Apple released iOS 26.1 on November 3rd.making small but significant changes to the iPhone. But after changing the way alarms workand adding options customize the appearance of liquid glassthe company is back with a new update: iOS 26.2.
To be clear, iOS 26.2 is not currently available to the general public. Instead, Apple is now beta testing this version of iOS, allowing developers and public testers to try out the software in their apps and report any issues back to Apple. If you want to try out version 26.2 for yourself, you can do so, but just be aware of the risks involved: the software is not yet in beta, so expect bugs and glitches that aren't typically found in official updates. If you need to uninstall the beta for any reason, you will need to factory reset your iPhone unless you have taken a full backup of your device to your Mac or PC. Therefore, before installing version 26.2, make sure that your data is secure.
As you might expect, iOS 26.2 is not a major update. Apple has clearly added most of the features and changes it had planned in iOS 26, as well as several new features and adjustments in iOS 26.1. However, iOS 26.2 brings some changes, even in the first few beta versions. Here's what's new, at least for now:
Liquid Glass slider for clock on lock screen
In iOS 26.1, Apple added the ability to customize the appearance of Liquid Glass. With it, you can choose from two options: “Transparent”, the iconic look of liquid glass, or “Tinted”, which increases the opacity of the elements and turns liquid glass into frosted glass.
While this is a useful addition for users who didn't like the look of Liquid Glass, some wanted Apple to go a step further and add a slider to fine-tune the look of the glass design. Apple seems to have done just that with iOS 26.2, but not with the system-wide Liquid Glass UI. Instead, in this new version you get a slider to customize the appearance of the lock screen clock:
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Liquid glass animations have been updated.
Additionally, it appears that Apple has adjusted the animation of Liquid Glass in iOS. As you can see from the post below, the animations are responsive and bouncy, a bit closer to the demos we saw back in June:
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Liquid Glass appears in the Measure app
Apple also continues to update its apps with Liquid Glass. Next up in version 26.2 is the Measure app. The new update adds liquid glass bubbles to the app's Level feature, replacing the existing solid white circles.
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In Beta 3, Apple has improved this feature slightly so that the level will always show a number, even when the level crosses it.
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Signals for reminders
Reminders are an indispensable part of my iPhone. I rely on them daily to stay on top of important tasks. However, reminders are present just like any other notification on your iPhone. If you check your notifications frequently, that's fine, but if you don't check your iPhone that often or use Focus or Do Not Disturb, it can be easy to miss a reminder—and easy to forget to do what you were reminding yourself to do.
iOS 26.2 has a solution: alarm clocks for reminders. When you set a reminder as Urgent on iOS 26.2, you'll see a pop-up asking for permission to schedule alarms and timers. The idea is that instead of relying on a simple alert, the Reminders app can play an alarm when a reminder is due. I think this will help avoid forgotten reminders: you might miss a short ping, but you'll probably hear it if your iPhone is constantly vibrating.
AirDrop Codes
iOS 26.2 beta 3 introduces a settings page for upcoming changes to AirDrop, but not the functionality itself. The new beta version adds “Manage known AirDrop contacts” section that reads, “You will automatically appear for 30 days among the people you shared the OTP with.” As this option suggests, you can share a one-time code with another user, after which you can easily find each other via AirDrop for 30 days. However, you currently cannot generate or submit this one-time code yet.
Sleep Score Updates
If you have an Apple Watch running watchOS 26, you can take advantage of Apple's new Sleep Score feature. The Sleep Score takes into account your sleep duration, sleep times, and sleep interruptions to give you a score that calculates how well you slept. Duration can be up to 50 points, sleep time up to 30, breaks up to 20, resulting in a maximum possible score of 100.
In iOS 26.2 and watchOS 26.2, Apple is adjusting Sleep Scores, which should hopefully make them more accurate for users. That's how it changed as MacRumors notes:
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Very low: 0–40 (previously 0–29)
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Short: 41–60 (previously 30–49)
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FINE: 61–80 (previously 50–69)
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High: 81–95 (previously 70–89)
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Very tall: 96–100 (previously 90–100)
Additionally, “Excellent” is now set to “Very High” to provide a more consistent naming scheme.
Drop and Drop feature returns to Slide Over (iPadOS 26.1)
In iPadOS 26.1 Apple has brought back Slide Over. This useful multitasking feature allows you to assign one application window, which you can easily move to the front or close to the side of the screen. It's great for quickly browsing apps like Messages, Music, or social media—things you don't always need on the screen.
With iPadOS 26.2, Apple continues to bring back the Slide Over feature. Starting with beta 26.2, the company has brought back the Drop and Drop feature, which allows you to take an app and place it on top of the active Slide Over window to instantly switch the selected app into Slide Over mode.
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Podcast changes
Apple presents three new changes for the Podcasts app in iOS 26.2. You'll see all three in the pop-up menu the first time you open the app after the update.
Firstly, all English podcasts will have chapters by default. Podcasters can include these chapters themselves, or if they are not available, the app will automatically create them using AI. If podcasters don't want their episodes to have chapters, they can disable this feature on their end. The app will also collect all the podcasts mentioned during the show you're listening to in one place, so you can easily find other podcasts if you're interested. Likewise, podcasters can collect any links they want to share in one place, including timestamped recordings in the episode transcript. The app can also automatically generate these links based on the content of the episode.
Three changes to the Games app
When you update your iPhone to version 26.2, you may notice three changes to the Games app. First, there are new sorting options, including filters that sort by game size, show you which games your friends are playing, and which games support challenges. Additionally, the app now has expanded compatibility with controllers for navigating the app, so you can continue to use a controller rather than touch when playing games. Finally, your challenge scores will update in real time as you play the games.
Disable pinned messages in CarPlay
Over the past five yearsApple lets you pin favorite contacts and group chats to the top of the Messages app. In iOS 26, Apple updated CarPlay to support this feature, but didn't give you any say in the matter. If you have pinned chats on your iPhone, CarPlay will reflect this, even if you prefer to drive without pinned chats on your car's display.
However, from 26.2Apple gives you the option to disable pinned messages for CarPlay. This option appears as a simple “Pinned Conversations” toggle in CarPlay settings.
EU users receive Live Translation
Live Translation is a promising new feature for AirPods owners running iOS 26. When you're wearing AirPods and start talking to someone who speaks a different language than you, your iPhone will translate their words on the fly and you'll hear what they're saying in your target language through the AirPods. Apple isn't the first company to offer this feature, and it's not perfect, but it's still great to have.
However, EU users running iOS 26 or iOS 26.1 cannot use Live Translation. Apple cited the region's Digital Markets Act as the reason it was unable to bring Live Translation to the EU, but the company appears to have sorted out all the logistical and bureaucratic problems it faced: once iOS 26.2 arrives, AirPods users in the EU will be able to use Live Translationtoo much.
Edge Light (macOS 26.2)
While this isn't technically a feature of iOS 26.2, Apple has one major update for macOS coming in version 26.2. In the second beta version, the company added “Edge light” feature that adds a ring of light around the video call window. Apple says the feature uses your Mac's Neural Engine to identify your face and analyze your movements, allowing the light to adjust as needed. If you move the cursor to access something else on the screen, for example, the light dims so you can see what you're doing. You can also change the hue of the light if you prefer something warmer or cooler for your calls.
Whether this feature will be good enough to replace a dedicated light source like the popular Ring Light remains to be seen. But it's an interesting and unexpected feature from Apple, and I'm interested in trying it out for myself when it arrives.
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