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iOS 26 beta 3 adds new color options for default iPhone wallpaper

iOS 26 is launching to all users this fall, but during the summer Apple is continually refining the update through a beta process. Today, iOS 26 beta 3 arrived, and one change is an expanded array of color options for the new default wallpaper.

New iOS 26 wallpaper now available in four colors

Every year, iOS introduces a new default wallpaper for users. Often, that wallpaper includes several color variants.

With iOS 26, previous betas only had a single blue version of the default wallpaper.

But now as of iOS 26 beta 3, Apple offers four different versions:

  • Shadow
  • Sky
  • Halo
  • and most exciting of all: Dusk, a new purple/pink

Shadow, Sky, and Halo are all different takes on blue.

While you could still experience different versions of the standard blue wallpaper in older betas, those alternate versions were tied to your system appearance setting.

For example, you’d see a lighter version when your iPhone is in light mode, and a darker version in dark mode.

But now there are three completely distinct blue variants of the wallpaper in iOS 26 beta 3, plus the great looking new Dusk color.

What do you think of Apple’s new wallpapers in iOS 26 beta 3? Let us know in the comments.

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Avatar for Ryan Christoffel Ryan Christoffel

Ryan got his start in journalism as an Editor at MacStories, where he worked for four years covering Apple news, writing app reviews, and more. For two years he co-hosted the Adapt podcast on Relay FM, which focused entirely on the iPad. As a result, it should come as no surprise that his favorite Apple device is the iPad Pro.