It looks as if iOS 26 simply dropped, however Apple is already again at it with one other replace. The corporate dropped the primary beta for iOS 26.1 on Monday, Sept. 22, and ever since, builders and public testers have been in a position to check out Apple’s subsequent replace somewhat early. As of this text, iOS 26.1 is formally on its fourth beta model, which provides much more adjustments and options to the combination.
“Level updates” like iOS 26.1 are by no means as feature-filled as the primary releases, although 26.1 appears significantly small in scope. Apple appears to have performed most of what it deliberate to do with iOS 26, providing solely minor revisions on this upcoming replace. Nonetheless, there are some attention-grabbing new additions on this newest beta, and extra might are available subsequent releases. Here is what’s new.
Apple now helps you to management how Liquid Glass appears
In case you’re not a fan of Liquid Glass, Apple’s new design language throughout its numerous working methods, you are in luck: With iOS 26.1, you possibly can select how Liquid Glass appears.
That is an possibility some customers have been asking Apple for, although not fairly like this. As of the fourth 26.1 beta, Apple offers you two choices to manage Liquid Glass: “Clear,” which appears about the identical as Liquid Glass has, and “Tinted,” which provides a “frosted” look to the glass impact. In case you don’t love how troublesome it may be to see sure components when iOS will get busy, Tinted reduces transparency, and makes these components simpler to learn.
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Whereas it is nice to have an official possibility to regulate the look of Liquid Glass, some customers had requested Apple so as to add a slider as an alternative, to fine-tune the look. Nonetheless, it is higher than the earlier workaround.
You may disable the Lock Display digicam shortcut
For the longest time, you’ve got been in a position to swipe left in your Lock Display to launch your iPhone’s Digicam app. It is handy, however there are two downsides. One, you’ve got additionally been in a position to launch the Digicam app from the Digicam shortcut tile within the backside proper, and, on newer iPhones, from both the Motion button or the Digicam Management button, making the swipe gesture a bit redundant. Two, it is a bit simple to unintentionally launch the digicam with a swipe, which means your iPhone could be burning by way of battery life with its digicam activated whereas in your pocket.
With the fourth iOS 26.1 beta, Apple has added a brand new Settings toggle to disable this swipe gesture. If you need, you possibly can merely depend on a software program or {hardware} button as an alternative of the gesture
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Alarms are more durable to unintentionally dismiss
This function arrived with the second iOS 26.1 beta. With it, Apple is making it more durable to dismiss a ringing alarm, decreasing the danger you’d unintentionally oversleep.
You continue to have the identical “Snooze” button as you do on the official iOS 26 construct, so if all you need is one other 9 minutes of sleep, the button is as simple to faucet as ever. Nevertheless, to dismiss the alarm solely, you possibly can’t merely faucet a button anymore. As an alternative, you could slide to cease the alarm—the identical display gesture you utilize to energy it down after holding the facility button.
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Apple Music has new gestures
If you wish to skip a music in Apple Music, you hit the ahead button. If you wish to get again to the earlier music, or restart the present music, you hit the again button. With iOS 26.1, nevertheless, you may have the choice to swipe to modify between songs.
As of the second beta, you possibly can swipe proper and left on the Now Taking part in bar to modify backwards and forwards by way of your queue. With it, Apple has eliminated the skip ahead button from the Now Taking part in bar. (The again button wasn’t current.) It is a small however cool function, however one which may take some time to get used to.
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Apple TV+ is now Apple TV
Apple TV+ is getting a rebrand, albeit a easy one. Apple quietly revealed in a press launch about F1: The Film that its streaming service will transfer from Apple TV+ to, merely, Apple TV. Did many people name it Apple TV anyway? Positive. Will it’s complicated having a streaming service and a streaming machine with the identical title? Most undoubtedly.
Whereas the corporate figures out these naming points, the third iOS 26.1 beta is rolling with the adjustments. As of this beta model, the Apple TV app will get a redesigned icon: Now, the icon has a refined array of colours working by way of it, versus the muted grey look we’re used to.
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Additionally new to the third iOS 26.1 beta is a brand new Settings menu for Native Seize. This function is new to iOS 26, and lets customers report audio and video from convention calls as you can on a pc—one thing podcasters have not been in a position to do on iPhones and iPads. From the Settings menu, you possibly can select the place these native recordsdata are saved, in addition to whether or not to solely save the audio recordsdata. Beforehand, you can solely make these calls from Management Heart throughout a recording.
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There is a new video playback bar
Within the present model of iOS 26, the video playback bar within the Pictures app is flush with the UI. You would possibly love or hate it, however it may be a bit troublesome to make it out, relying on the video in query. The play button and mute button, for instance, can disappear when iOS cannot change their colours to face out from the background.
iOS 26.1 beta 1, nevertheless, introduces a brand new video playback bar that’s separate from the UI. It appears good, and is simple to see always. Once more, a small change, however a wise one.
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Stay Translation is accessible in additional languages
Stay Translation for AirPods is a incredible new function that mechanically interprets conversations you are having with somebody who speaks a language you do not perceive. As long as you’ve gotten an iPhone 15 Professional or newer, in addition to AirPods Professional 2, AirPods Professional 3, or AirPods 5 with Energetic Noise Cancellation, you’ve got been in a position to strive it out since iOS 26’s launch.
What do you assume up to now?
Apple initially rolled out help for French, German, Portuguese (Brazil), and Spanish (Spain), however plans to increase the record sooner or later. With iOS 26.1, it provides 4 new choices, together with:
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Chinese language (Mandarin, simplified)
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Chinese language (Mandarin, conventional)
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Italian
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Japanese
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Korean
There are eight new languages for Apple Intelligence
Customers with an iPhone 15 Professional and newer, hear up: Apple Intelligence helps eight new languages in iOS 26.1. As of this primary beta, that features the next:
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Chinese language (conventional)
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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 involves the Telephone’s keypad
Liquid Glass is not in every single place in iOS 26. Whereas a lot of the UI now has a glassy look, some components nonetheless seem like iOS 18 and earlier. The Telephone app’s keypad was one such instance: Whereas the app itself is very a lot modified with this replace, change to the keypad, and it appears the identical as ever.
That adjustments with iOS 26.1. The beta brings Liquid Glass to the keypad, which, whereas per most of iOS 26’s design, does cut back the visibility of the keys a bit, particularly in mild mode. I might think about the brand new “Tinted” setting would assist with that.
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Clear navigation buttons within the Pictures app
Equally, with beta 2, Apple introduced again clear navigation buttons within the Pictures app. These had been current earlier on in iOS 26’s beta testing, however Apple made the buttons extra opaque for the official launch. Now, you can see what’s behind every button as you progress across the app.
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A color-coded calendar record
At any time when you’ve gotten Calendar in Record view in iOS 26.1, you may see your every day occasions color-coded by their respective calendars, quite than merely listed towards the identical white background.
References to third-party smartwatch help
You probably have an iPhone, the one smartwatch that actually works nicely with it’s the Apple Watch. Some watches supply notification help, however most easily do not jive nicely with iOS.
That could be altering sooner or later. Code inside the iOS 26.1 beta references a brand new “Notification Forwarding” function, which may help you select a third-party machine to ship your iPhone alerts to. As well as, an unfinished “AccessoryExtension” possibility could be the framework that permits you to pair a third-party watch to your iPhone.
These are simply references in code, not one thing that you may actively take a look at out within the 26.1 beta, however it’s price noting. Apple is experimenting with supporting third-party watches on iOS, although it might simply be to appease the EU’s “Digital Markets Act.”
Apple brings again Slide Over multitasking (iPadOS)
In case you’re working not less than the second iPadOS 26.1 beta in your iPad, you may discover a well-recognized function: Slide Over. Slide Over is a multitasking function that permits you to open and conceal an iOS-like window on the facet of your iPad. This window is overlaid on high of your different lively home windows, and is supposed to supply an at-a-glance view of one other app, without having to take up a devoted area on-screen.
This function was particularly helpful when the iPad’s multitasking was in its infancy. It appears Apple thought Slide Over’s days have been performed, nevertheless, as the corporate eliminated the function with iOS 26. As an alternative, you get an improved macOS-like home windows administration system. It isn’t clear why Apple introduced the function again with beta 2, and it is potential it might disappear once more earlier than iPadOS 26.1’s official launch. However for now, you possibly can reap the benefits of the brand new multitasking system and Slide Over with this latest beta.
