iOS 26.2 developer beta lands with big tweaks to Liquid Glass, Health, and Podcasts – here's what's new

Apple is now in beta testing for iOS 26.2, while iOS 26.1 is now rolling out to supported iPhones. Surprisingly, the Cupertino tech giant has prepped even more changes for iOS 26.2, which is now rolling out to developers for testing. 

iOS 26 brought a plethora of changes, including a new Liquid Glass design, while iOS 26.1 brings an option to customize the Liquid Glass look – to choose between a clear and a tinted appearance of buttons and menus. Now, iOS 26.2, Apple brings even more ways to customize Liquid Glass, as well as enhances some built-in apps like Health, Apple News, and Podcasts. 

Lock Screen slider for Liquid Glass

With iOS 26.2, you will be able to use a new toggle and slider for the Liquid Glass material of the Lock Screen. iOS 26.1 brought the Clear or Tinted options of Liquid Glass. However, these are just two options, and their effect spans across the entire operating system. 

iOS 26.2 developer beta 1 brings an option to customize Liquid Glass only for the Lock Screen clock. When you adjust the appearance of the Lock Screen, there will be a new slider for the opacity of the clock. This is excellent, given that this way, people can choose the exact level of transparency they personally want for their clock. 

Additional buttons for Apple News

Apple is also streamlining the UI of Apple News with iOS 26.2. The look of the app is mainly unchanged, but now it's easier for you to find what you're searching for. There's an improvement in the in-app navigation, and several new buttons have been added at the top of the screen.

New buttons for navigation:

• Food
• Politics
• Puzzles
• Sports

The Sports section is moved from the bottom of the app's UI to the new top row. There's also a Search button and a new Following tab. 

Changes to Apple Podcasts 

The Cupertino tech giant has also tweaked its Podcasts app in iOS 26.2. Developer Beta 1. The app is getting three new features and a Splash Screen with explanations for them. There are now automatically created chapters for easier navigation of episodes that don't require creator or user input. 

You will be able to see and follow the mentioned podcasts right from the player and transcript. This is epic because this way you can find all the podcasts referenced in an episode without having to search for them manually. 

On top of that, you will also be able to quickly access the links shared in a podcast on the episode page. 

Reminders get Alarms integration

Apple integrated the Calendar and Reminder apps in iOS 18, and now, Cupertino is doing the same with its Calendar and Clock apps. 

Basically, alarms created in the Clock app can now be integrated into Reminders. This is done with your permission as a user, though. 

Also, when you're creating a reminder, there's a new Urgent setting. If you toggle it, you will be prompted if you want to let Reminders "schedule alarms and timers". This would obviously help you get sound for your important reminder even if Focus is active, because it will activate an alarm. 

Sleep score changes 

Sleep score, which is a feature of Apple Watch, is also now getting a bit of an adjustment with iOS 26.2 developer beta 1. The numbers of the Sleep Score feature are getting changed. 

Basically, Sleep Score is a representation of how well you slept each night, and it is a number. It's based on metrics like sleep duration, bedtime, and interruptions. 

Duration gives up to 50 points, bedtime up to 30, and interruptions up to 20, and the combined total is your Sleep Score. 

Now, it's classified as Very Low if its between 0 and 40 (before it was up to 29), Low if its between 41 and 60 (formerly 30-49), OK is between 61 and 80 (before it was 50-69), High is between 81 and 95 (previously 70-89), and Very High, which was previously "Excellent" is now between 96 and 100 points, while it was between 90 and 100 previously. 

Cupertino says it's worked in collaboration with the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, the National Sleep Foundation, and the World Sleep Society in developing the feature. Also, Apple reportedly used 5 million nights of sleep data from participants in the Apple Heart and Movement Study. 

Also, a small but meaningful tweak with iOS 26.2 is that Live Translation is coming to the European Union starting December 2025. Potentially, iOS 26.2 is going to be publicly released around December, if all goes well. 

Iconic Phones is now up for pre-order in the US!

Our new coffee table book, Iconic Phones, is a stunning visual tribute to the legends in the world of phones, featuring exclusive high-resolution photography, stories, quotes and fun trivia. Pre-order now and save 15% with code: PARENA15

Pre-order now