iOS 26.1 beta 4 adds new setting to tone down Liquid Glass transparency

iOS 26 introduced a bold new Liquid Glass design, bringing transparency and fluidity throughout the iPhone’s interface. iPadOS 26 and macOS 26 brought similar designs to the iPad and Mac, respectively.

Not a fan of that design? Well, iOS 26.1 beta 4 is now available, and it introduces a new option to choose a more opaque look for Liquid Glass. The same option is also available on Mac and iPad.

You can find the new option on iPhone and iPad by going to the Settings app and navigating to the Display & Brightness menu. On the Mac, it’s available in the “Appearance” menu in System Settings. Here, you’ll see a new Liquid Glass menu with “Clear” and “Tinted” options.

“Choose your preferred look for Liquid Glass. Clear is more transparent, revealing the content beneath. Tinted increases opacity and adds more contrast,” Apple explains.

It’s a binary option, so there’s no toggle or slider of any sort. You have a choice between Liquid Glass as we’ve known it since iOS 26 was released, or a new tinted option that increases opacity and adds more contrast. When enabled, the design applies to Liquid Glass in Apple’s apps and elsewhere on the Mac, iPad, and iPhone. For the iPhone and iPad specifically, it also increases opaqueness in notifications on the Lock Screen.

The change also applies to third-party apps that have implemented Liquid Glass. If a user opts for the new tinted design, that preference will also be applied to those third-party apps.

Apple says it heard from users throughout the iOS 26 beta testing period that they’d like a setting to manage the opaqueness of the Liquid Glass design. This new setting is designed to do exactly that, giving users an additional way to personalize their iPhone, iPad, and Mac.

The new setting is available in iOS 26.1 beta 4, iPadOS 26.1 beta 4, and macOS 26.1 beta 4 — all of which are available to developers today. We expect a new public beta to be released later this week.

Apple’s Liquid Glass design went through a whirlwind of changes throughout the iOS 26 beta testing period over the summer. In particular, iOS 26.1 beta 3 made dramatic changes that increased opacity throughout the interface. Apple ultimately reversed those changes and shipped something with a higher level of transparency.

What do you think of the new option? Let us know down in the comments.