The criticism around Liquid Glass has been prevalent since the release of the first iOS 26 Developer Beta. However, despite the criticism, many have come forward to try out the new UI, making it the most popular Developer Beta release ever, according to Apple.
In the transcripts shared by Sixcolors, while discussing Apple's quarterly earnings in a conference, Tim Cook mentioned that the latest betas are by far the most popular Developer Betas ever. He did not delve into the numbers, though.
It's wonderful to see great momentum building for our platforms. iOS 26, macOS 26, and iPadOS 26 are by far the most popular developer betas we've had.
— Tim Cook, CEO Apple
The increase in numbers could be due to Apple removing the $99 yearly cost for Apple Developer Program membership two years ago. This allowed more users to try out iOS 26 features, adding to the popularity and resulting in more people installing the Developer Beta.
For those unaware, the first iOS 26 developer beta landed in June, immediately after Apple's WWDC 2025 keynote. Apple has already pushed many developer betas with a host of changes to various aspects of the operating system and addressing further complaints about the illegibility of the Liquid Glass interface.
Last week, Apple dropped the first iOS 26 public beta with all the new features announced during the keynote, including Call Screening, Hold Assist, Custom backgrounds and more.
The Cupertino giant is expected to release a few more Public Betas before iOS 26 stable lands in mid-September 2025. Stay tuned as we closely follow the upcoming iOS releases. Until then, here's how to install iOS 26 Beta on a supported iPhone.
