iOS 26 beta 6 brings more surprise upgrades to your iPhone – and I'm already using my favorite one

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Design, sound, and camera tweaks

iPhone in hand running iOS 26
Another iOS 26 beta is out (Image credit: Future)
  • iOS 26 beta 6 is out for developers
  • There are changes to Liquid Glass and the Camera app
  • There are also 7 new ringtones

Apple continues to push out beta updates for its iOS 26 software ahead of a full launch later this year, and the latest beta 6 version for developers brings with it a number of interesting tweaks – including one I'm particularly keen to try out.

As reported by TechCrunch and others, iOS 26 is snappier than ever, with app launching and switching noticeably faster – a sure sign that Apple is continuing to optimize the software before it gets rolled out to millions of iPhones.

There are also more tweaks to Liquid Glass here (via MacRumors), with more transparency on the lock screen, and a more 3D look to the lock-screen clock. Apple also seems to have done more work to improve text legibility with the Liquid Glass effect.

Apple has also brought back the previous swipe direction for the modes on the Camera screen, so it's very much as you were with that – a couple of betas ago it reversed the swipe direction for some unknown reason, which messed up the muscle memory of the majority of users.

Added ringtones

There's also a new and improved onboarding process for users here, which will help explain all the changes when iOS 26 rolls out to the masses (most likely in September, with the iPhone 17 series). Do note though that this is the developer beta, and you won't see these changes yet if you're in the public beta program.

What I'm most excited about, however, are the seven new ringtones Apple has added, giving you even more choice for incoming calls. As well as some neat variations on the default Reflection ringtone, there's also a brand-new one called Little Bird.

I've already given it a listen, and it's a jaunty number that mixes synth and whistling sounds to interesting effect. I also like the new Reflection takes, which sound familiar, but which each have a fresh new sound layered on top.

I may be opening myself up to ridicule by getting excited about new ringtones, but these are sounds I hear every day, and new ones are always welcome – it's actually been a couple of years now since Apple treated us to any new variations.

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David Nield
David Nield
Freelance Contributor

Dave is a freelance tech journalist who has been writing about gadgets, apps and the web for more than two decades. Based out of Stockport, England, on TechRadar you'll find him covering news, features and reviews, particularly for phones, tablets and wearables. Working to ensure our breaking news coverage is the best in the business over weekends, David also has bylines at Gizmodo, T3, PopSci and a few other places besides, as well as being many years editing the likes of PC Explorer and The Hardware Handbook.

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