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iOS 26.2 Features: Everything New in the iOS 26.2 Beta
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Once again they showed off stuff that did not exist and had to built it afterwards. The animations this article talk about.
Liquid Glass is simply too radical of a departure from functionality and that's why most people dislike it. Not being able to see the time because of too much transparency is just a poor decision that a competent CEO would override. Not being able to easily split view windows in iPadOS 26 was a mistake which they're already walking back from.
Apple could've just kept the UI of iOS 18 and added the features in iOS 26 but they erred. An OS should be intuitive but everything about Liquid Glass deviates away from functionality. If you want to carry around a showpiece go buy some jewelry.
THAT is what they're changing in Podcasts? Not an option to play the next episode in a show? Not a way to exit a podcast without playing a different one? Not a way to see my downloaded shows on the homepage? Mmkay.
Unfortunately liquid glass, in my opinion, isn't moving forward..it's moving backwards about 15 years, harking back to Aqua and Vista. It's all show and no usability and is not easier or better to read and do what I do than prior version. I really don't like the directions iOS is moving, and am considering leaving iOS because of it. 😔
For now, I'm sticking to iOS 18 on my personal phone, while my company upgraded my work phone to 26. I've given myself time to "get used to it", but I dislike just as much, if not more, than I did when it was released.
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That's a very good list you've put together. My wife hates the new Liquid Ass UI and would like to go back to the iOS 18 UI. I 100% agree that the workout app is HORRIBLE
Most would disagree that Liquid Ass is moving forward. But given the amount of Apple gear you list in your signature, you seem to be happy!
Look where you are, you are on a macrumours forum where tons have loads of Apple gear and yes I’m happy it’s by far the best ecosystem anybody could use and Liquid Glass is great. It’s called moving UI forward and it’s why most of android is going this design route as well
Unfortunately liquid glass, in my opinion, isn't moving forward..it's moving backwards about 15 years, harking back to Aqua and Vista. It's all show and no usability and is not easier or better to read and do what I do than prior version. I really don't like the directions iOS is moving, and am considering leaving iOS because of it.
For now, I'm sticking to iOS 18 on my personal phone, while my company upgraded my work phone to 26. I've given myself time to "get used to it", but I dislike just as much, if not more, than I did when it was released.
Be mindful most of android is coping Liquid Glass
My wife has a Pixel, and I've used it extensively; it's nothing like liquid glass...it's not even close. The Pixel is the only Android I would consider.
..additionally, if you don't like the default OS launcher, you can pick an altogether different launcher. Whatever happens, I want ZERO transparency. It was a gimmick that I didn't care for in the early 2000s, and I care even less for it now.
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The search box constantly showing up everywhere even when I did not and was not looking for it. This is driving me bananas. 🥲
Am I the only one who does not care about Liquid Glass, and all the other useless sh*t, that Apple has developed over the last five years?.
Apple, how about developing a “Siri” that actually is useful?
Apple, how about developing a “Siri” that actually is useful?
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Well, if Android is doing it, it MUST be great!
Unlike Apple, Android devices can look however you want them to look as they are so customizable with a plethora of launchers and UI skins. That is something I wish Apple would allow so when they push something like this abomination of Liquid Ass on us, we can just download a new launcher or skin to make our iPhone look how WE want it to look.
As far as "moving UI forward", I think it's more like change for the sake of changing something to make it seem new. It didn't need changing. I don't recall the Apple masses complaining 18.x looked horrible. The same isn't true about 26.x (even here on macrumors forum).
Well, if Android is doing it, it MUST be great!
Unlike Apple, Android devices can look however you want them to look as they are so customizable with a plethora of launchers and UI skins. That is something I wish Apple would allow so when they push something like this abomination of Liquid Ass on us, we can just download a new launcher or skin to make our iPhone look how WE want it to look.
Skins can only do so much that look doesn’t disappear in notifications, adding in passcode and controls panel.
They do magnitudes more than what Apple has given us -- a singular setting that doesn't even turn LG off ... just makes it minimally less unusable. What annoys me the most is the illuminated corners of icons and folders on the home screen...it makes the icons look poorly drawn and is distracting. It certainly doesn't have the effect it's meant to have.
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There are many podcast player alternatives, Overcast is very good
I’m still holding out on updating to 26. I guess eventually I will have to.
Apple is testing iOS 26.2, a new version of iOS 26 that’s going to come out right around mid-December. iOS 26.2 is going to bring big changes to iPhone users in Japan, but there are also quite a few feature tweaks available for everyone. We’ve rounded up all of the new features your iPhone will get in iOS 26.2.
Reminders
In the Reminders app, there’s a new option to have an alarm go off when a reminder is due. Setting up an alarm can be done by toggling on the “Urgent” option when creating a reminder.
When a Reminder alarm activates, it displays a snooze option or a slide to stop option. If you snooze it, it will show a countdown on the Lock Screen that includes an option to complete the reminder or reschedule it. Apple distinguishes Reminders alarms from standard alarms with a new blue color.
Apple provides a splash screen letting users know about the feature, plus a small banner that shows up when you go to add a new entry in the Reminders app after updating to iOS 26.2.
Lock Screen
There is a Liquid Glass slider on the Lock Screen that lets you customize the appearance of the clock. When using the “Glass” option, you can use the slider to make the time look almost entirely clear, or give it a more frosted look.
There continues to be a separate Solid toggle that turns off the Liquid Glass appearance for the clock entirely if you want to opt for a much more opaque design, and you can also still use the color options for the clock.
Liquid Glass Settings
When using the new Liquid Glass “Tinted” option that reduces transparency, there’s a warning that the Tinted option cannot be used in tandem with the Reduce Transparency and Increase Contrast Accessibility settings.
Turning on Tinted mode is able to turn off Reduce Transparency and Increase Contrast automatically. In the prior betas, there was no option to turn on Tinted mode without turning off these features manually.
AirDrop
Apple added new AirDrop functionality, providing a way for two people to share files temporarily without having to add one another as contacts.
iOS 26.2 includes an option to generate a one-time AirDrop code, which can then be shared with someone who is not in your contacts list. The code allows file exchanges over AirDrop for a 30-day period.
People you have shared a one-time code with can be managed by opening up the Settings app, selecting the General section, choosing AirDrop, and tapping on “Manage Known AirDrop Contacts.”
Apple Music
Apple Music now supports offline lyrics, so you can see a song’s lyrics when not connected to Wi-Fi or cellular.
Sleep Score
With iOS 26.2 and watchOS 26.2, Apple has adjusted the ranges for the Sleep Score feature that it introduced earlier this year. The new Sleep Score numbers better match how people might be feeling after a night of sleep.
These are the new scores:
The “Very High” rank used to be “Excellent,” but Apple changed the name to be more in line with the other labels.
- Very Low - 0–40 (previously 0–29)
- Low - 41–60 (previously 30–49)
- OK - 61–80 (previously 50–69)
- High - 81–95 (previously 70–89)
- Very High - 96–100 (previously 90–100)
Sleep Scores are available on all Apple Watch models compatible with watchOS 26.2 and can be found in the Health app on the iPhone. Apple designed Sleep Score to provide an overall sense of sleep patterns, so users can identify habits that might impact their sleep.
Sleep Score takes into account sleep duration, bedtime, and interruptions to assign a nightly score that represents sleep quality. Duration is worth 50 points, bedtime is worth 30, and interruptions (times woken up in the night) are worth 20, for a total of 100 possible points each night.
Podcasts
The Podcasts app adds support for three new features, including automatically created chapters, options to see mentions of other podcasts from the transcript and the player, and access to links mentioned in a podcast on the episode page.
Passwords
In the Settings section of the Passwords app, there’s an option to manage websites where passwords are not saved when signing in.
AirPods Live Translation for EU
iOS 26.2 expands AirPods Live Translation to the European Union. Apple had to delay the feature in the EU to complete the engineering work needed to comply with the requirements of the Digital Markets Act.
AirPods Live Translation works with the AirPods Pro 3, AirPods Pro 2, and AirPods 4 with ANC. It is available in English, French, German, Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, Chinese (Simplified and Traditional Mandarin), Japanese, and Korean at the current time.
Freeform
The Freeform app now sup... Click here to read rest of article
Article Link: iOS 26.2 Will Bring 10+ New Features to Your iPhone
I wasn’t saying I want to go back to lightning, I hope nobody wants that at this stage. Apple could and should have made the USB faster at any point since 3 came out and chose not to. They’ve also chosen to make file transfer over USB as awkward as possible.
Both these things make the iPhone absolutely useless for content creation as copying content off is the most hateful task imaginable.
Apple rolled out the Hyundai Accent interior iOS! We know you're going to love it.
