iOS 26 beta 2 is live — here’s the biggest changes for your iPhone
Apple has launched the second developer beta for its iOS 26 replace, following on the unique launched that arrived throughout the center of WWDC 2025 earlier this month.
Apple’s launch notes for the second developer beta be aware a number of fixes to recognized points present in the first beta, in addition to just a few new additions that look to enhance the consumer expertise. Regardless that this is an up to date launch, we’re nonetheless very early in the beta course of. As such, lots of the options and additions may look totally different when the replace formally launches, which can occur in the fall, in keeping with Apple.
Nonetheless, many of those changes give us a good suggestion of what precisely we’ll discover after we are given entry to the public beta, which is set to reach sooner or later in July.
Apple’s Liquid Glass’s transparency is getting extra choices
A few of the biggest changes look like centered on Apple’s new Liquid Glass design, which makes lots of the menus and drop-downs seem extra clear. There have been some complaints that sure menus are a lot tougher to learn on account of Apple’s new design.
The brand new replace appears to counter this in two methods. First, Apple has diminished the quantity of blur in the background of the iPhone Management Heart, leading to higher distinction between the on-screen components. Secondly, the replace permits the Cut back Transparency possibility in the accessibility menu to scale back the impact much more than earlier than.
Safari strikes the new tab button once more
Certainly one of the changes noticed in the first iOS 26 beta was that Apple had moved the “+” icon in the Safari app that opens a brand new tab to the higher left of the display.
Nonetheless, in the most up-to-date developer beta, Apple has returned the button to the backside left nook as had been the case in iOS 18.
The App Retailer pushes accessibility; Apple Pockets provides monitoring
The second iOS 26 beta additionally makes it a lot simpler to search out out which accessibility choices an app helps earlier than downloading it from the App Retailer. Whereas an app’s product web page, customers can entry a brand new Accessibility part that builders will likely be required to fill out with all the options their merchandise assist.
The addition to the App Retailer is amongst the many accessibility options Apple promised to deliver to the iPhone and different units again in Could.
Apple is additionally introducing full assist for the order monitoring function for Apple Pockets that permits Siri to scan your Mail app to search out all orders and emails from retailers, even when the services weren’t paid for with Apple Pay.
Apple’s second developer beta additionally provides a number of smaller additions and options that look to enhance how sure apps and options work. For example, the beta introduces a brand new Live Radio widget for Apple Music. There is additionally a brand new “Alt 1” ringtone possibility for the “Reflection” ringtone. Apple is additionally bettering the description for Low Energy Mode to raised clarify what it does.
Apple has additionally modified the Transcribe Calls function’s identify in the Live Captions setting to Save Name Transcripts. Not solely that, however Apple has additionally made the function’s description state extra clearly that decision members will likely be alerted that the name is being transcribed.
Official affirmation of a brand new cellphone restoring function
A function launched in the first developer beta is the new Restoration Assistant, which seems to permit customers to search out and clear up points that cease their units from booting correctly. Now in the second beta, Apple has formally talked about the existence of this instrument.
At the moment, the potential to revive an iPhone or iPad require connection to a separate machine. This may be a problem for individuals who haven’t got easy accessibility to 1, probably forcing them to go to an Apple restore middle to type issues out.
Attempting out iOS 26
Whereas Apple goals the developer beta at individuals who design software program for the iPhone, anybody with an Apple ID can obtain the iOS 26 developer beta if they need. Nonetheless, provided that this is unfinished software program, chances are you’ll be higher off ready till the extra steady public beta arrives in July.
For those who do wish to check out the beta now, we would advocate placing it on a tool that you do not depend on for your on a regular basis use. Any iPhone launched since the iPhone 11 in 2019 will assist the iOS 26 developer beta, although some new options require a cellphone that helps Apple Intelligence.
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