After a month of beta testing, Apple is now making iOS 26.1 available to all users. This marks the first big update of the iOS 26 cycle. In this version, users should expect a more polished experience with fewer bugs, a slightly tweaked Liquid Glass UI, and a few other changes. Besides that, Apple will soon reveal this update’s security fixes, which makes it even more important for users to download as soon as possible.
One of the main additions of iOS 26.1 is Apple expanding the Apple Intelligence platform for more users. Now, if you speak Danish, Dutch, Norwegian, Swedish, Turkish, Vietnamese, Portuguese (Portugal), or Chinese (Traditional), you can use those languages with Apple’s AI platform. Not only that, but, thanks to a firmware update for AirPods 4, AirPods Pro 2, and AirPods Pro 3, the Live Translation feature now supports more languages, including Japanese, Korean, Italian, and Chinese (Traditional and Simplified).
Even more coming in iOS 26.1
iOS 26.1 also brings important tweaks to Apple’s mobile OS. For example, Apple is introducing a Slide to Stop alarm feature. This throwback to the old “Slide to Unlock” feature is a more convenient way to ensure you can stop an alarm. Otherwise, you’ll just hit the Snooze button.
There’s also a new Liquid Glass toggle in the Settings app. To find it, head to Display & Brightness and then tap on Liquid Glass. You can choose between “Clear” or “Tinted” options. Also in the Settings app, users can go to the Camera app and turn off the “Lock Screen Swipe to Open Camera” option. This gives you the ability to deactivate swiping on the Lock Screen to open the Camera app.
Other tweaks include a rebrand for Apple TV+, which Apple is now simply calling Apple TV. This announcement came early last month when Apple announced it would be the official Formula 1 streaming partner in the U.S. Besides that, iPhone users now have a new song swiping experience in Apple Music. They can swipe on the music player to switch between songs, making it even more interactive. Alongside iOS 26.1, Apple is also releasing iPadOS 26.1, macOS Tahoe 26.1, watchOS 26.1, tvOS 26.1, and visionOS 26.1.
