iOS 26.1 RC is Out! - What's New?

Apple has released iOS 26.1 Release Candidate, featuring new UI adjustments, improved app functionalities, enhanced communication safety for children, and various bug fixes, with an anticipated public release as early as Monday.

• iOS 26.1 RC introduces new UI elements like liquid glass effects and an updated video player.

• Communication safety for minors and user control over camera swipe and call haptics are enhanced.

• Performance is smooth and stable, with an expected public release of iOS 26.1 by early next week.

The iOS 26.1 Release Candidate introduces several user interface and functionality updates across Apple devices, including new liquid glass options for notifications and mini-player, improved FaceTime audio, and a revamped video player. Key changes also include enhanced communication safety settings for minors, the return of slide over for iPadOS, and numerous bug fixes addressing issues like app library delays and keyboard character selection. Apple has also added eight new languages for Apple Intelligence, Siri, Messages, and Translate.

New UI and Experience Features

• 00:01:33 iOS 26.1 RC introduces new liquid glass options for display and brightness, allowing users to choose between 'clear' and 'tinted' effects for notifications and the mini-player, affecting various OS elements except the Control Center. The Control Center also features a bouncier animation, and the Music app now supports a swipe gesture to switch tracks within the mini-player. Additionally, the video player has been redesigned with a new visual scrub-through indicator, and menu layouts in Photos have been reordered. Headings within settings menus like General and Accessibility are now left-justified with explanations.

Enhanced Functionality and Safety

• 00:03:11 FaceTime audio quality is improved under low bandwidth conditions. Communication safety and web content filters are now enabled by default for children aged 13-17, limiting access to adult websites, with options to adjust these settings within Screen Time. Users can also disable the lock screen 'swipe to open camera' gesture and turn off haptic feedback for call connection and disconnection. A new 'Local Capture' option allows specifying where to save recorded audio and video during calls, including an audio-only option.

System Updates and Bug Fixes

• 00:05:58 Apple Intelligence and Siri now display a 'beta' tag, and eight new languages have been added, expanding support across Siri, Messages, and the Translate app. The Apple TV app icon has been updated, although internal menus still refer to 'Apple TV+.' iPadOS 26.1 brings back the 'slide over' feature for multitasking. Several bugs have been resolved, including delays in the app library search function and issues with selecting diacritical marks in the keyboard. Known issues include minor Siri-related quirks and an unresolved wallpaper desaturation bug.

Performance and Release Schedule

• 00:10:21 iOS 26.1 RC generally offers better battery life and stability, with smooth performance, fast app opening, and cool device temperatures. Initial benchmarks show strong single and multi-core scores, expected to improve further after background processes complete. The public release of iOS 26.1 is anticipated as early as Monday, following the RC, with iOS 26.2 beta one potentially arriving soon after. Security updates are expected to be detailed upon the public release.