeks. This is another regulatory requirement that allows you to send iPhone notifications to non-Apple smartwatches. It’s a messy rollout because it disables Apple Watch notifications to prevent double-buzzing, but it’s a massive win for people who prefer Garmin or Suunto over the Apple Watch.
Actionable Next Steps
If you’re currently on the iOS 26 dev beta, check your Battery settings immediately. Apple added a new color-coded consumption chart: orange means the AI thinks you’re overusing the device, and blue means you’re in the clear. Look for the "Adaptive Power" toggle and try turning it off for 24 hours if your battery life feels like a disaster.
For everyone else, wait for the public release of 26.3 in late January. The encrypted RCS and the new "Hold Assist"—which lets you put a call on hold and notifies you when the other person is actually back—are worth the wait, but they aren't worth a crashed phone in the middle of a workday.