iOS 26 developer beta 6 brings snappy performance, new ringtones, and more

Apple's iOS 26 developer beta 6 adds new ringtones, a refreshed onboarding experience, UI tweaks, and final refinements ahead of next month's expected stable release

Apple has rolled out the sixth developer beta of iOS 26, its latest operating system for iPhones. This latest beta brings additional features, refreshed interface elements, and other minor tweaks. Compared to earlier betas, the changes here are minor, as the company edges closer to the stable release expected next month. The next public beta of iOS 26 is also likely to arrive soon.

iOS developer beta 6: What is new

New ringtones:

While an earlier beta introduced a remixed version of the default Reflection sound, iOS 26 beta 6 adds five more alternatives to Reflection along with a brand-new Little Bird tone. The Settings app now lists these default Reflection options:

• Default
• Buoyant
• Dreamer
• Pond
• Pop
• Reflected
• Surge

New onboarding page:

Apple has also added a redesigned startup/onboarding experience in this update. It highlights features like Liquid Glass, the new dark and clear icon styles, and refreshed interfaces across several apps. 

Camera mode switcher:

In developer beta 5, Apple debuted a “Classic Mode” that reversed the scroll direction when switching between camera modes. In beta 6, the option to toggle this setting has been removed, with the reversed scroll direction now set as the default.

UI changes: 

• The lock screen clock now features the Liquid Glass design.
• Glass-like UI elements show increased colour dispersion.
• App open/close animations have been refined.
• Transitions feel faster and snappier.

iOS 26: Eligible iPhone models

• iPhone 16 Pro Max, 16 Pro, 16 Plus, 16, 16e
• iPhone 15 Pro Max, 15 Pro, 15 Plus, 15
• iPhone 14 Pro Max, 14 Pro, 14 Plus, 14
• iPhone 13 Pro Max, 13 Pro, 13, 13 mini
• iPhone 12 Pro Max, 12 Pro, 12, 12 mini
• iPhone 11 Pro Max, 11 Pro, 11

While iOS 26 will run on all of the above, Apple Intelligence features are exclusive to the iPhone 15 Pro, 15 Pro Max, and the entire iPhone 16 lineup.