On Tuesday, Apple released its sixth developer beta for its mobile operating system, along with updates to iPad, Apple Watch, Apple TV, Mac and more. As the new software approaches its release date in September, changes and tweaks are less important, but there are still some surprises. Beta 6 includes new ringtone choices, final decisions regarding camera swipe direction controversy, new onboarding experiences and other updates.
Half a dozen new ringtones additions, all “Reflection” songs variations were unexpected additions already attracting attention on social media. Early Adapters are particularly enthusiastic about the “Dreamer” ringtones that are said to be “hard”, “crazy good”, “such a bop”. Some people encourage you to remove your phone from silent mode for changes.
Additionally, the new iOS 26 Beta 6 feature is a new update on controversial changes to the camera app.
There was quite a bit of repulsion about how Apple changes the way the camera mode switcher responds to touch. Users complained that changes introduced in previous beta have ruined muscle memory. This interface swipe gesture is to reverse the direction of the scroll used. This was the same design paradigm that all other native Apple apps use. With Beta 5, Apple will respond to these complaints and introduce a new configuration toggle that allows you to switch to “Classic Mode” and allow the camera app to work just like everything else.
It would not have been surprising that Apple went this route. If you want to make major user interface changes, you often add a fallback to people who don’t like updating. Therefore, you can detach “Natural Scrolling” on your MacBook trackpad, and you can move the Safari address bar back to the top of your iPhone screen. However, in this case, Apple seems to have determined that the camera orientation is not a worthwhile battle. In Beta 6, I removed the settings toggle and moved the scrolling direction back to before.
Other notable updates to the new beta include faster migrations and the introduction of new open animations to launch apps.
Liquid Glass, an updated user interface for Apple devices, is also easier to read in some areas, while others have been tweaked to make it a bit more tweaked for “glassy feel.” This time, we added even more chromatic variance as we move between tabs in the app using a transparent, magnifying glass-like selector. The lock screen and toggle now also provide a liquid glass effect.
Updating the OS also shows you a new startup/onboarding experience. It is used to introduce Liquid Glass and other iOS 26 features, including dark icons and redesigned interfaces for various apps.
Like other beta releases, you can expect some bug fixes, but as Apple progresses through the software development process, you will be able to come across fixes for new bugs. However, users have reported that overall this beta is more stable and feels much faster than its previous release, suggesting that Apple is approaching its release.
With the developer beta being released, anyone testing the public beta should expect an update soon.
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