Everything New in iOS 26 Beta 2

Apple provided developers with the second beta of iOS 26, introducing the first changes and refinements to the new operating system since it debuted after the WWDC keynote. Because we're early in the beta testing process, there are quite a few tweaks to ‌iOS 26‌, which we've rounded up below.

Control Center

The background behind the Liquid Glass Control Center buttons has more blur, allowing for a more opaque look that makes everything easier to see than before.

ios 26 control center b2‌iOS 26‌ beta 1 on left, ‌iOS 26‌ beta 2 on right

Reduce Transparency

The Reduce Transparency option under Accessibility in the Settings app now cuts down on the Liquid Glass transparency even more.

ios 26 reduce transparency‌iOS 26‌ beta 1 on left, ‌iOS 26‌ beta 2 on right

Safari

In Safari, Apple changed the location of the new tab button in the tab management view. The "+" button for adding a new tab is now located in the bottom left as it is in iOS 18, rather than the upper left as it was in ‌iOS 26‌ beta 1.

safari design changes ios 26 b2Safari in beta 2 on left, Safari in beta 1 on right

With the Compact tab bar, there are also now both back and forward options.

App Store

In the App Store, Apple added an Accessibility section to product pages. Developers will need to provide details listing the accessibility features they support for this section in the ‌App Store‌ to be populated.

app store accessibility ios 26 b2

Wallet

‌iOS 26‌ beta 2 adds full support for the order tracking feature that Apple announced at WWDC. In the Wallet app, there is an option to let Siri to scan your Mail app to find all orders and emails from merchants, even if those orders weren't made with Apple Pay.

ios 26 order tracking wallet

New Ringtone

There's a new "Alt 1" ringtone option for the Reflection ringtone. You can choose it as your ringtone by going to the Settings app, tapping on Sounds and Haptics, tapping on Ringtone, and then choosing Alt 1 under Reflection.

ringtone alt 1 ios 26

Radio Widget

There is a new Live Radio Apple Music widget.

ios 26 live radio

Low Power Mode

Apple has improved the description for Low Power Mode, making it clearer what it does.

iPhone will temporarily reduce some background activities, processing speed, display refresh rate and brightness, and limit certain features such as 5G, iCloud syncing, mail fetch, and more.

Before now, the setting only mentioned reducing background activity like downloads and mail fetch.

Live Captions

For Live Captions, the Transcribe Calls option is now Save Call Transcripts, and the feature makes it clear that it will inform call participants with a sound before transcribing begins.

ios 26 live captions

Passkeys

The Passkey sign-in window has a new design.

ios 26 b2 passkey

Lock Screen Widgets

Widgets on the Lock Screen can now be moved to the bottom of the display, and aren't limited to the top.

ios 26 b2 widgets

Wallpaper

The default wallpaper that's new in ‌iOS 26‌ now animates with the spatial scene functionality in the update.

ios 26 home screen

Read More

For an overview of the features in ‌iOS 26‌, make sure to check out our iOS 26 roundup. We also have a roundup of iPadOS 26 features.

Related Roundups: iOS 26, iPadOS 26
Related Forum: iOS 26

Popular Stories

iOS 26 on Three iPhones

Here's When to Expect the iOS 26 Public Beta

Tuesday July 15, 2025 11:07 am PDT by
Apple previously announced that a public beta of iOS 26 would be available in July, and now a more specific timeframe has surfaced. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman today said that Apple's public betas should be released on or around Wednesday, July 23. In other words, expect the public betas of iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS 26, and more to be available at some point next week. Apple will be releasing...
iPhone 17 Colors

All 15 New iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro Colors Revealed in Latest Leak

Wednesday July 16, 2025 6:50 am PDT by
We may finally have a definitive list of all color options for the iPhone 17 series, ahead of the devices launching in September. MacRumors concept In a report for Macworld today, Filipe Espósito said he obtained an "internal document" that allegedly reveals all of the color options for the upcoming iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max models. The report includes ...
Apple Watch Ultra 2 Complications

Apple Watch Ultra 3: What to Expect

Sunday July 13, 2025 10:30 am PDT by
The long wait for an Apple Watch Ultra 3 is nearly over, and a handful of new features and changes have been rumored for the device. Below, we recap what to expect from the Apple Watch Ultra 3:Satellite connectivity for sending and receiving text messages when Wi-Fi and cellular coverage is unavailable 5G support, up from LTE on the Apple Watch Ultra 2 Likely a wide-angle OLED display that ...
Apple Hornsby

Apple Store Near Sydney Permanently Closing Later This Year

Monday July 14, 2025 6:14 pm PDT by
Apple today said its store at the Westfield Hornsby shopping mall, in Hornsby, Australia, will be permanently closing in October. Apple Hornsby In a statement shared with Australian tech news website EFTM (via Reddit), Apple said that it has decided not to renew its lease at Westfield Hornsby. Apple said all affected retail employees will be given the opportunity to work at Apple's nearby...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro Coming Soon With These 16 New Features

Friday July 11, 2025 12:40 pm PDT by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are only two months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models. Latest Rumors These rumors surfaced in June and July:A redesigned Dynamic Island: It has been rumored that all iPhone 17 models will have a redesigned Dynamic Island interface — it might ...
Foldable iPhone 2023 Feature Homescreen

Foldable iPhone's Thickness and Price Range Detailed in New Reports

Wednesday July 16, 2025 11:31 am PDT by
Apple's long-rumored foldable iPhone will likely have a starting price between $1,800 and $2,000 in the U.S., analysts at investment banking firm UBS said this week. If so, the foldable iPhone would cost more than a MacBook Pro, which starts at $1,599. With a starting price of at least $1,800, the foldable iPhone would be the most expensive iPhone model ever released, topping the Pro Max at...
iPhone 17 Pro Dark Blue and Orange

Ranked: The Best Features Rumored for the iPhone 17 Lineup

Wednesday July 16, 2025 4:17 pm PDT by
We have just under two months to go until the debut of Apple's iPhone 17 models, and rumors have been ramping up in recent weeks. We went through everything we know so far, pulling out the most exciting rumors and highlighting some other changes that aren't going to be so great. Top Tier Ultra Thin iPhone 17 Air - The iPhone 17 Air is 2025's most exciting iPhone rumor, because it's the...

Top Rated Comments

flybynight Avatar
3 weeks ago
Even in the same article, we have 2 images with "iOS 26 beta 1 on left, iOS 26 beta 2 on right" and 1 image with "Safari in beta 2 on left, Safari in beta 1 on right". Ugh. C'mon, people. Consistency, please!
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Gioser Avatar
3 weeks ago

I feel like this is a buggier beta than the first
I'm sorry to disappoint you but I see it more fluid and with fewer errors
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
nfl46 Avatar
3 weeks ago
This is a solid update. Great job, Apple.

Two betas down…maybe six left to go?
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
verniesgarden Avatar
3 weeks ago
I feel like this is a buggier beta than the first
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
digitalfx Avatar
3 weeks ago
small changes in CarPlay:
widgets only have two columns now instead of three in the previous release and maps adds in a detail to the route with the street names visible on the blue route line

EDIT:
This is huge, the garage door control from homekit that pops up as you arrive home now has three dots that allows you to scroll thru all available garage doors!!

one more addition, with the multiple garage doors...if you hold your finger on one door for a few seconds a pop-up appears that offers to "Clear for this drive"
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Gioser Avatar
3 weeks ago

So they are going back to iOS 18 style. Apple needs a new design team. They can’t get it right. This isn’t a major re design we were promised, just a theme pack skin
But where do you see the return to iOS 18? It is the normal process of evolving a beta operating system, since users have not yet understood the difference between a beta and a public one!
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)