Following the general release of iOS 26, and the changes seen in the iOS 9 beta 26, Apple has taken the next step with the first beta of iOS 26.1 intended for developers. It arrives just a few days after the final version and opens the cycle of the system's first incremental update.
As is usual in the “.1” versions, the focus is on the error correction, system polishing, and minor functional changes. For most users, it's advisable to wait for the public beta, which usually offers greater stability.
Key new features in iOS 26.1 beta 1
In this first build, Apple introduces subtle but useful tweaks, bolstering the daily experience without any major revolutions. In addition, it includes linguistic extensions to AI and interface improvements spread across several apps.
- Apple Intelligence: Adds support for Danish, Dutch, Norwegian, Portuguese (Portugal), Swedish, Turkish, Chinese (Traditional), and Vietnamese.
- Live Translation on AirPods: incorporates Japanese, Korean, Italian and Mandarin Chinese (simplified and traditional); currently not available in the EU.
- Security: “Rapid Security Responses” is now called Background Security Improvement, with background and reversible patches if they cause problems.
- Build: The developer version is identified as 23B50444L.
Beyond these headlines, iOS 26.1 beta 1 fine-tunes the system with visual changes and use in key apps, and lays the groundwork for future betas where more features could be added.
Apple Intelligence and Live Translation
Language expansion in Apple Intelligence accelerates its international rollout. With eight new languages, more users can interact with these features without relying on English or other previously supported languages.
In parallel, the real-time translation of AirPods with Live Translation adds five languagesAlthough the feature doesn't currently operate in the European Union, its global reach is growing and it's integrating with more language pairs.
They are not appreciated at the moment new capabilities of AI beyond language support, but this move is key to future features reaching more markets without friction.
Visual changes and app improvements
On the home screen, widgets with a dark background now display a more uniform black, correcting the unusual banding and gradients detected in iOS 26.0. The result is a cleaner, more consistent finish.
The Phone app adopts the style Liquid glass on the numeric keypad, aligning its aesthetics with the rest of the system. These are subtle adjustments, but they help unify the design.
Calendar improves readability: events from different calendars are distinguished with solid color backgrounds, making it easy to see at a glance what's what in the busiest views.
Photos polishes video playback with a independent slider that does not cover the content and a bottom bar with a more pronounced “frosted” effect, improving reading on light backgrounds.
En Apple Music A handy gesture appears: swipe over the song title to go to the previous or next track, both in the mini-player and in full screen. Additionally, safari adjusts the bottom tab bar, now slightly wider and with fewer margins.
Performance, security and how to test it
Beyond the visible changes, this beta points to a greater fluency already reducing specific errors inherited from the initial release. There is also work under the hood with the new name of the rapid security updates, which are applied in the background.
This version is oriented to developers. If you're interested in trying it out, you can install it from Settings > General > Software Update > Beta Updates, choosing iOS 26 Developer Beta after linking your Apple ID to the Developer Program. Please note that errors and reduced battery life may occur.
For those who prioritize stability, it is advisable wait for the public beta, which should arrive in days or weeks. If there are no setbacks, the final version of iOS 26.1 is expected October after several testing iterations.
With this launch, iOS 26.1 is shaping up to be a stabilization update that also incorporates small usability improvements, expands AI languages and fine-tunes the system design, paving the way for smooth mainstream release.
