New iPhone Tricks Arrive with iOS 26.1 — Here’s Everything Changing Soon

Apple is gearing up for the launch of iOS 26.1, a minor update that is focused on enhancing design flexibility, usability, and security for iPhone users. The update is now undergoing final testing and is anticipated to be released in the first half of November. It will be accessible for iPhone 11 and later models, while certain features will still be restricted to the latest devices only.

Among the significant visual changes is a newly customizable Liquid Glass interface, a capability that was first introduced in iOS 26. Users will be presented with an option in Display & Brightness settings to regulate the level of translucency of their interface, oscillating between "Clear" and "Tinted" modes. This adjustment not only empowers the user to decide how the phone’s system components interact with the wallpaper and icons but also creates a unique and personalized look.

The Clock app will get a very small yet useful feature during this update. Now, users will be able to slide to stop instead of just tapping one large “Stop” button to mute alarms or timers. This movement covers accidental taps and also incorporates a more organic way of regulating alarms.

Apple is now fixing a long-standing problem with the lock screen. The introduction of iOS 26.1 will allow users to disable the swipe-to-open Camera shortcut in Settings > Lock Screen. The change is quite simple, but it is targeted at those who mistakenly open the camera quite often.

In Apple Music, the mini-player has now become more interactive as it supports left and right swipe gestures to switch songs, a feature that has been on the request list of many users.

The popular Apple TV+ service is undergoing a change in terms of visuals as well as branding. The app will be located under the shorter name Apple TV with a more colorful icon after the update, and it will also have features that cater to a wider audience in terms of languages. Besides that, Apple has started to support its Apple Intelligence and AirPods Live Translation features in more languages, namely Turkish, Danish, Portuguese, Chinese, Japanese, and Italian.

The new technique dubbed Background Security Improvements will responsibly and silently install very small patches between the major system updates. The above-mentioned improvement has taken over the older Rapid Security Response procedure that, by default, keeps users protected even when no manual updates are performed.

Not having disclosed the exact day, Apple nevertheless anticipates that the iOS 26.1 deployment will take place in the first half of November. This time, users can expect not only the visible enhancements but also the smoother animation, minor interface adjustments, and optimisations at the system level that will benefit the daily iPhone experience overall.