Ready to supercharge your iPhone? Apple's iOS 26.1 update is here, and it's packed with a treasure trove of new features designed to make your life easier and your iPhone even more enjoyable. This update, following the initial iOS 26 launch, is compatible with iPhone 11 and later, along with the second-generation iPhone SE devices. Let's dive in!
This update offers a range of quality-of-life improvements. It includes enhanced language support in Apple Intelligence, a boost to live translation capabilities, and refined gesture controls across various apps and services.
Remember the initial iOS 26 launch? It introduced the revamped Liquid Glass visual design, giving the iPhone OS a sleek, unified look. Features like call screening and hold assist were welcome additions, and Spatial Scenes brought a new dimension to wallpapers and photos. While the initial release had some minor bugs and interface tweaks needed, the 26.1 update addresses many of these concerns.
One of the most exciting additions is the expanded language support in Apple Intelligence. Now, you can enjoy Danish, Dutch, Norwegian, and Turkish, among others. Live Translation on AirPods has also been enhanced, now supporting Chinese (both simplified and traditional), Italian, Japanese, and Korean. Furthermore, Apple has made the interface even more user-friendly by left-aligning text and icons, improving readability and navigation. A new video scrubber in Photos allows you to easily navigate through animations frame by frame.
But here's where it gets controversial... Liquid Glass has been updated with a new option to choose between the default clear look or a tinted look. This can increase opacity in certain apps and notifications on the lock screen, making them easier to read. The update also introduces new toggles in the Settings menu for haptic feedback, single-touch actions, and lock-screen swipe to open the camera.
In a gesture control tweak, Apple added "Slide to Stop" swipe actions to Alarms and Timers. No more accidentally dismissing your alarm when you're trying to snooze! The Music MiniPlayer now supports swipes for the next and previous tracks.
Fitness enthusiasts, rejoice! The Fitness app now supports custom workouts, allowing you to tailor your exercise regime to your specific needs. Apple has also improved FaceTime audio quality in low-bandwidth conditions, ensuring you can hear the person you're speaking to, even with a weak signal.
For parents, this is a game-changer: Apple has introduced a new Communication Safety and Web content filter system to better protect younger iPhone users. This feature automatically limits access to adult websites on child accounts for ages 13-17 (age ranges may vary by region).
And this is the part most people miss... The update also introduces Apple's Security Improvements feature via a revamped Rapid Security Responses toggle. This means security updates are installed automatically, speeding up your device's protective measures so you are never caught out.
Ready to update? Simply go to Settings > General > Software Update. The update is available for all iPads and iPhones compatible with the iOS 26 update.
Apple has also released the 26.1 versions of iPadOS, macOS Tahoe, tvOS, watchOS, and visionOS. iPadOS 26.1 revives Slide Over, a multitasking feature that Apple removed in iPadOS 26.
What do you think of these new features? Are you excited about the Liquid Glass updates, or are you more interested in the security improvements? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
