What the Tech: iPhone update
When Apple introduced Liquid Glass, it looked futuristic. The translucent effect made icons and widgets blend into the background as if they were floating over your wallpaper. It was a cool visual trick, but many iPhone and iPad users quickly found it frustrating.
Liquid Glass made it hard to see what was on the home screen, especially in bright light or on busy backgrounds. Users complained, and Apple listened.
With the new iOS 26.1 update, you can finally turn it off, or at least tone it down. Go to Settings, then Display and Brightness, and look for the new Liquid Glass option. You can switch from Clear to Tinted, which adds more contrast and makes icons and widgets easier to see.
Another improvement fixes one of the most annoying habits of newer iPhones. On iPhone 16 and 17 models, just picking up the phone can sometimes open the camera by mistake. The camera control button was designed for quick access, but it was a little too sensitive.
Now you can disable it. Go to Settings, then Accessibility, and select Camera Control to turn the feature off. That should stop the camera from opening when you do not want it to.
Apple Music users get a small but useful change too. You can now swipe on the mini player to skip forward or back without opening the full player screen. It is faster and easier when you just want to move to the next song.
Like most Apple updates, iOS 26.1 also includes several important security patches. Apple says these updates close vulnerabilities that could allow hackers to run code or access private information. The company has not yet shared details, which is typical. It waits until most devices are updated before revealing what was fixed.
The update is available now for iPhones and iPads. If you skipped iOS 26, expect a large download and plan to install it when you are on your home WiFi network.
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