Hidden upgrades land in Apple’s iOS 26.1 Beta 2—check what’s new

Apple has issued the second developer beta of iOS 26.1 for iPhone users, focusing on interface refinements and usability changes. The latest build adds a new gesture for alarms and timers, restores earlier layout styles, and fine-tunes microphone settings through the Control Center.

The iOS 26.1 developer beta 2 introduces a “Slide to Stop” motion for alarms and timers, replacing the previous tap-based stop button. The new design changes how users dismiss alarms, aiming for better accuracy when choosing between snooze and stop actions. This same gesture now extends to timers for a consistent experience across apps.

Apple has expanded sound input options in this release. Users can now adjust external microphone gain directly from the Control Center, along with selecting where recordings are stored when using third-party or external mics. The feature improves audio management for users who record frequently using connected devices.

Some earlier interface experiments have been reversed. Calendar events revert to their default color-coded scheme, and Safari’s Downloads option on iPadOS returns to the address bar placement seen in prior versions.

App folder labels and Settings titles now align to the left, aiming for consistency across menus. Subtle design changes across system icons and menus continue Apple’s ongoing interface cleanup through incremental beta builds.

Alongside the iPhone beta, Apple has pushed iPadOS 26.1 developer beta 2. The new version restores the Slide Over multitasking feature, allowing a floating app window for multitask operations — a function that was removed in the earlier iPadOS 26 release.

Devices eligible for iOS 26.1 Developer Beta 2

The update is available for users enrolled in Apple’s developer program using:

* iPhone 17, 17 Pro, 17 Pro Max, 17 Air

* iPhone 16, 16 Plus, 16 Pro, 16 Pro Max, 16e

* iPhone 15, 15 Plus, 15 Pro, 15 Pro Max

* iPhone 14, 14 Plus, 14 Pro, 14 Pro Max

* iPhone 13, 13 mini, 13 Pro, 13 Pro Max

* iPhone 12, 12 mini, 12 Pro, 12 Pro Max

* iPhone 11, 11 Pro, 11 Pro Max

* iPhone SE (2nd generation and later)

How to install the update

Developers can access iOS 26.1 beta 2 by signing into the Apple Developer portal. After enrolling the device, users can head to Settings → General → Software Update → Beta Updates, then select iOS 26 Developer Beta. Once available, the update can be downloaded and installed directly.