Apple has a new iPhone update in the wings, and it’s about to make its entrance. Although there had been plentiful reports that an interim update was on its way, it’s now near-certain that the next iPhone software release will be iOS 26.1. Here’s why that’s a good thing.
Apple released iOS 26 in September, followed by a smaller update, iOS 26.0.1. Although it had been thought that iOS 26.0.2 would land before the next big number update, the moment, frankly, has passed.
So, the release candidate beta of iOS 26.1, which arrived on Tuesday, Oct. 28, told us that the general release is nearly here. Which has meant that the predicted iOS 26.0.2 is frankly not needed. Straight on, then, to iOS 26.1.
That’s a good thing because it will do a lot more than iOS 26.0.2. Mind you, the suggestion that iOS 26.1 has been delayed (as some reports have had it) is possibly misplaced. The schedule for release has some flexibility in it.
It means that iOS 26.1 will almost certainly be on general release on Monday, Nov. 3 or Tuesday, Nov. 4.
Of course, the security updates and bug fixes planned for iOS 26.0.2 will be folded into iOS 26.1, so its security goodness will be assured, but it will also have important new features, as is normal in a major-point update.
Liquid Glass is the biggest design change to the iPhone in more than a decade. In iOS 26.1 there’s a toggle to allow users to customize how translucent the glass is. It may not be the slider urged by some analysts, but it allows you to switch between a clear and a tinted look.
Other changes coming to iOS 26.1 include, for the first time, the capability to turn off the lock screen’s swipe-to-camera gesture. No more accidentally launching the camera as you take the iPhone out of your pocket. You’ll also find that turning off an alarm (as opposed to snoozing it) now requires a slide, not a tap. Trust me, that’s better for those bleary-eyed moments when you could tap stop instead of snooze.
And you can now choose to automatically download, and install, security improvements in the background. No need to actively choose these and potentially leave your iPhone vulnerable in the meantime.
More details as they are revealed.
