It has already become a small tradition on our platform to break down every new iOS 26 beta as soon as Apple drops it. We’ve already covered beta 2, beta 3, and beta 4, and naturally, we’re not skipping this one either. Yesterday, August 5, 2025, Apple rolled out the fifth developer beta of iOS 26. And no, it’s not the public one, so if you’re refreshing your Software Update screen and wondering why nothing appears, relax.
In this post, we’ll look at what exactly changed (or didn’t). Did Apple fix anything useful, or are we just playing spot-the-difference again with icons and animations? Let’s find out.
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Small Visual Changes in iOS 26 Beta 5
It’s a relief to see that Apple didn’t scrap the Liquid Glass design halfway through the beta cycle. It survived beta 4, and now beta 5 keeps it intact. Good. Because, despite all the jokes, we really like it. The frosted panels, the softened transparency – it gives iOS a modern look without trying too hard.
At first glance, beta 5 doesn’t scream visual overhaul, but if you squint and poke around, you’ll notice Apple made a few minor adjustments. Here’s what stood out:
- When you enter Home Screen edit mode, the little minus icons on app corners now match the glassy theme. Opaque buttons are gone. You tap them, and they politely blend into the translucent vibe.
- The AirDrop icon inside the share sheet has been updated. The new design now matches the Liquid Glass style more closely and replaces the older, flatter version.
- Tapping numbers on the passcode screen now triggers a subtle bounce effect. It’s not a trampoline, but the digits do bounce slightly into place. A nice detail that didn’t exist before.
iOS 26 beta 5 adds a new animation to the passcode screen pic.twitter.com/ZO54DZokA9
— Aaron (@aaronp613) August 5, 2025
- When you swipe between Control Center pages, the animation now has more bounce and elasticity. It feels smoother, less robotic, like Apple taught the interface how to breathe.
iOS 26 beta 5 tweaks Control Center’s animation pic.twitter.com/lf33mimNIW
— Aaron (@aaronp613) August 5, 2025
- After updating to beta 5, opening Music, Journal, or Notes shows a short welcome screen that lists recent additions. In Music, it mentions AutoMix, pinned songs, and Replay updates. In Journal, it points to multi-journal support. In Notes, it highlights collapsible sections and Markdown export. These screens help users see what changed without digging through menus.
These aren’t life-altering changes, but they show Apple still polishes the UI with each pass. And for now, the glass hasn’t cracked – it just got a little shinier.
App-Specific Changes and New Options in iOS 26 Beta 5
iOS 26 beta 5 didn’t give us new apps or headline-grabbing features, and that’s fine. What it did bring is a set of smart, low-key adjustments that make everyday things less annoying. Here’s what changed.
- Apple added a “Classic Mode Switching” toggle in Settings for the Camera app. Enable it to restore the old swipe behavior for changing camera modes. Some users hated the new mode selector. Now they can switch back without rolling the OS back.
- Apple returned the Select button to the top toolbar in the mailbox view. Previously, Apple hid it behind the “…” menu, which felt more like an Easter egg than a staple function. The new toggle now also allows reversal of swipe directions for delete or archive actions. Users who disliked the swapped gestures can now undo that.
- Apple renamed a button in the Apple Card interface. The old “Payments” label now reads “Preauthorized Payments”, giving a clearer meaning. If you manage scheduled transactions, this should reduce the head tilt.
Did iOS 26 Beta 5 Bring Changes to System Settings and Functions?
In addition to visual tweaks and minor app changes, Apple slipped a few system-level improvements into iOS 26 beta 5. Again, nothing major, but the direction is clear. Apple continues to polish the experience, this time by tightening up how the system handles battery use, alerts, and connectivity.
One change appears when you long-press the Wi‑Fi tile in Control Center. Beta 5 now shows whether the network is public and whether it’s secure. A little lock icon confirms if you’re on a password-protected connection. It’s a subtle addition, but it saves you from wondering if you’re handing your data to a mystery router in a coffee shop.
Battery management also became more transparent. On supported iPhones (15 Pro and newer), Adaptive Power Mode now notifies users when it steps in to reduce performance or limit background activity. Until now, the feature ran in silence, which felt smart but slightly shady. Beta 5 finally explains what the phone is doing and why. It’s one of those “it should’ve always worked like this” moments.
And then there’s the low battery alert. At 20%, it now pops into the Dynamic Island instead of hijacking the entire screen. It’s less aggressive, more modern, and probably not a coincidence. With the iPhone 17 line expected to include Dynamic Island on every model, this tweak looks like Apple is quietly preparing for that rollout.
As usual, iOS 26 beta 5 comes with an official release note from Apple, and most of it is a long list of bug fixes and developer-level changes. A few of the more noticeable ones include a fix for video and audio overlapping in the Photos app, a Safari tab bar layout issue, and a more stable CarPlay experience. We won’t list every last resolved bug here ( that would require a separate post), but if you’re curious, the full changelog is available to browse.
Final Thoughts
Well, that’s probably all we’ve noticed in iOS 26 beta 5. The list isn’t long, but honestly, that makes sense. You shouldn’t expect major changes at this stage. Apple has already introduced the key features earlier, and now it just polishes everything in betas until the official release in September.
Most likely, beta 6 will show up in a couple of weeks. We’re waiting for it, too. And just to say it again – this is not the public beta. This version is for developers. If you’re not one of them, don’t rush to install it. You can always try the public beta if you’re curious, but as usual, we’ll recommend waiting for the full release of iOS 26. That’s when everything clicks into place, not when you’re stitching the OS together one preview at a time.
