iOS 26 Developer Beta 2
Apple provided developers with the second beta of iOS 26, introducing the first changes and refinements to the new operating system since it debuted after the WWDC keynote. Because we’re early in the beta testing process, there are quite a few tweaks to iOS 26, which we’ve rounded up below.
The official release notes don’t seem to say what’s new in beta 2.
I’m a big fan of iOS 26 beta two.
Apple made lots of lovely tweaks. Especially where liquid glass is concerned.
One tweak made Control Center more opaque, easier to read (see pic).
The Control Center buttons are now slightly more opaque, making it easier to see the different control options even on a multicolored background. The new, more opaque look is apparent with the standard app icons and the glass icon style.
‘Alt 1’ ring tone is now present under Reflections. This was previously discoverable in code but not visible in Settings. The presentation is still odd and certainly incomplete in beta.
Unknown senders uses a blue notification badge instead of a red notification badge to distinguish between the two types of alert badges.
The iOS 26 wallpaper also now uses a parallax effect that was absent during beta 1.
[…]
Safari controls within the More Menu (…) have been reorganized with different sort order and icons (but same functionality).
The Liquid Glass toolbar in Music has NOT noticeably changed its legibility with colorful artwork behind it.
NOOOO, WHAT ARE YOU DOING, APPLE? Why aren’t app icons centered in the iPhone’s Dock when there are only two app icons in iOS 26 beta 2?
Previously:
Update (2025-06-25): Juli Clover:
With the launch of iOS 26 and HomePod Software 26, Apple is adding support for Crossfade, an Apple Music feature that improves transitions between songs.
Image Playground lets you type in any phrase to generate an image in one of three non-realistic styles. You can also select pre-determined scenes and props that Apple suggests, and generate images featuring your friends and family. It’s these images where you will see the biggest difference in iOS 26, because the content generated based on images of people has changed quite a bit.
