Apple’s second developer preview of iOS 26 (build 24A5215c) takes a small but meaningful U-turn in Safari’s overhauled tab-management view, undoing a design choice that drew near-instant criticism when the first beta landed two weeks ago.
In beta 1, the familiar “+” icon for opening a new tab jumped from the bottom-left corner of the tab-overview screen to the very top, forcing users to reach across the display or accidentally tap the wrong control. Beta 2 restores that button to the bottom, directly beside the thumbnail carousel, so opening a new page once again feels muscle-memory fast.
What Changed and Why It Matters
Safari’s tab interface got a full Liquid Glass makeover in iOS 26, complete with semi-transparent backgrounds and three switchable layouts: Standard, Compact, and a grid-style Overview. The first beta shuffled several controls as part of the facelift, but the new-tab switch proved to be the deal-breaker. Early testers on Apple’s developer forums and Reddit called the relocation “a solution looking for a problem,” arguing that the top placement contradicted one-handed design guidelines Apple has championed since the iPhone X.
Apple appears to have listened quickly. In the latest build, the “+” icon slides back down, while the Done button—now rendered as a sleek check-mark stays parked on the opposite edge. The swipe gesture that cycles between normal, private, and grouped tabs also survives intact, so workflow changes are minimal beyond the cosmetic fix.
Beta 2 tightens navigation in the Compact layout as well. Tapping the back arrow now reveals a paired forward arrow, eliminating the need to reach for Safari’s address bar or pop open the extended history list. The Standard (top) and Bottom address-bar configurations keep their traditional two-arrow stack unchanged.
Part of a Larger Design Rethink
The Safari tweaks sit inside Apple’s broader Liquid Glass redesign, the platform’s most visible overhaul since iOS 7. Across the system, menus refract background colors, Control Center toggles gain depth-mapped translucency, and built-in apps such as Photos and Messages inherit rounded, glass-like chrome. Apple says it will continue to refine Liquid Glass elements throughout the developer cycle, with a public beta slated for July and a full release expected alongside the iPhone 17 lineup in September.
Registered developers can grab iOS 26 beta 2 by navigating to Settings > General > Software Update and selecting the beta channel. Apple warns that features and interface placements may still shift, so expect further tweaks before the operating system locks in this fall. For anyone who spends their day hopping between dozens of tabs, though, Safari already feels a lot more like home.