Apple iOS 26.1 Release Incoming: 7 Must-Try Features You Can’t Miss

According to reports, Apple is getting ready to push out its iOS 26.1 update with early November being pointed to as the time period by online leaks for the release. Although the vast tech company has not yet arranged an exact date, insiders say the update could be around the 3rd or 4th of November.

Besides, the update will surely be the icing on the cake with a number of user interface and functionality improvements that will make it easier to use as well as more personal. iOS 26.1 will probably come after the last beta version release of which there might still be a trickle for the developers and testers in the form of late October.

In iOS 26.1, Core Features are Foreseen

Liquid Glass Toggle

iOS 26.1 comes up with a liquid glass display customization option. Users can opt for two visual styles—“Clear” (transparent) or “Tinted” (slightly opaque)—from Settings → Display and Brightness → Liquid Glass. This feature puts more value on the user's aesthetic choice over the device.

Lock Screen Camera Toggle

The locking screen gets an unobtrusive yet very helpful modification. Now users can disallow a toggle called “Lock Screen Swipe to Open Camera” that opens the Camera app with a quick swipe gesture, thus preventing accidental launching of the camera.

Slide to Stop Alarms

Alarms and timers in the Clock app now come with “slide to stop” gestures. This action takes the place of the stop button that was enlarged in previous builds but often resulted in unintentional triggering.

Song Swiping in Apple Music

The fluidity of music playback in Apple Music will be enhanced by song swiping. Thus, users can approve or disapprove tracks by simply swiping left or right right from the player interface, thus making music navigation more efficient.

Apple TV Rebranding

The streaming services provided by Apple and the renaming of Apple TV+ to Apple TV are backed by iOS 26.1. The app icon has been redesigned to be more colorful to resonate with the new branding identity.

Expanded Apple Intelligence Languages

Supporting more languages is part of the Apple's Intelligence, among which there are Danish, Dutch, Norwegian, Portuguese (Portugal), Swedish, Turkish, Traditional Chinese, and Vietnamese. Such a step would undoubtedly bring the benefits of AI-driven functionalities to a significantly larger audience around the world.

AirPods Live Translation Updates

Additional languages will be supported by AirPods Live Translation; among others, there are Japanese, Korean, Italian, and both Traditional and Simplified Chinese. The feature can be used on AirPods 4 with ANC, AirPods Pro 2, and AirPods Pro 3.

Background Security Improvements

A new security enhancement in Settings → Privacy & Security → Security Improvements allows iOS to automatically download and install interim security patches. This marks the end of the previous Rapid Security Response system and is intended to give faster protection against new threats.