All the New Features Coming in IOS 26.2
On Monday, Apple released iOS 26.1 , introducing several small but significant changes to the iPhone. But just a day after changing alarms and adding options to customize the Liquid Glass look, the company returned with a new update: iOS 26.2.
To be clear, iOS 26.2 is not currently available to the general public. Instead, Apple is beta testing this version of iOS, allowing developers to try it out in their apps and report any issues to Apple. While technically anyone can download this new software, I wouldn’t recommend it. iOS 26.2 is not intended for public use and, as such, may cause problems on your device. If you’re interested in participating in the iOS 26.2 beta, I recommend at least waiting for Apple to release the public beta, which is expected soon.
As expected, iOS 26.2 isn’t a major update. Apple has apparently added most of the features and changes planned for iOS 26, as well as a few new features and improvements from iOS 26.1. However, iOS 26.2 does introduce some changes, even compared to the first beta. Here’s what’s new, at least for now:
Liquid Glass Slider for Lock Screen Clock
In iOS 26.1, Apple added the ability to customize the appearance of Liquid Glass. Two options are available: “Transparent” (the iconic Liquid Glass effect) and “Tinted,” which increases the opacity of elements and turns Liquid Glass into a frosted glass.
While this was a welcome addition for users who disliked the Liquid Glass look, some wanted Apple to go further and add a slider for more precise customization of the glass design’s appearance. Apple appears to have done the same in iOS 26.2, but not for the system-wide Liquid Glass interface. Instead, the new version introduced a slider for customizing the appearance of the clock on the lock screen:
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Alarm clocks for reminders
Reminders are an indispensable feature on my iPhone. I use them every day to help me remember important tasks. Reminders appear on your iPhone just as frequently as any other notification. If you frequently check notifications, that’s fine, but if you don’t check your iPhone often or use Focuses or Do Not Disturb, it’s easy to miss a reminder and forget to do what you were reminding yourself to do.
iOS 26.2 offers a solution: alarms for reminders . If you set a reminder as “Urgent” in iOS 26.2, a pop-up will appear asking for permission to set alarms and timers. The idea is that instead of just notifying you, the Reminders app can set an alarm when the reminder is about to go off. I imagine this will help prevent forgotten reminders: you might miss the short beep, but you’ll likely hear it if your iPhone is constantly beeping.
Sleep score updates
If you have an Apple Watch with watchOS 26, you can take advantage of Apple’s new Sleep Score feature . This feature takes into account your sleep duration, bedtime, and number of interruptions to create a score reflecting the quality of your sleep. Sleep duration can be scored up to 50, bedtime up to 30, and number of interruptions up to 20, reaching a maximum of 100.
In iOS 26.2 and watchOS 26.2, Apple is adjusting its sleep scores, which should hopefully make them more accurate for users. Here’s how it’s changed, according to MacRumors :
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Very low : 0–40 (previously 0–29)
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Low : 41–60 (previously 30–49)
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OK : 61–80 (previously 50–69)
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High : 81–95 (previously 70–89)
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Very high : 96–100 (previously 90–100)
Additionally, “Excellent” is now called “Very High” to make the naming scheme more consistent.
Changes to podcasts
Apple is introducing three new changes to the Podcasts app in iOS 26.2. All three changes will appear in the pop-up menu when you first open the app after updating.
First, all English-language podcasts will contain chapters by default. Podcasters can add these chapters themselves, or if they don’t have them, the app will generate them automatically using AI. If podcasters don’t want their episodes to contain chapters, they can disable this feature. The app will also collect all podcasts mentioned in the current episode in one place, making it easy to find other podcasts if you’re interested. Similarly, podcasters can collect all the links they want to share in one place, including timestamps in the episode transcript. The app can also automatically generate these links based on the episode’s content.
EU users receive direct transfers
Live Translate is a promising new feature for AirPods owners in iOS 26. When you put on your AirPods and start a conversation with someone speaking another language, your iPhone instantly translates their words, and you hear them speaking your language through your 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 using iOS 26 or iOS 26.1 cannot use the Direct Transfer feature. Apple cited the region’s Digital Markets Act as the reason for not implementing Direct Transfer in the EU. However, the company appears to have resolved all logistical and bureaucratic issues: with the release of iOS 26.2 , AirPods users in the EU will also be able to use Direct Transfer .