iOS 26.1, the first major update to the iOS 26 software released in September, is now available to everyone. The update brings security fixes and some useful new features that address complaints about Liquid Glass and a long-standing annoyance on the lock screen.
All the new features in iOS 26.1
Liquid Glass Transparency Toggle
There's a new setting for customizing the look of Liquid Glass. You can now choose a more colorful look that adds "opacity."
By going to Settings > Display and Brightness , there's a new option to toggle between Clear or Tinted settings . Clear is more transparent and is the standard version of Liquid Glass that shows the background under buttons, menu bars, and other interface elements, while Tinted increases the opacity of Liquid Glass to improve contrast.
You'll see the biggest difference in apps and lock screen notifications when Tinted mode is enabled.
See also: Apple fixes multiple vulnerabilities in iOS 26.1 and iPadOS 26.1
Liquid Glass
The light refraction effect around apps is now more subtle with darker icon and background colors. It's a subtle change that most people might not notice.
Lock Screen Camera Swipe
Apple has finally added a way to disable the Lock Screen gesture that opens the Camera app. This means you'll no longer accidentally activate the camera when your iPhone is in your pocket.
In the Camera section of the Settings app, there is a “Lock Screen Swipe to Open Camera” setting, and turning it off disables the swipe to the left that opens the Camera app.
Previously there was no way to disable this feature without completely disabling the camera app.
Phone Haptics
The Phone includes a toggle to turn off haptic feedback when a call connects or hangs up, so if you find that little vibration annoying, you can now turn it off.
Phone
The phone's keyboard now uses Liquid Glass for numbers, fixing a visual issue that existed in iOS 26.
See also: All the news coming to Apple TV in November
Alarm Clocks and Timers
Apple has updated the interface for alarms and timers in iOS 26.1. There's now a Slide to Stop on the Lock screen instead of a tap to stop button. You can still snooze an alarm with a tap on the oversized button, but to turn it off completely, you have to use a slide gesture that requires more skill.
New Apple Intelligence Languages
Apple Intelligence is now available in Danish, Dutch, Norwegian, Portuguese (Portugal), Swedish, Turkish, Chinese (Traditional), and Vietnamese.
The new languages add to the existing English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese (Brazil), Spanish, Chinese (Simplified), Japanese and Korean, opening up Apple Intelligence to more people.
AirPods Live Translation Languages
AirPods Live Translate works with additional languages in iOS 26.1, including Japanese, Korean, Italian, and Chinese (both Traditional and Simplified Mandarin).
At launch, Live Translation was limited to English (US, UK), French (France), German, Portuguese (Brazil), and Spanish (Spain).
You can translate to and from all of the above languages with AirPods Pro 2, AirPods Pro 3, or AirPods 4 with ANC.
Apple Music
There's a hidden Apple Music gesture in iOS 26.1. You can swipe across the music player in the Apple Music app to change songs. Simply swipe your finger over where the song title is written, and it'll skip to the next song or back to the previous song.
AirPlay
Apple Music AutoMix now works over AirPlay, so you'll hear AutoMix transitions when you play music through AirPlay 2-compatible speakers.
Apple TV
The Apple TV app has a new, more colorful icon that adopts the Liquid Glass aesthetic. The redesign coincides with Apple’s decision to remove the “Plus” from its Apple TV streaming service. Apple TV+ is now called Apple TV in the Apple TV app.
Fitness App
You can now create fully customized workouts in the Fitness app on iPhone. There are options to select the workout type, estimated Active Calories, effort, duration, and start time.
Settings app
Apple has changed the alignment of icons and text in the Settings app. All settings with headings that contain text now have that text aligned to the left (instead of centered). It's a small change that makes a big visual difference.
See also: Apple Pay Express Mode: It's Coming to Edinburgh Trams and Buses
Home Screen Folders
When you tap a folder on the Home Screen, the folder name at the top is aligned to the left (instead of centered), matching the changes made in the Settings app.
Photos
The slider for video browsing in the Photos app has a new look. The Photos app navigation bar also has a slightly cooler look that makes it easier to see on light backgrounds.
The interface for managing multiple photos has been slightly modified. The Play as Slideshow, Favorite, and Hide have been moved to the top of the menu.
Safari
The Tab Bar (Bottom) in Safari is wider, with less padding around the edges, so there's less wasted space. In Reduce Transparency, there's more padding, so it no longer looks odd.
Background Security Improvements
The Privacy & Security of the Settings app has a toggle for automatically downloading and installing security improvements. It's a revamp of the previous Rapid Security Responses feature, which allowed Apple to deliver security updates without having to offer a full new version of iOS.
Display Settings
The Display section of the Settings app now has an iOS 26-themed wallpaper instead of an iOS 18 wallpaper, fixing an iOS 26 omission.
Wallpaper
When you set a wallpaper on the lock screen, instructions like Pinch to Crop appear momentarily and then disappear instead of appearing all the time, giving a better view of your wallpaper when you choose how you want it to appear.
Display Accessibility
In the Display and Text Size section of Accessibility settings, there is a “Display Borders” toggle. It adds a border to all buttons and replaces the previous “Button Shapes” setting.
Local Capture Settings
There is an option to set a location in the Files app for call recordings and videos. It is available by going to Settings > General > Local Recording.
See also: All the news coming to Apple TV in November
External Microphones
There is an option to adjust the input gain when using an external microphone with local recording.
FaceTime
FaceTime now supports improved audio quality in low-bandwidth conditions.
Communication Safety
Communication Safety and content filters that restrict access to adult websites are not enabled by default for existing accounts for children ages 13-17.
How to download iOS 26.1 update?
You can get the update by opening the Settings, selecting the General , and tapping on Software Update.
Compatibility
iOS 26.1 is available on all devices that can run iOS 26 (iPhone 11 and later along with iPhone SE 2).
