How do I revert to white background with black text in notification boxes after iOS 26.1 update?

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Level 1

4 points

How do I revert to white background with black text in notification boxes after iOS 26.1 update?

The iOS update to 26.1 changed notifications when the phone is locked (or when unlocked, when the user scrolls down from the top of the screen to reveal pending notifications) to dark mode, in which the background of the notification is black and the text is white. I HATE dark mode and do not have it activated on my phone. I cannot find any way to change notifications back to white background with black text, and I really hate that Apple just changed it without giving the user the option of keeping the old background. How do I revert to white background with black text in notification boxes?

[Re-Titled by Moderator]

Posted on Nov 22, 2025 4:03 PM

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Answer 1

Nov 22, 2025 6:17 PM in response to kadebe1

You're clearly in the minority here as I think you're the first person I've seen post they could not change the setting from clear to tinted. That's not Apple rolling out something. That's an issue with settings on your phone.

If it were my phone, I'd open Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone (all the way at the bottom of the page) > Rest > Reset All Settings - this should return your settings to exactly as they were originally, then you'll need to go through and reset settings to your preferences. You won't lose any data by doing this.

If you wish Apple had given advance notice of the changes coming in iOS 26, they most certainly did. Months before iOS 26 was released, Apple introduced it to the public, published links about the coming changes and opened it up to public beta testing. It would have been difficult to be unaware of what was coming with iOS 26. iOS 26.1 offered the option you're now trying to turn on, but iOS 26 was widely reported on in forums, media, YouTube, etc.

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Answer 2

Nov 22, 2025 4:54 PM in response to kadebe1

That's unusual, to be honest. Are you blocked from making any settings change on your iPhone or is it just this one setting? Changing from Clear to Tinted will absolutely accomplish what you want.

Once place to check would be in Settings > Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions and ensure that the "Accounts" option under "Allow Changes To" is set to "Allow.

Report back if that isn't the issue.

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Answer 3

kadebe1 Author

Level 1

4 points

Nov 22, 2025 4:37 PM in response to lobsterghost1

Hi, Thank you very much for your response. The problem is the fix doesn't work. I followed your instructions "In Settings > Display & Brightness > Liquid Glass, you'll see a new setting - Tinted or Clear. Tinted brings more of what people are used to before Liquid Glass and Clear gives you the full Glass look. For example, if you don't like the white text on a dark background with notifications, turning on Tinted, will restore notifications to what you were accustomed to previously. Unfortunately when I try to change to "tinted" nothing happens - the phone won't let me change to tinted, it's locked on "clear." Is there a setting somewhere else that needs to be changed? I tried doing the customization of my home screen to "tinted" but I don't want everything to be pink, or blue, or whatever, I want the multi-color of my old home screen. Am I stuck either making everything the same color or having to live with black background with white text in notification boxes?

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Answer 4

kadebe1 Author

Level 1

4 points

Nov 22, 2025 5:38 PM in response to lobsterghost1

There shouldn't be any restrictions, it's my personal phone and I'm the only one on the plan. Everything under "Accounts" is "allow." Thanks for trying. I wish Apple would give the OPTION of changing when they roll stuff like this out rather than forcing on everyone and leaving those of us who prefer something else to flail around trying to undo the change.

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Answer 5

Nov 22, 2025 4:07 PM in response to kadebe1

This explains how you can do that --> Liquid Glass - Love It Or Hate It - It's … - Apple Community

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How do I revert to white background with black text in notification boxes after iOS 26.1 update?

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