Overview
- Apple seeded Release Candidate builds for iOS 26.1 alongside iPadOS, macOS Tahoe, watchOS, tvOS, visionOS, and HomePod, moving the entire OS family into the final testing stage.
- The update introduces a Clear/Tinted Liquid Glass option on iPhone, iPad, and Mac to increase opacity for better legibility without disabling transparency system‑wide.
- Usability tweaks include a setting to disable the Lock Screen swipe‑to‑open Camera, a slide‑to‑stop gesture for alarms and timers, Music swipe controls for track changes, and a Local Capture settings page.
- Apple Intelligence adds support for Traditional Chinese, Danish, Dutch, Norwegian, Portuguese (Portugal), Swedish, Turkish, and Vietnamese, while AirPods Live Translation gains Mandarin (simplified and traditional), Italian, Japanese, and Korean.
- Public releases are expected in early November based on Apple’s RC cadence, and the builds also surface a refreshed Apple TV app icon reflecting the streaming service’s rebrand to Apple TV.