Today, Apple has rolled out the first developer preview beta of iOS / iPadOS 26.2 (build number: 23C5027f) for iPhone and iPad users—just 7 days after the last beta/RC release.

In this update, Apple brings several enhancements —including improvements to sleep scoring, Reminders, and AirDrop—and notably enables the Live Translation feature for AirPods in the European Union.

How to upgrade to developer or public betas

• Public Beta: Sign up for the Apple Beta Software Program, then go to Settings → General → Software Update → Beta Updates to install.
• Developer Preview: Enroll in the Apple Developer Program, then go to Settings → General → Software Update to install the developer beta.

Key New Features in iOS / iPadOS 26.2 Beta ‌

Here are the major changes discovered so far:

Lock Screen Appearance (“Liquid Glass”)

• A new slider in the lock screen allows you to adjust the transparency of the “liquid glass” effect—from almost fully transparent to frosted glass.
• A “solid color” toggle is still available to turn off the glass effect and revert to an opaque design.
• Clock font color choices are supported in the new lock screen settings.
• With watchOS 26.2, Apple has revised the sleep score ranges to better reflect perceived sleep quality:
  • Very Low: 0–40 (formerly 0–29)
  • Low: 41–60 (formerly 30–49)
  • Fair: 61–80 (formerly 50–69)
  • High: 81–95 (formerly 70–89)
  • Very High: 96–100 (previously labelled “Excellent”)
• The scoring is based on three components: sleep duration (50 pts), time to fall asleep (30 pts), and number of night awakenings (20 pts).

iOS 26.2 Passwords App Enhancements

• In Settings → Passwords, a new option allows users to manage a list of “websites that won’t save passwords,” giving you more control over password-save prompts.

 iOS 26.2 AirPods Live Translation (EU only for now)

• The Live Translation feature for AirPods is now enabled for EU users in the iOS 26.2 Beta.
• Supported devices include: AirPods Pro 3, AirPods Pro 2, and AirPods 4 (which support Active Noise Cancellation).
• Supported languages include: English, French, German, Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Japanese, and Korean.
• The release for the EU was delayed due to compliance with the EU’s Digital Markets Act.

iOS 26.2 Freeform App – Table Support

• The built-in Freeform app now supports the insertion of tables, facilitating structured layouts and planning.

Reminders – Urgent Alarm Option

• The Reminders app gets a new “Urgent” option, letting users set a reminder that triggers an alarm when it’s due.
• When the alarm goes off, the lock screen will show a countdown and options to either “Snooze” or “Slide to Stop”.
• Alarms for Reminders are visually distinguished (e.g., shown in blue) from standard alarms.

 iOS 26.2 Apple Podcasts – More Intelligent Features

• Auto-generated chapters (AI-powered) now appear in the Podcasts app.
• Transcripts will highlight when other podcasts are mentioned, and on the show page, you can directly access referenced links.

AirDrop – PIN Mode & Extended Duration

• In the iOS 26.2 Beta code, Apple appears to be testing a PIN mode for AirDrop, allowing sharing between non-contacts for up to 30 days (vs the current 10-minute default).

Weather App – “Relative Time” Alerts

• The Weather app will now support alerts phrased in more natural language (e.g., “Next Friday” or “Next Tuesday”) rather than fixed dates.

 iOS 26.2 Apple News – UI Update

• The Apple News app gets a redesign:
  • At the top: quick-access buttons for categories such as Sports, Trivia/Games, Politics, Business, Food, etc.
  • The “Following” tab has been separated into its own dedicated page instead of being tied to Search.

Accessibility & Security Updates

• “Flash for Alerts” now includes an option to let the screen itself flash when an alert is received (in addition to the rear LED).
• A new “Enhanced Safety Alerts” section in Notification settings allows users to manage alerts for earthquakes, imminent threats, etc., and uses location data to improve reliability.

Release Timing & Compatibility

• The iOS 26.2 Beta is currently available to registered developers; a public beta is expected later this week.
• This version supports all iPhone models that are compatible with iOS 26.0.
• The full official release is expected between December 9 and December 16.

The above content is compiled by ModeZone, a fashion and entertainment magazine.