One day after the wide release of iOS 26.1, Apple released the first beta of iOS 26.2. This release is again expected to mainly focus on optimization and tweaking while adding quality of life improvements rather than any major new features.
iOS 26.2: What’s new
We will continually update this list as the beta progresses and more changes are added and discovered by the community.
Updated Sleep Score Ranges: Apple has adjusted what the different sleep score ranges mean, making them require higher scores for better descriptions. For example, the “High” score was between 70-89, and is now 81-95.
Sliding liquid glass screen lock: The lock screen clock control has a slider to adjust how transparent/glassy the time readings should be. This replaces the old “clear or colored” toggle switch.
Apple News Design: The design of Apple News has been revised, with four quick-select categories at the top. These appear to be based on your past activity.
Podcast improvements: The Podcasts app gets auto-generated chapters as well as the ability to more easily follow mentioned podcasts or follow links mentioned in a podcast episode.
Set alarms and timers for reminders: If you set a reminder as Urgent, you’ll be asked if you’d like to create an alarm or timer for it.
Free application: You can now insert tables into your boards.
iOS 26.2: How to install
If you want to test iOS 26 betas but are not a registered developer, follow these steps:
- Click “Sign Up” on the Apple Beta page and sign up with your Apple ID.
- Log in to the beta software.
- Click Register your iOS device.
- Open the Settings app, tap General, then Software Update.
- In the Beta Updates section, select iOS Public Beta.
It may take a few minutes after you sign up for the trial option to appear in the software update.
iOS 26.2: How to install the developer beta
You’ll need to register as a developer with Apple, but a free developer account will do the trick. You can get one via Xcode or the Apple Developer app in iOS. Here’s how to do it via the Apple Developer app:
- Download the Apple Developer app from the App Store.
- Open the application.
- Click on Account.
- Sign in with your regular Apple ID.
Find out everything you need to know about iOS 26 in our ultimate iOS 26 guide.