Apple has officially released iOS 26.1 to all iPhone users. Here are the changes available for iPhone with iOS 26.1:
Liquid glass switching
The biggest news in iOS 26.1 is the liquid glass toggle. Apple added the option to choose between clear (the current design in iOS 26) and tinted. Colored options change the opacity level behind things like notifications and tab bars. Other Liquid Glass visual elements are still present, such as optional transparent app icons.
This toggle is located in Settings > Display & Brightness > Liquid Glass on iPhone and iPad. Mac also has a toggle (Settings) > (Appearance) > (Liquid Glass), but the difference is less obvious on macOS.
The new settings are in addition to existing accessibility settings such as increasing contrast and decreasing transparency.
Swipe lock screen
iOS 26.1 introduces a second toggle that may be welcomed by even more users. For the first time in years, you can now disable the swipe gesture to open the camera on your iPhone’s lock screen.
The new toggle is located in (Settings) > (Camera) > (Swipe lock screen to open camera).
This shortcut started as a swipe up gesture and then became a swipe from right gesture in iOS 10. Starting with iPhone X, Apple included flashlight and camera lock screen shortcuts by default.
The new iPhone also features a camera control button, adding a third way to activate the camera. Before that, another method was introduced for the (action) button.
The swipe option will remain, but including the ability to toggle it off in settings will prevent you from accidentally swiping to launch the camera app.
more
Other changes available in iOS 26.1 are related to Apple Intelligence, AirPods Live Translation, Apple TV, and iPad Slide Over.
Apple Intelligence supports Traditional Chinese, Danish, Dutch, Norwegian, Portuguese (Portugal), Swedish, Turkish, and Vietnamese.
Live Translation on AirPods adds support for Chinese (Simplified and Traditional Chinese), Italian, Japanese, and Korean. This feature launched in iOS 26 for AirPods Pro 2, AirPods Pro 3, and AirPods 4 with support for US and UK English, French, German, Portuguese (Brazil), and Spanish (Spain).
Apple is rebranding its streaming video service from Apple TV+ to Apple TV only. Apple says the rebrand comes with a “vibrant new identity.” The first sign of life is a new icon for the Apple TV app.
The Settings app now includes a “Local Capture” section under “General.” This setting allows you to change the location where local capture files are saved. You can also toggle local capture to include only audio.
iOS 26.1 also improves the way you dismiss alarms with the Slide to Unlock interface and adds a swipe gesture to change songs in the Music app.
availability
iOS 26.1 is available for iPhone 11 and later, iPhone SE 2 and later, and iPhone Air.
