iOS 26.1 Features: Everything New in iOS 26.1

[MacRumors]

iOS 26.1 is the first major update to the iOS 26 software that came out in September, and it's now available for everyone. There are some useful new features in iOS 26.1 that address complaints about Liquid Glass and fix a longtime Lock Screen irritation.

Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos.​

We've complied a list of all of the new features in iOS 26.1, down to the tiniest interface change.

Liquid Glass Transparency Toggle

There is a new setting for customizing the look of Liquid Glass. You can now opt for a more tinted look that adds opacity.

Under 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 to improve contrast.

You'll see the most noticeable difference in apps and with Lock Screen notifications when Tinted mode is enabled.

Lock Screen Camera Swipe

Apple finally added a way to turn off the Lock Screen gesture that opens the Camera app, which means no more accidentally turning on the camera when your iPhone is in your pocket.

In the Camera section of the Settings app, there's a Lock Screen Swipe to Open Camera setting, and turning it off disables the left swipe that opens the Camera app.

There was previously no way to turn off Lock Screen camera activation without disabling the camera app entirely.

Phone Haptics

The Phone app includes a toggle to turn off haptic feedback when a call is connected or dropped, so if you find that little buzz irritating, you can now disable it.

Alarms and Timers

Apple updated the interface of alarms and timers in iOS 26.1. There's now a Slide to Stop bar on the Lock Screen instead of a tap to stop button.

You can still snooze an alarm with a tap on the oversized button, but to turn it off entirely, you need to use a slide gesture that requires more dexterity.

If you've accidentally dismissed an alarm while trying to tap the snooze button and then overslept, this will be a welcome change. Unfortunately, there is no option to choose to stick with the tap to stop button.

New Apple Intelligence Languages

Apple Intelligence is now available in Danish, Dutch, Norwegian, Portuguese (Portugal), Swedish, Turkish, Chinese (Traditional), and Vietnamese.

The new languages join English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese (Brazil), Spanish, Chinese (Simplified), Japanese, and Korean, opening up Apple Intelligence to more people.

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).

At launch, Live Translation was limited to English (US, UK), French (France), German, Portuguese (Brazil), and Spanish (Spain).

You can translate to and from all of the above languages with the AirPods Pro 2, AirPods Pro 3, or AirPods 4 with ANC.

Apple Music

There's a hidden Apple Music gesture in iOS 26.1. You can swipe on the music player in the Apple Music app 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.

AirPlay

Apple Music AutoMix now works over AirPlay, so you'll hear AutoMix transitions when playing music over AirPlay 2-compatible speakers.

Apple TV App

The Apple TV app has a new, more colorful icon that adopts the Liquid Glass aesthetic. The redesign coincides with Apple's decision to drop the "Plus" from its Apple TV streaming service. Apple TV+ is now called Apple TV in the Apple TV app.

Fitness App

You can now create fully 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, Apple Intelligence, 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, fixing a visual issue present in iOS 26... Click here to read rest of article

Article Link: iOS 26.1 Features: Everything New in iOS 26.1

 

[sniffies]

Nice changes, but I desperately need an option to make it super hard to trigger Home Screen edit wiggle mode.

Every time I handle my iPhone, it's somehow in the wiggle mode. Lost count of how many times I've accidentally rearranged or nearly deleted apps.

🤬

P.S. Lock Screen, too.

 

[JosephAW]

Not planning to upgrade to iOS 26 until next year sometime, went to the update screen on iOS 18 and it’s still showing iOS 26 at the bottom as a optional install, there might be a few more last updates yet before they nag us with a red dot reminder.
No iOS 18.8.0 updates yet.

 

[Statusnone88]

Update feels smoother on my 17 Pro Max. The “Liquid Glass Transparency Toggle” is probably the best feature for me. Crossing fingers for consistent battery life.

 

[turbineseaplane]

Not planning to upgrade to iOS 26 until next year sometime, went to the update screen on iOS 18 and it’s still showing iOS 26 at the bottom as a optional install, there might be a few more last updates yet before they nag us with a red dot reminder.

Can always install a tvOS profile to eliminate any issues or badges or chance of "accidental upgrade".

How to block iOS updates with the tvOS 18 beta profile

In this tutorial, iDB shares how to install a tvOS beta profile to disable over-the-air (OTA) software updates on iPhones & iPads.

www.idownloadblog.com

 

[honus]

If you've accidentally dismissed an alarm while trying to tap the snooze button and then overslept, this will be a welcome change. Unfortunately, there is no option to choose to stick with the tap to stop button.

Take a look at Settings -> Accessibility -> Touch -> Prefer Single-Touch Actions

 

[tedstoutpa]

iPhone Air here. I see the Liquid Glass toggle, but I can’t select a preferred option. Anyone know what gives?

 

[mtrm]

One thing I noticed. Even though my iPhone does not support Apple Intelligence, it got new Siri languages, and it’s finally available in European Portuguese (and in a few other leagues I’ll assume)!!!! At long freaking last!!!! Taking it out for a spin the next few days!

 

[klasma]

iPhone Air here. I see the Liquid Glass toggle, but I can’t select a preferred option. Anyone know what gives?

You may have Reduce Transparency turned on.

 

[usmaak]

Nice changes, but I desperately need an option to make it super hard to trigger Home Screen edit wiggle mode.

Every time I handle my iPhone, it's somehow in the wiggle mode. Lost count of how many times I've accidentally rearranged or nearly deleted apps.

🤬

P.S. Lock Screen, too.

I have wanted this since I started using an iPhone. I can't take my phone out of my pocket without triggering the lock screen wiggle. It's annoying and though I do not know the code base, it should be as easy to fix as any other toggle type setting. I think they added a switch to turn off sliding to the camera and if they can do that, they should be able to do this.

 

[usmaak]

I haven't been impressed with battery life on either my new 17 Pro or old 14 Pro Max. I hope that they have fixed it. I've also noticed that the 17 Pro doesn't handle marginal cell signals as well as my 14 Pro Max did. Where the 14 PM would hold the signal and at least be somewhat usable, the 17 Pro drops it. I was trying out a 17 PM for a while and it had the same issue.

Those are my two main complaints about 26.

 

[Lizzard899]

I just updated to ios 26.1 and just a heads up messages app is taking up tons of storage (under settings>general>iphone storage for no good reason when I have 0 texts in the app. Not sure why its saying its full when its not. Also the facetime says its taking up space when I dont use it either. Im hoping it fixes itself over time.

 

[jz0309]

The camera toggle is worth the upgrade to me, but with a 17PM I don't really have a choice anyways
I'm actually liking xxOS 26, have no readability/legibility issues on my devices

 

[GlassFingers]

Nice that they expanded the width of the URL bar in Safari. More usable space.

But super annoying they shrunk the width of the play track for videos in Photos app!!! 😡

 

[loyalraccoon]

In the Privacy settings it’s no longer possible to disable “Apple Intelligence Report” even with AI not turned on. A cynic might wonder if AI is running regardless of anything else.

 

[rowi1de]

If it was a MAJOR update it would be 27.0.0
SemVer can safe lives

 

[q3anon]

iOS 26.1 is the first major update to the iOS 26 software that came out in September, and it's now available for everyone. There are some useful new features in iOS 26.1 that address complaints about Liquid Glass and fix a longtime Lock Screen irritation.

Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos.​

We've complied a list of all of the new features in iOS 26.1, down to the tiniest interface change.

Liquid Glass Transparency Toggle

There is a new setting for customizing the look of Liquid Glass. You can now opt for a more tinted look that adds opacity.

Under 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 to improve contrast.

You'll see the most noticeable difference in apps and with Lock Screen notifications when Tinted mode is enabled.

Lock Screen Camera Swipe

Apple finally added a way to turn off the Lock Screen gesture that opens the Camera app, which means no more accidentally turning on the camera when your iPhone is in your pocket.

In the Camera section of the Settings app, there's a Lock Screen Swipe to Open Camera setting, and turning it off disables the left swipe that opens the Camera app.

There was previously no way to turn off Lock Screen camera activation without disabling the camera app entirely.

Phone Haptics

The Phone app includes a toggle to turn off haptic feedback when a call is connected or dropped, so if you find that little buzz irritating, you can now disable it.

Alarms and Timers

Apple updated the interface of alarms and timers in iOS 26.1. There's now a Slide to Stop bar on the Lock Screen instead of a tap to stop button.

You can still snooze an alarm with a tap on the oversized button, but to turn it off entirely, you need to use a slide gesture that requires more dexterity.

If you've accidentally dismissed an alarm while trying to tap the snooze button and then overslept, this will be a welcome change. Unfortunately, there is no option to choose to stick with the tap to stop button.

New Apple Intelligence Languages

Apple Intelligence is now available in Danish, Dutch, Norwegian, Portuguese (Portugal), Swedish, Turkish, Chinese (Traditional), and Vietnamese.

The new languages join English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese (Brazil), Spanish, Chinese (Simplified), Japanese, and Korean, opening up Apple Intelligence to more people.

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).

At launch, Live Translation was limited to English (US, UK), French (France), German, Portuguese (Brazil), and Spanish (Spain).

You can translate to and from all of the above languages with the AirPods Pro 2, AirPods Pro 3, or AirPods 4 with ANC.

Apple Music

There's a hidden Apple Music gesture in iOS 26.1. You can swipe on the music player in the Apple Music app 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.

AirPlay

Apple Music AutoMix now works over AirPlay, so you'll hear AutoMix transitions when playing music over AirPlay 2-compatible speakers.

Apple TV App

The Apple TV app has a new, more colorful icon that adopts the Liquid Glass aesthetic. The redesign coincides with Apple's decision to drop the "Plus" from its Apple TV streaming service. Apple TV+ is now called Apple TV in the Apple TV app.

Fitness App

You can now create fully 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, Apple Intelligence, 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, fixing a visual issue present in iOS 26... Click here to read rest of article

Article Link: iOS 26.1 Features: Everything New in iOS 26.1

No doubt tinted.

 

[Mvtx_Mxntvnv]

Liquid glass in icons is broken.

 

[navaira]

Liquid glass in icons is broken.

Broken glass here as well. Folders, dock, and widgets have a light outline now. App icons are fine.

Edit: ‘Display Outline’ switched itself on.

 

[Apple Fan 2008]

I've gotten used to Liquid Glass on my phone after not being a huge fan at first. But I'm also a fan of OS X Tiger and Leopard so it was easy.

I'm still using Sequoia on my 2021 14 inch MBP though. But I've been using Tahoe on my Mac mini since the first beta.

 

[dannyyankou]

I’m hoping 26.2 has a Liquid Glass slider, or a button for more transparency.

 

[EM2013]

Geez 11.46 gb 😮‍💨

 

[techfreak23]

Alarms and Timers

Apple updated the interface of alarms and timers in iOS 26.1. There's now a Slide to Stop bar on the Lock Screen instead of a tap to stop button.

You can still snooze an alarm with a tap on the oversized button, but to turn it off entirely, you need to use a slide gesture that requires more dexterity.

If you've accidentally dismissed an alarm while trying to tap the snooze button and then overslept, this will be a welcome change. Unfortunately, there is no option to choose to stick with the tap to stop button.

I’ve never accidentally hit stop when trying to snooze my alarm since I always hit the power button or volume button to snooze, but I’ve definitely hit the snooze button when trying to stop an alarm… I guess it makes sense that people would accidentally hit stop if they’re using nightstand or have it charging on an angled MagSafe charger or something.

 

[BGPL]

Looks like they really opened up the fitness app without having to pay for the fitness+ subscription. Finally.

Can't believe Apple still talks about Apple Intelligence like it's something that's real. I guess they have to if they want a shot with the pending lawsuit.

 

[segfaultdotorg]

It isn't Patch Tuesday(TM)?!? This is inexcusable.