iOS 26 beta 4 brings back "Summarised by Apple Intelligence" news notifications with opt-in controls.
Liquid Glass design gets a visual refresh with deeper transparency and fluid motion effects.
Public beta rollout is expected later this week ahead of the iPhone 17 launch.
Apple has officially introduced the fourth beta of iOS 26 with some major improvements. The new update also brings back the Apple Intelligence-backed notification summaries for News and Entertainment apps, and also makes some tweaks to the Liquid Glass design interface.
SurveyThe re-enabled notification summaries come after Apple temporarily removed the features in the iOS 18.3 update following public criticism. The summaries, which group app notifications into concise, AI-generated overviews, had previously drawn backlash for misrepresenting news headlines, including a high-profile case involving a BBC report.
Now, Apple has added clearer disclaimers. Summaries are now italicised and marked with a Summarised by Apple Intelligence label to avoid confusion. The users still have an option to opt in or opt out of the summaries on a per category basis and flag concerns to Apple.
The iOS 26 Beta 4 also offers a big update to the Liquid Glass UI. After scaling back the fluid and translucent elements, the company now has reversed the change and has now introduced a more dynamic and transparent interface. Additionally, the App Store, Photos, Weather, Apple Music and the Notification Center have also got the updates and shows more prominent “liquid” effects, with dynamic tints and enhanced depth.
In addition to the visual and functional changes, beta 4 also includes new onboarding experiences. The users updating to iOS 26 will now see “Welcome” splash screens, along with guided introductions to features like the updated Camera app, Siri upgrades, and AI-powered prioritization in notifications.
In the meantime, Apple is also planning to rollout the iOS 26 public beta later this week. Usually, Apple rolls out public betas following its WWDC announcements in June to give consumers early access with more stable builds. The final versions of the iOS 26 update is expected to roll out with iPhone 17 series launch.
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Ashish Singh
Ashish Singh is the Chief Copy Editor at Digit. He's been wrangling tech jargon since 2020 (Times Internet, Jagran English '22). When not policing commas, he's likely fueling his gadget habit with coffee, strategising his next virtual race, or plotting a road trip to test the latest in-car tech. He speaks fluent Geek. View Full Profile
