Apple has rolled out iOS 26 Public Beta 2, offering a refined preview of the substantial changes arriving this autumn. Whether you’re eager to explore the latest interface design or curious about enhanced productivity tools, here’s what’s new in the latest beta.
Refined Design with Liquid Glass Touches
Beta 2 fine-tunes the much-debated Liquid Glass design language—with tweaks aimed at improving legibility and usability. Expect a subtler glassy effect across wallpapers, Control Center, and UI elements that react smoothly to user interaction.
Camera App: Classic Mode Returns
A long-requested “Classic Mode” returns in the Camera app, restoring the familiar scroll direction for switching modes—a welcome revert for seasoned users
Mail App: Easier Email Sorting
The Mail application now features a more prominent “Select” button, simplifying mass selection and management of emails
Visual Tweaks & Spot Improvements
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A refreshed AirDrop icon and a subtle jiggle animation on the lock-screen passcode bubbles enhance visual feedback during use
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Control Center improvements include a lock symbol next to secure Wi‑Fi networks and overall better usability.
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A dynamic Low Battery alert now spans across the Dynamic Island when battery reaches 20%
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Beta 6 pushes even smoother app launch animations, spruced-up Liquid Glass visuals (including rainbow-like dispersion), new ringtones, and an updated onboarding experience.
Smarter Navigation with Apple Maps
A standout addition: iOS 26’s Maps app now supports natural language search. For example, searching “cafés with free Wi‑Fi” brings up relevant results—indicating Apple Intelligence is starting to power more conversational searches.
Broader iOS 26 Innovations
While Beta 2 focuses on polish, earlier betas revealed major features such as:
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A system-wide Liquid Glass design overhaul
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AI integrations via Apple Intelligence—including Visual Intelligence, Live Translation in Messages, FaceTime, and Phone, Genmoji, and AI-enhanced Shortcuts like Image Playground and writing tools
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A new Games app, upgraded Home, Wallet, Maps, Photos, Notes, Podcasts, and accessibility enhancements