Latest news with #ControlCenter
Phone Arena
5 days ago
- Phone Arena
Your Apple Watch is about to borrow a trick from your iPhone
WatchOS 26 was announced a couple of weeks ago during WWDC 2025, Apple's next OS for the Apple Watch. It brings a plethora of improvements along with a new design, Apple Notes, and updates to the Workout app. WatchOS 26 also brings another useful change: upgrades to the Control Center. The Control Center in watchOS 26 is getting support for third-party controls. Last year, the Control Center on iPhone and iPad became more customizable and powerful and got third-party controls. There are also new controls being added with software updates. Luckily, now it's the Apple Watch's turn. The new OS for Apple's timepieces will be launched officially in the fall. By that time, many third-party apps are expected to provide their custom controls for you to add to your Apple Watch. Image Credit – 9to5Mac But what's even cooler is that in some cases, you won't even need the developer to have made a control for the Apple Watch. Actually, the Apple Watch's Control Center will be able to tap into third-party controls on your iPhone. There is a new 'From Your iPhone' section in watchOS 26's Control Center and you can find it when editing the Control Center. The section contains imported controls from your iPhone. But that's not all. There's also a new curation feature for the editing screen, so you won't have to scroll through huge lists of controls on your wrist. You will see a new section of "Suggested" controls at the top of your screen when you edit the Apple Watch Control Center. With all these changes, the Control Center on your Apple Watch is becoming super useful. I'm a huge fan of all the new watchOS 26 changes and personally can't wait to install the stable version on my Apple Watch. The stable versions of iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS 26, and watchOS 26 are expected in the fall. Before that, there will be a public beta opened in July, and right now, Apple's OSes are in the developer beta stage. Secure your connection now at a bargain price! We may earn a commission if you make a purchase Check Out The Offer
Tom's Guide
5 days ago
- Tom's Guide
iOS 26 just got a big design upgrade — thanks to your complaints
Apple released iOS 26 Beta 2 this week, adding some new features while also apparently fixing complaints about the new Liquid Glass user interface for iPhone, iPad, and other Apple devices. Liquid Glass refreshed the interface across Apple's different operating systems with a new look and feel that gave it more of a transparent look. However, initial impressions were mixed. We found the look amazing but with some flaws such as app tinting and how Control Center looks. "This feature allowed you to change the color of your app icons — at least in theory. In practice, the finished result made it look like you poured sauce all over your apps," my colleague Josh Render said of the customizable feature. Tom's Guide's John Velasco found that the transparency caused issues with the way Control Center appears. Mostly it appears too busy and can make the settings panel unreadable. "I noticed how the transparency of Liquid Glass clashes with the way the Control Center appears on top of certain elements, like the icons on my home screen, or very busy web pages," he wrote. We were able to find workarounds for both issues, but it requires some finagling with the settings and does reduce the transparency. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. With developer beta 2 for iOS 26, Apple has adjusted the background blur which obscures the home screen more and makes it more readable. Here's an example from X user Aaron Perris, a contributor at Mac Rumors. iOS 26 beta 2 blurs the background of the Control Center 23, 2025 Notifications appears to have received a similar update to make them more readable, though it doesn't look as dramatic as the Control Center change. To be clear, this likely won't be the final look for iOS 26 this is still a developers beta. A public beta won't launch until later this summer followed by the full release ahead of the iPhone 17 launch in the fall. Still, it is clear that Apple appears to be listening to user feedback and adjusting.
Indian Express
6 days ago
- Indian Express
Apple iOS 26 Beta 2: From Liquid Glass refinements to new Live Radio widget, here's what's new
Apple has launched iOS 26 beta 2, the latest version of its operating system for iPhones. Announced at the company's annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) just over a month ago, the latest iOS version introduces a redesigned translucent design language called 'Liquid Glass,' along with several other new features. Here's a quick look at iOS 26 beta 2. With the latest iOS beta, Apple has seemingly fixed one of the most annoying changes early adopters have been complaining about. Since WWDC 2025, several beta testers who have updated their device to iOS 26 have been complaining that the refreshed Liquid Glass made text in the Control Center hard to see and almost unreadable at times. Thankfully, Apple seems to have noticed the issue and adjusted the transparency for better legibility. Instead of a clear background, iOS 26 beta 2 now has a darker colour and more blur, which should help with readability issues. However, it looks like the user interface still needs some work when it comes to lighter backgrounds. In case you don't like the transparency, you can use the Reduce Transparency option under Accessibility in the Settings app to cut down on the translucent user interface. Coming to Safari, Apple seems to have repositioned the new tab button in the tab management view. Now, the '+' button to open a new tab can be found in the bottom left, like in iOS 18. The company is also adding a new Live Radio widget to its Music app, which can be helpful if you find yourself often tuning in to the service. The Apple App Store is also getting a new Accessibility section for product pages. However, developers will have to list the details and manually populate them. The Transcribe Calls option has now been renamed to 'Save Call Transcripts.' Also, Apple now says that participants will be informed with a sound before the process begins.
The Verge
6 days ago
- The Verge
Apple heard your complaints about the Liquid Glass Control Center
My biggest complaint with Liquid Glass in the first iOS 26 developer beta was that it sometimes made Control Center nearly unreadable, but Apple has seemingly fixed that with the second beta, which is out now. In the first beta, the glassiness of everything meant that you could still see a fair amount of what was under Control Center, making it all look really cluttered. With the second beta, what's under Control Center is much more opaque, making it much easier to read at a glance. Take a look in this comparison slider: In the second developer beta, some colors still bleed into the Control Center buttons in a way that could potentially be confusing. But overall, I think Apple is moving in the right direction here. I'm curious if the company will make more changes ahead of the general release this fall. As reported by 9to5Mac, the beta includes a few other changes, too, including an excellent new ringtone that's an alternate of the Reflections song. It sounds like something you'd hear in an Ace Attorney game. I switched to it right away. If you want to try the developer beta yourself, here's our guide on how to install it. If you don't want to be on the bleeding edge but still want to try what Apple is working on, the company is set to launch a public beta next month.
TechCrunch
6 days ago
- TechCrunch
Apple's Liquid Glass interface improves with release of iOS 26 Beta 2
With Monday's release of iOS 26 Beta 2, Apple has fixed one of the more glaring issues with Liquid Glass, its divisive new user interface design for the iPhone, iPad, and other Apple devices, announced earlier this month at its WWDC 2025. The refreshed user interface modernizes the operating system's look and feel with a design system inspired by the optical qualities of glass, including the way it refracts light and its translucency. However, early iOS 26 testers, somewhat unfairly, were quick to point out the flaws with the updated look in the early developer beta. Though the beta build is not yet finished, users shared screenshots and criticized areas where Liquid Glass fell short in terms of readability and usability. One of the users' larger concerns was with how Liquid Glass made the Control Center (the menu accessed by swiping down on the right side of the iPhone's screen) nearly unreadable. Because of its semi see-through nature, it was hard to differentiate the Control Center's buttons and sliders from the icons and widgets on the iPhone's Home Screen that appeared underneath. yeah i cant defend this — Holly – I like tech (@AnxiousHolly) June 10, 2025 In the newly released beta, Apple has addressed the problem with the Control Center by adjusting the background blur, which better obscures the Home Screen content underneath. The background blur in Control Center changed to make readability better. Left: beta 1. Right: beta2.#iOS26 #Apple — Bas van der Ploeg (@basvanderploeg) June 23, 2025 iOS 26 beta 2 blurs the background of the Control Center — Aaron (@aaronp613) June 23, 2025 Notifications in the first beta were also hard to read, as many had pointed out. In the updated beta, they're a bit sharper but still need work, especially for readability on brighter and lighter backgrounds. iOS 26 looks sleek, but users want control—let us customize Control Center layout and adjust blur/transparency levels. Not everyone wants a frosted-glass overload. Personalization > one-size-fits-all. #iOS26 #AppleFeedback — Tech-reviewit 👨🏼💻 (@craigmlambo22) June 23, 2025 These are not likely the final adjustments, given that iOS 26 doesn't launch publicly until the fall. However, they are indications that Apple is actively listening to early user feedback and making tweaks accordingly. Techcrunch event Save $200+ on your TechCrunch All Stage pass Build smarter. Scale faster. Connect deeper. Join visionaries from Precursor Ventures, NEA, Index Ventures, Underscore VC, and beyond for a day packed with strategies, workshops, and meaningful connections. Save $200+ on your TechCrunch All Stage pass Build smarter. Scale faster. Connect deeper. Join visionaries from Precursor Ventures, NEA, Index Ventures, Underscore VC, and beyond for a day packed with strategies, workshops, and meaningful connections. Boston, MA | REGISTER NOW Also in Beta 2, Apple has added an Accessibility section to the App Store's product pages, enabled iCloud sync for the Journaling app on iPads, added order tracking features to Apple Wallet, introduced an Apple Music Radio widget, and more.
