Looks like iOS 26 just came outbut Apple is already back at it with another update. The company released the first beta of iOS 26.1 on Monday, September 22, and since then developers and public testers have been able to try out Apple's next update a little early. As of this writing, iOS 26.1 is officially in its fourth beta, which adds even more changes and features.
“Point updates” like iOS 26.1 are never as feature-packed as major releases, although 26.1 seems especially small in scope. Apple appears to have done most of what it set out to do with iOS 26, offering only minor changes in this upcoming update. However, there are some interesting new things in this latest beta, and there may be more to come in future releases. Here's what's new.
Apple Now Lets You Control the Look of Liquid Glass
If you're not a fan of Liquid Glass, Apple's new design language across its various operating systems, you're in luck with iOS 26.1 you can choose what liquid glass will look like.
Some users have asked Apple for this option, but this is not entirely true. Starting with beta 26.1, Apple gives you two options to control Liquid Glass: Clear, which looks roughly the same as Liquid Glass, and Tinted, which gives the glass effect a “frosted” look. If you don't like how difficult it is to see certain elements when iOS is busy, Tinted reduces transparency and makes those elements easier to read.
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While having the official ability to customize the appearance of Liquid Glass is great, some users have asked Apple to instead add a slider to fine-tune the appearance. Still, this is better than the previous workaround.
You can disable the camera shortcut on the lock screen.
For a long time, you could swipe left on the lock screen to launch the Camera app on your iPhone. This is convenient, but there are two disadvantages. First, you can also launch the Camera app from the camera shortcut tile in the bottom right corner, or on newer iPhones from the Action button or Camera Control button, which makes the swipe gesture a little redundant. Second, it's quite easy to accidentally trigger the camera with a swipe, meaning your iPhone could run out of battery power with the camera activated while it's in your pocket.
In the fourth beta of iOS 26.1, Apple added a new settings toggle to turn off this swipe gesture. If you prefer, you can simply rely on a software or hardware button instead of a gesture.
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Alarms are harder to accidentally turn off
This feature appeared in the second beta version of iOS 26.1. This makes it harder for Apple to turn off your alarm, reducing the risk of you accidentally oversleeping.
You still have the same Snooze button as in the official iOS 26 build, so if all you need is nine more minutes of sleep, hitting the button is as easy as ever. However, to turn off the alarm completely, you can no longer simply press a button. Instead you need slide to turn off alarmis the same on-screen gesture you use to turn off after holding down the power button.
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Apple Music has new gestures
If you want to skip a song on Apple Music, click the Forward button. If you want to go back to the previous song or restart the current song, click the Back button. However, in iOS 26.1, you will have the ability to switch between songs using a swipe.
Starting with the second beta, you can swipe right and left on the Now Playing panel to toggle back and forth in order. As a result, Apple has removed the forward button from the Now Playing panel. (There was no back button.) It's a small but cool feature, but it might take some getting used to.
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Apple TV+ is now Apple TV
Apple TV+ will be rebrandedalbeit simple. Apple quietly announced in a press release about F1: Movie that its streaming service will move from Apple TV+ to Apple TV. How many of us called it Apple TV anyway? Certainly. Would it be confusing to have a streaming service and streaming device with the same name? Definitely.
While the company is working through these naming issues, the third beta version of iOS 26.1 is being released with changes. Starting with this beta, the Apple TV app gets an updated icon: the icon now has a subtle array of colors, as opposed to the muted gray color we're used to.
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Also new in the third beta of iOS 26.1 is a new settings menu for local capture. The feature is new to iOS 26 and allows users to record audio and video during a conference call, just like on a computer—something podcasters couldn't do on iPhone and iPad. In the Settings menu, you can choose where these local files will be saved, as well as whether to save only audio files. Previously, you could only make these calls from the Control Center while recording.
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There is a new video playback panel
In the current version of iOS 26, the video playback panel in the Photos app is flush with the user interface. You may love it or hate it, but figuring it out can be a little tricky depending on the video in question. For example, the play button and mute button may disappear if iOS can't change their colors to stand out from the background.
However, iOS 26.1 beta 1 introduces a new video playback panel, separate from the user interface. Looks good and is always easy to see. Again, a small change, but a reasonable one.
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Live translation is available in more languages.
Live translation for AirPods is a fantastic new feature that automatically translates your conversations with someone who speaks a language you don't understand. If you have an iPhone 15 Pro or later, and AirPods Pro 2, AirPods Pro 3, or AirPods 5 with active noise cancellation, you can try it out when iOS 26 launches.
What are your thoughts so far?
Apple initially launched support for French, German, Portuguese (Brazil), and Spanish (Spain), but plans to expand the list in the future. iOS 26.1 adds four new options, including:
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Chinese (Mandarin, Simplified)
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Chinese (Mandarin, Traditional)
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Italian
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Japanese
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Korean
Eight new languages ​​available for Apple Intelligence
iPhone 15 Pro and later users: Listen up: Apple Intelligence supports eight new languages ​​in iOS 26.1. Starting with this first beta, it includes the following:
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Chinese (traditional)
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Danish
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Dutch
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Norwegian
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Portuguese (Portugal)
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Swedish
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Turkish
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Vietnamese
Liquid glass appeared on the phone keyboard
Liquid glass – no. everywhere in iOS 26. While much of the UI now has a glass look, some elements still look the same as in iOS 18 and earlier. The Phone app keyboard was one such example: although the app itself has changed a lot With this update, switch to the keyboard and it will look the same as before.
The situation will change with the release of iOS 26.1. The beta adds liquid glass to the keyboard, which, while consistent with much of iOS 26's design, slightly reduces the visibility of the keys, especially in Light mode. I'm guessing the new “Tinted” setting will help with this.
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Transparent navigation buttons in the Photos app.
Likewise, in the second beta, Apple brought back transparent navigation buttons in the Photos app. They were previously present in beta testing of iOS 26, but for the official release Apple made the buttons more opaque. Now you'll be able to see what's behind each button as you move around the app.
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Color-Coded Calendar List
Whenever you have a calendar in list view in iOS 26.1, you'll see your daily events color-coded to their respective calendars, rather than just listed on the same white background.
Links to third party smartwatch support
If you have an iPhone, you know the only smartwatch that Really Apple Watch works well with it. Some watches offer notification support, but most are simply not compatible with iOS.
Perhaps the situation will change in the future. Code in iOS 26.1 beta refers to a new “Notification Forwarding” feature that may allow you to choose a third-party device to send alerts to your iPhone. Additionally, the pending “AccessoryExtension” option could be a platform that allows you to connect a third-party watch to your iPhone.
These are just code references and not something you can actively test in the 26.1 beta, but it's worth noting. Apple is experimenting with support for third-party watches on iOS, although this may just be to satisfy the EU's Digital Markets Act.
Apple brings back Slide Over multitasking (iPadOS)
If you're running at least the second beta of iPadOS 26.1 on your iPad, you'll notice a familiar feature: Slide. Slide Over is a multitasking feature that lets you open and hide an iOS-style window on the side of your iPad. This window is overlaid on top of other active windows and is designed to quickly view another application without having to take up dedicated screen space.
This feature was especially useful when iPad multitasking was in its infancy. However, it appears that Apple has decided that the days of Slide Over are over, as the company has removed the feature in iOS 26. Instead, you get an improved Windows control system similar to macOS. It's unclear why Apple brought this feature back in the second beta, and it's possible that it could disappear again before the official release of iPadOS 26.1. In the meantime, you can take advantage of the new multitasking system. And Slide Over with this newest beta release.
