Your iPhone will open apps way faster with iOS 26
The latest beta version of Apple's big upgrade has much quicker app-opening speeds
📲 Apple will increase the speed of app launches with iOS 26
⏱️ The latest beta greatly reduces the time it takes for an app to open
🔔 Apple is also throwing in six new ringtones and more tweaks to Liquid Glass
📅 iOS 26 is expected to roll out to all users this fall
Apple is ramping up the performance of iOS 26. Today, the company released the sixth developer beta of the next major update for the iPhone, and upon installing it, you’ll find that apps open way quicker than they used to.
It’s all thanks to an updated animation that runs much snappier than the old one, which makes your phone feel a lot more responsive. Apps will continue taking their own time to fetch the data they need to work, but this is a step in the right direction as Apple continues optimizing iOS 26 ahead of its release this fall.
The latest beta also includes some tweaks to Liquid Glass, Apple’s big visual redesign across all of its new operating systems. Text is now more legible in certain apps and areas of iOS 26 so that the glass-like reflections aren’t too much of a distraction. The clock font on the lock screen is also more glass-like than in previous betas, with a sharper appearance that feels more pronounced.
There’s also six new ringtones in iOS 26. 9to5Mac has a list of them all so you can hear them for yourself. I’m personally fond of the Daydream ringtone; I may even switch my alarm sound to it.
Apple is continuing to patch up most of the bugs and rough patches in iOS 26 as well. In my few minutes of playing around with it, the latest beta makes the system feel smooth and less prone to issues. Of course, it’s still a beta and problems will arise, but we’re getting very close to its eventual ship date.
Apple is expected to release iOS 26 to all supported iPhones this fall, around the time the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Air hit the market.
Max Buondonno is an editor at The Shortcut. He’s been reporting on the latest consumer technology since 2015, with his work featured on CNN Underscored, ZDNET, How-To Geek, XDA, TheStreet, and more. Follow him on X @LegendaryScoop and Instagram @LegendaryScoop.