Latest news with #ControlCenter
Geeky Gadgets
2 days ago
- Geeky Gadgets
iOS 26 Beta 3: Significant Improvements
The release of iOS 26 beta 3 signifies an important phase in Apple's software evolution, introducing a combination of design enhancements, performance improvements, and ecosystem updates. While the beta showcases several promising features, it also highlights areas where Apple continues to face challenges. Below is a detailed look at the most significant updates and their implications for your Apple devices in a new video from Zollotech. Watch this video on YouTube. Design and Functionality Enhancements iOS 26 beta 3 introduces a 'liquid glass' design, offering a sleek and modern aesthetic that refines both dark and light modes. The addition of frosted glass effects enhances the interface, delivering a more immersive and visually appealing experience. However, user feedback has been mixed—while some users appreciate the polished look, others have expressed a desire for greater customization options to tailor the interface to their preferences. Key usability improvements include: Improved alignment for the app dock, making sure a cleaner layout. Enhanced screenshot gestures, making the process smoother and more intuitive. Fixes to copy-paste functionality, resolving prior inconsistencies. The reintroduction of decibel level monitoring in the Control Center is a notable feature for users focused on sound management. Subtle updates to UI animations and core apps such as Messages, Notes, and FaceTime contribute to a more fluid and cohesive interface. Additionally, app-switching gestures and Safari design tweaks streamline navigation, making everyday tasks more efficient. Performance and Stability Performance improvements in iOS 26 beta 3 are incremental but noticeable. Battery life has seen slight gains, particularly during light usage, though inconsistencies persist during resource-intensive tasks. Benchmark tests reveal modest performance boosts, but some users continue to report occasional lag and overheating, especially on older devices. Unresolved issues include: Delays in wireless charging, which can disrupt usability. App crashes during multitasking, particularly with resource-heavy applications. Despite these challenges, the beta reflects progress in refining the overall user experience. These updates signal Apple's ongoing commitment to addressing performance concerns and enhancing stability across its devices. User Feedback and Concerns The reception of iOS 26 beta 3 has been mixed, with user experiences varying based on individual usage patterns. Many users have praised the visual updates, particularly the liquid glass design, while others have expressed dissatisfaction with changes to light mode and the limited customization options. Common concerns raised by users include: Connectivity issues with AirPods, affecting seamless integration. UI glitches that occasionally disrupt usability, such as misaligned icons or animation delays. These mixed reactions underscore the importance of user feedback in shaping future updates. Apple's ability to address these concerns will be critical in making sure the success of the final iOS 26 release. Apple Ecosystem Updates The iOS 26 beta 3 release is part of a broader wave of updates across Apple's ecosystem, reflecting the company's efforts to enhance integration and functionality. Notable developments include: Apple CarPlay now supports NFL audio and radio broadcasts for select teams, with plans to expand availability in the coming months. Apple Arcade is adding four new games in August, offering users fresh entertainment options. Support for third-party apps to handle cellular calls and SMS in the EU, aligning with regional regulatory requirements. In hardware news, Apple is working to restore the blood oxygen sensor feature on Apple Watches in the U.S., addressing a key health-related functionality. Additionally, the Apple Account Card is expanding to more countries, improving accessibility for international users and enhancing the ecosystem's global reach. Hardware and Software News Apple's ecosystem continues to evolve alongside its software updates, with recent developments highlighting the company's focus on innovation and user experience. Key updates include: Safari Technology Preview 223 for macOS Tahoe and Sequoia, showcasing advancements in web browsing technology and performance. Firmware updates for AirPods Pro 2, aimed at improving connectivity, reducing latency, and enhancing overall performance. In leadership news, Apple COO Jeff Williams has announced his retirement, marking a significant shift in the company's leadership structure. Tim Cook will now oversee design responsibilities, a move that could influence the direction of Apple's future product designs and innovations. Looking Ahead As Apple prepares for the public beta release of iOS 26, expectations remain high for further refinements and stability improvements. The upcoming updates are anticipated to address lingering issues such as battery inconsistencies and UI glitches, offering a more polished and seamless experience. Meanwhile, iOS 18.6 beta 2 has demonstrated promising signs of enhanced stability and performance, providing a glimpse of what users can expect in future iterations. The iOS 26 beta 3 release reflects Apple's dedication to refining its ecosystem, blending design innovation with functional improvements. While challenges remain, the updates highlight the company's commitment to responding to user feedback and delivering a cohesive experience across its hardware and software platforms. As the public beta nears, users can look forward to a more stable and feature-rich operating system that continues to evolve alongside Apple's broader ecosystem. Below are more guides on iOS 26 beta updates from our extensive range of articles. Source & Image Credit: zollotech Filed Under: Apple, Apple iPhone, Top News Latest Geeky Gadgets Deals Disclosure: Some of our articles include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, Geeky Gadgets may earn an affiliate commission. Learn about our Disclosure Policy.
CNET
03-07-2025
- CNET
How to Bring Apple Intelligence and More to Your iPhone's Control Center
Apple announced at its Worldwide Developers Conference on June 9 that the next version of the iPhone's operating system will be called iOS 26. The tech giant said that update will bring a transparent glass design to icons and menus, a new Games app and much more to your iPhone this fall. But when Apple released iOS 18.4 in March, the update brought a handful of new controls to the iPhone Control Center, including one that brings Visual Intelligence to the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max. When Apple released iOS 18 in September, that update remodeled the Control Center to give you more control over how the feature functions. With iOS 18, you can resize controls, assign some controls to their own dedicated page and adjust the placement of controls to your liking. Apple also introduced more controls to the feature, making it a central hub for all your most-used iPhone features. Read more: iOS 26 Lets Us Kill the 9-Minute Snooze Once and For All With iOS 18.4, Apple continues to expand the number of controls you can add to the Control Center. If you have the update on your iPhone, you can add ambient music controls, and Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhones get a few AI controls in the menu, too. Here's what you need to know about the new controls and how to add them to your Control Center. Ambient Music controls Apple gave everyone four new controls in the Control Center library under the Ambient Music category. These controls are Sleep, Chill, Productivity and Wellbeing. Each of these controls can activate a playlist filled with music that corresponds to the specific control. Sleep, for instance, plays ambient music to help lull you to bed. Some studies suggest white noise could help adults learn words and improve learning in environments full of distractions. According to the mental health company Calm, certain kinds of music can help you fall asleep faster and improve the quality of your sleep. So these new controls can help you learn, fall asleep and more. Here's how to find these controls. 1. Swipe down from the top-right corner of your Home Screen to open your Control Center. 2. Tap the plus (+) sign in the top-left corner of your screen. 3. Tap Add a Control. You'll see a section of controls called Ambient Music. You can also search for "Ambient Music" in the search bar at the top of the control library. Under Ambient Music, you'll see all four controls. Tap one (or all) of them to add them to your Control Center. Once you've added one or all the controls to your Control Center, go back to your Control Center and tap one to start playing music. The new Ambient Music controls in Control Center play preloaded playlists on your iPhone when activated. Apple/CNET Here's how to change the playlist for each control. 1. Swipe down from the top-right corner of your Home Screen to open your Control Center. 2. Tap the plus (+) sign in the top-left corner of your screen. 3. Tap the Ambient Music control you want to edit. 4. Tap the playlist to the right of Playlist. A dropdown menu will appear with additional playlists for each control. If you're in the Sleep control, you'll see playlists like Restful Notes and Lo-Fi Snooze. If you have playlists in your Music app, then you'll also see an option From Library, which pulls music from your library. Tap whichever playlist you want and it will be assigned to that control. Ambient Music is similar to Background Sounds, but those are more static sounds, like white noise. Jeff Carlson/CNET Apple already lets you transform your iPhone into a white noise machine with Background Sounds, like ocean and rain. But Ambient Music is actual music as opposed to more static sounds like in that feature. Both of these features feel like a way for Apple to present itself as the first option for whenever you want some background music to help you fall asleep or be productive. Other services, like Spotify and YouTube, already have ambient music playlists like these, so this could be Apple's way of taking some of those service's audience. Apple Intelligence controls Only people with an iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max or the iPhone 16 lineup can access Apple Intelligence features for now, and those people got three new dedicated Apple Intelligence controls with iOS 18.4. Those controls are Talk to Siri, Type to Siri and Visual Intelligence. Here's how to find these controls. 1. Swipe down from the top-right corner of your Home Screen to open your Control Center. 2. Tap the plus (+) sign in the top-left corner of your screen. 3. Tap Add a Control. Then you can use the search bar near the top of the screen to search for "Apple Intelligence" or you can scroll through the menu to find the Apple Intelligence & Siri section. Tap any (or all) of these controls to add them to your Control Center. While Talk to Siri and Type to Siri controls can be helpful if you have trouble accessing the digital assistant, the Visual Intelligence control is important because it brings the Apple Intelligence feature to the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max. Nice try Visual Intelligence, that's a type of monstera. Apple/CNET Visual Intelligence was originally only accessible on the iPhone 16 lineup because those devices have the Camera Control button. With iOS 18.4, Visual Intelligence is now accessible on more devices and people thanks to the titular control in Control Center. But remember, Visual Intelligence is like any other AI tool so it won't always be accurate. You should double check results and important information it shows you. For more on iOS 18, here's what you need to know about iOS 18.5 and iOS 18.4, as well as our iOS 18 cheat sheet. You can also check out what you should know about iOS 26.
Phone Arena
25-06-2025
- 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
24-06-2025
- 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
24-06-2025
- 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.
