A day after the general release of iOS 26.1, Apple has released the first beta of iOS 26.2. This release is expected to focus primarily on polishing, tweaking, and adding quality-of-life improvements rather than on major new features.
Update December 3, 2025: The iOS 26.2 release candidate is now out. The general release is expected on December 8 or 9.
iOS 26.2: How to Install
If you want to test the iOS 26 beta release but aren’t a registered developer, follow these steps:
Click Sign Up on the Apple Beta page and sign up with your Apple ID.
Sign in to the Beta Software Program.
Click Enroll Your iOS Device.
Open the Settings app, tap General, then tap Software Update.
In the Beta Updates section, select iOS Public Beta.
It may take a few minutes for the beta option to appear in the software update after you sign up.
iOS 26.2: How to install the developer beta
You’ll need to register as an Apple developer, but a free developer account will do. You can get one through Xcode or the Apple Developer app on iOS. Here’s how to do it through the Apple Developer app:
- Download the Apple Developer app from the App Store.
- Open the app.
- Tap on Account.
- Sign in using your usual Apple ID.
- Find out everything you need to know about iOS 26 in our iOS 26 super guide.
iOS 26.2: What’s New
We’ll continue to update this list as the beta progresses, as more changes are added and discovered by the community.
AirDrop Code: A new section in AirDrop settings lets you “Manage Known AirDrop Contacts” and specifies that you’ll appear for 30 days to those you’ve shared a code with once. However, there doesn’t seem to be a way to generate such codes yet.
Measure app: The Measure app gets a new Liquid Glass design.
Games app: New library filtering, improved controller navigation, and challenge scores that update in real time.
Updated Sleep Score ranges: Apple has adjusted what the different Sleep Score ranges mean, requiring higher scores to be more descriptive. For example, “High” was previously 70-89, but is now 81-95.
Lock Screen Liquid Glass Slider: The clock control for the Lock Screen has a slider to adjust how transparent/glassy the time reading should be. This replaces the old “Clear or Tinted” toggle.
Apple News Design: Apple News design has been changed, with four quick-select categories at the top. These appear to be based on your previous activity.
Podcasts improvements: The Podcasts app will now automatically fetch episodes and allow you to follow mentioned podcasts or links in podcast episodes.
Set alarms and timers for reminders: If you set a reminder to “Urgent,” you’ll be prompted to create an alarm or timer for it.
Freeform App: You can now insert tables into your boards.
