Apple launched the second public beta of iOS 26.1 on Tuesday, lower than a month after the corporate launched iOS 26, which launched Liquid Glass, call screening and more to your machine.
iOS 26.1 brings a helpful safety function to builders’ and beta testers’ units, which I hope will make the ultimate lower.
Since it is a beta, I like to recommend downloading it solely on one thing aside from your major machine. The replace is perhaps buggy, and battery life could also be brief.
Additionally, on condition that it is not the ultimate model, extra options might land in your iPhone when 26.1 is launched. There is not any phrase on when Apple will launch iOS 26.1 to most of the people.
Listed below are the options builders and beta testers can attempt now, and what may very well be in your iPhone when Apple formally releases iOS 26.1.
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Robotically set up safety enhancements
Apple introduces a helpful new safety setting within the iOS 26.1 beta that permits your iPhone to obtain and set up safety enhancements by itself.
“Background Safety Enhancements present extra safety to your iPhone in between software program updates,” in keeping with Apple. “In uncommon cases of compatibility points, these safety enhancements could also be quickly eliminated after which enhanced in a future software program replace.”
This function jogs my memory of Apple’s Rapid Security Responses (RSR). The corporate launched RSRs in 2023 as a strategy to shortly deploy safety fixes to units. Whereas a good suggestion in principle, Apple hasn’t used iOS RSRs because the launch of iOS 16.5.1 (c) in July 2023.
This is not a flashy setting, nevertheless it’s helpful and permits you to keep updated on smaller safety updates with out doing any additional work. As soon as enabled, this setting takes care of the remainder, so you do not have to test your iPhone each day for brand spanking new updates to potential safety points.
Altering songs in Apple Music
Apple Music received a handful of latest options in iOS 26, however the iOS 26.1 beta does not change a lot in regards to the app or service. As a substitute, the replace helps you to change songs in a brand new manner.
With the iOS 26.1 beta, as a substitute of tapping the subsequent or backward buttons to vary songs, you possibly can swipe left or proper on the music title from the music participant inside Apple Music. You are able to do this when the participant is taking on your entire display screen or if you’re trying by means of Apple Music and the participant is small and close to the underside of your display screen. The music title even seems to leap left or proper if you change songs now, too.
Alarm will get one other replace
One among my favourite small upgrades in iOS 26 was the flexibility to change your alarm snooze length. Within the iOS 26.1 beta, Apple makes it more durable to by accident dismiss your alarm. When your alarm goes off within the beta, you now need to swipe to cease it slightly than hit a button. This may very well be annoying in case you’re attempting to close your alarm off quick, or it might assist make sure you’re truly awake earlier than you flip your alarm off.
Extra Stay Translation languages
The iOS 26.1 beta provides extra languages to the brand new Live Translation function. Apple launched this function to iPhones and AirPods with iOS 26, and the beta lets builders and beta testers use it with these languages.
- Chinese language (Mandarin, simplified)
- Chinese language (Mandarin, conventional)
- Italian
- Japanese
- Korean
Apple Intelligence in additional languages
In case you have an Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhone, iOS 26.1 beta 1 brings the AI options to those languages.
- Chinese language (conventional)
- Danish
- Dutch
- Norwegian
- Portuguese (Portugal)
- Swedish
- Turkish
- Vietnamese
Calendar replace
Not a significant change, however the iOS 26 beta updates the Calendar interface. When you view your calendar in Record View, any calendar occasions you have got on a particular day shall be coloured throughout the entire backside a part of your display screen.
New video scrubbing bar
The iOS 26.1 beta additionally brings a small change to the video scrubbing bar in Pictures. When you go into Pictures and watch a video, you may discover that the bar throughout the underside of your display screen is extra compact and inline in comparison with the previous scrubbing bar, which had the play/pause and quantity buttons above the bar.
That is one other small change that you simply may not have even seen.
These are a number of of the brand new options builders and public beta testers can attempt with the second public beta of iOS 26.1. There’ll probably be extra betas earlier than the OS is launched to the general public, so there’s loads of time for Apple to vary these options.
For extra iOS information, this is my review of the iOS 26, tips on how to cut back the Liquid Glass results within the replace and the way text screening works within the replace. It’s also possible to try our iOS 26 cheat sheet.
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