Apple isn’t wasting time after the big iOS 26 launch. Just a week later, the first developer beta of iOS 26.1 is here, and while it’s not a massive update, there are a handful of interesting changes worth noting.
iOS 26.1 Brings Additional Features and Improvements for iPhone Users
Apple Intelligence Gets More Languages
Apple Intelligence expands beyond English with support for Danish, Dutch, Norwegian, Portuguese (Portugal), Swedish, Turkish, Traditional Chinese, and Vietnamese.
AirPods Live Translation Adds Support
AirPods can now handle even more real-time translations. New languages include Japanese, Korean, Italian, and Chinese (both Simplified and Traditional Mandarin).
Phone App Refresh
The keypad in the Phone app now uses Liquid Glass, giving it the same sleek design treatment we’ve seen across iOS 26.
Apple Music Swipe Controls
In Apple Music, you can now swipe across the song title to skip forward or back — a small but handy gesture update.
Photos App Tweak
Scrubbing through videos in the Photos app feels different now thanks to an updated slider design.
Calendar View Improvements
Calendar events from different accounts are now highlighted with full color backgrounds, making it easier to tell them apart at a glance.
Security Updates, Renamed
Apple has renamed Rapid Security Responses to Background Security Improvement. These updates will install security patches and system files in the background before they roll into a full iOS release.
The Bottom Line
iOS 26.1 beta 1 isn’t groundbreaking, but it brings smarter language support, small design tweaks, and clearer security updates. Expect more polish as Apple continues testing before the public release.
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