Apple is currently beta testing iOS 26.1, which will be the first major update to the iOS 26 operating system. It's not going to bring the new version of Siri that we've been waiting for, but it does include useful new features and interface changes.
We've rounded up all of the features that have been in iOS 26.1 so far.
Liquid Glass Transparency Toggle
Apple added a toggle for customizing the look of Liquid Glass. In Settings > Display and Brightness, there's a new option to switch between Clear or Tinted settings.
Clear is more transparent and is the standard version of Liquid Glass that displays the background underneath buttons, menu bars, and other interface elements, while Tinted increases the opacity of Liquid Glass and adds contrast.
Lock Screen Camera Swipe
In the Camera section of the Settings app, there's a Lock Screen Swipe to Open Camera setting, and turning it off disables the feature where you can 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 a setting that's easy to activate, and it provides a way for someone that gets ahold of an iPhone to use it to take unwanted photos.
There was previously no way to turn off Lock Screen camera activation without disabling the camera app entirely.
Phone Haptics
In the Phone app, there's a toggle to turn off haptic feedback when a call is connected or dropped.
Alarms and Timers
Alarms and timers that you set up 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 tap, but to turn it off entirely, you need to use a slide gesture.
The change makes it much harder to dismiss an alarm when you're trying to tap on 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 (both Mandarin Traditional and Simplified).
Apple Music
You can swipe on the music player in Apple Music to switch songs. Just slide a finger over where the song title is listed, and it'll go to the next song or 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 for selecting workout type, estimated Active Calories, effort, duration, and start time.
There were workout creation options before, but they were more structured than the open, custom creation options that are in iOS 26.1.
Settings App
Apple changed the alignment of icons and text in the Settings app. All settings with headers that feature text now have that text aligned to the left 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, and more.
Home Screen Folders
When you tap into a folder on the Home Screen, the name of the folder at the top is left aligned instead of center aligned, matching the changes made in the Settings app.
Phone
The Phone keypad now uses Liquid Glass for the numbers.
Photos
The slider for scrubbing through videos in the Photos app has been updated.
The navigation bar also has a slightly more frosted look that makes it easier to see on light backgrounds.
The interface for managing multiple photos that you've selected has been tweaked slightly. Play as Slideshow, Favorite, 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's more padding, so it no longer looks odd.
Background Security Improvements
The Privacy and Security section of the Settings app now has a toggle to automatically download and install security improvements. It's a revamp of the prior Rapid Security Responses feature... Click here to read rest of article
Article Link: Everything New in iOS 26.1
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