Apple is currently beta testing iOS 26.1, which will be the first major update to the iOS 26 operating system. It won’t bring the new version of Siri we expected, but it does include some useful new features and interface changes.
We’ve rounded up all the features of iOS 26.1 so far.
Liquid Glass Transparency Toggle
Apple added a toggle to customize the appearance of Liquid Glass. In Settings > Display & Brightness, there is a new option to toggle between Clear or Tinted settings.
Clear is more transparent and is the standard version of Liquid Glass that displays the background under buttons, menu bars, and other interface elements, while Tinted increases the opacity of Liquid Glass and adds contrast.
Camera swipe on lock screen
In the Camera section of the Settings app, there is a Swipe on lock screen to open camera setting, and turning it off disables the functionality to swipe left to open the camera from the lock screen.
The iPhone has long allowed users to open the Camera app directly from the lock screen with a swipe, but it can be an easy setting to enable and it allows someone who gets their hands on an iPhone to use it to take unwanted photos.
Previously, there was no way to disable camera activation on the lock screen without completely disabling the Camera app.
Phone haptics
In the Phone app, there is an option to turn off haptic feedback when a call is connected or abandoned.
Alarms and timers
Alarms and timers you set in the Clock app now have a slide-to-stop button rather than a tap-to-stop button on the lock screen. You can snooze an alarm with a single tap, but to turn it off completely, you need to use a swipe gesture.
The change makes it much harder to dismiss an alarm when you try to hit the snooze button.
New Apple Intelligence languages
Apple Intelligence is now available in Danish, Dutch, Norwegian, Portuguese (Portugal), Swedish, Turkish, Chinese (traditional), and Vietnamese.
AirPods live translation languages
AirPods Live Translation works with additional languages in iOS 26.1, including Japanese, Korean, Italian, and Chinese (Traditional and Simplified Mandarin).
Apple Music
You can swipe on the music player in Apple Music to change songs. Simply slide a finger over where the song title is listed, and you will skip to the next song or go back to the previous song.
Apple TV app
The Apple TV app has a new, more colorful icon that adopts the Liquid Glass aesthetic.
Fitness app
You can create custom workouts in the Fitness app on iPhone. There are options to select workout type, estimated active calories, effort, duration, and start time.
There used to be workout creation options, but they were more structured than the open, custom creation options in iOS 26.1.
Settings app
Apple has changed the alignment of icons and text in the Settings app. All settings that have text in their headers now have that text left-aligned instead of center-aligned. It’s a small change that makes a big visual difference.
This includes General, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Cellular, Personal Hotspot, Accessibility, etc.
Home screen folders
When you tap a folder on the Home screen, the folder name at the top is left-aligned instead of center-aligned, matching changes made in the Settings app.
Phone
The phone’s keypad now uses Liquid Glass for numbers.
Photos
The slider for browsing videos in the Photos app has been updated.
The navigation bar also has a slightly frostier look that makes it easier to see against light backgrounds.
The interface for managing multiple photos you have selected has been slightly modified. Play as Slideshow, Favorites and Hide are now at the top of the menu.
Safari
The tab bar (bottom) in Safari is wider with less padding around the edges. In Reduce Transparency mode, there is more padding, so it no longer looks strange.
Background security improvements
The Privacy & Security section of the Settings app now has a toggle to automatically download and install security enhancements. This is an overhaul of the previous Rapid Security Responses feature.
Display settings
The Display section of the Settings app now contains an iOS 26 themed wallpaper instead of the iOS 18 wallpaper.
Liquid glass
The light refraction effect around apps is now more subtle with darker icon colors and background colors.
Wallpaper
When setting a wallpaper on the lock screen, instructions like Pinch to Crop appear momentarily and then disappear, rather than being displayed all the time.
Display Accessibility
Under the Display and Text Size section in the Accessibility settings, there is a new “Display Borders” toggle. It adds a border to all buttons and overrides the previous “Button Shapes” setting.
Local capture settings
There is now an option to set a location in the Files app for call audio and video recordings. It is available by going to Settings > General > Local Capture.
Bonus: iPadOS 26.1
Most of the changes above also affect iPadOS 26.1, and iPadOS 26.1 also brings some changes to multitasking.
Slide
With iPadOS 26.1, Apple reintroduces Slide Over. Slide Over works alongside iPadOS 26’s window-based multitasking feature, so you can open multiple windows while still swiping to quickly access a Slide Over app.
You can only have one Slide Over app at a time in iPadOS 26.1, and you can use the feature by pressing the green window resize button and enabling Enter Slide Over.
External microphones on iPad
There is now an option to adjust the input gain on the iPad when using an external microphone.
Apple Intelligence Settings
Apple has changed the appearance of the Apple Intelligence section in the Settings app, and it is now left-aligned. Apple changed the alignment for other sections of the Settings app in previous beta versions, but Apple Intelligence remained the same.
Apple also removed the “Beta” label from Apple Intelligence, but it’s unclear whether some features are officially out of beta or if this is an oversight. Apple did not remove beta labeling in macOS Tahoe 26.1 beta 4.
Download iOS 26.1
iOS 26.1 is available to both developers and public beta testers, so if you want to get your hands on the new features right now, you can. It’s easiest to sign up for public beta testing by visiting Apple’s beta site.
Compatibility
iOS 26.1 is available on all iPhones that support iOS 26.
Release date
It is likely that Apple will release iOS 26.1 around the end of October or beginning of November.
More features
Do you know of anything new in iOS 26.1 that we missed? Let us know in the comments below.
