iOS 26.2 Guide: Every New Feature, Liquid Glass Tweak, and Security Enhancement
Apple has officially released iOS 26.2, a major point update to the iOS 26 operating system. While it's not a flagship release like 26.0, this update brings a significant number of much-requested quality-of-life improvements, app enhancements, and crucial refinements to the new design elements introduced earlier this year.
This comprehensive guide covers the biggest features and changes you'll find after installing the update.
1. Liquid Glass Customization and Refinements
The controversial but striking Liquid Glass design language receives its first major user-facing customization with this update, addressing user feedback about legibility.
- Lock Screen Opacity Slider: Users can now fine-tune the transparency of the Lock Screen clock. A new slider has been added to the Lock Screen customization menu, allowing you to choose a look that is more transparent (the original Liquid Glass effect) or more frosted and opaque for increased readability.
- Measure App Redesign: The Level tool within the Measure app has been updated to adopt the Liquid Glass aesthetic. The traditional white bubble indicators are replaced with translucent, fluid bubbles that match the rest of the system's new look.
- Menu Animations: System-wide pop-out menus and controls now feature quicker, bouncier Liquid Glass animations, making interactions feel more responsive and cohesive with the visual design Apple showcased at WWDC.
2. Reminders Alarms & Enhanced Productivity
The Reminders app gets a powerful, long-requested feature that ensures you won't miss urgent tasks.
- Alarms for Reminders: Users can now set a true, full-screen alarm for a reminder. By toggling the "Urgent" option when setting a due time, the reminder will trigger a persistent alarm sound and a full-screen alert (complete with Live Activity support) instead of a simple notification banner. This is ideal for critical, time-sensitive tasks.
- Tables in Freeform: The Freeform app is significantly upgraded with the addition of Tables. Users can now add structured tables that intelligently resize to hold text, images, documents, and even drawings on the infinite canvas, making it a much more robust planning tool.
3. Podcasts and Apple Music Enhancements
Both of Apple's primary media consumption apps receive key quality-of-life updates focused on discovery and offline use.
- Auto-Generated Podcast Chapters: The Podcasts app can now automatically generate chapters for episodes if the creator has not provided them manually, making it easier to skip through content.
- Podcast Mention Links: The app now intelligently detects and provides links to other podcasts mentioned during an episode directly in the player and transcript, boosting discoverability.
- Offline Lyrics: Apple Music now supports offline lyrics for downloaded songs. Users can view the lyrics without an active Wi-Fi or cellular connection, a welcome feature for travel.
- Favorite Songs in Top Picks: Your automatically curated "Favorite Songs" playlist now appears prominently in the Top Picks section of the Apple Music Home tab.
4. Enhanced Security and Regional Changes
Security and regional compliance updates are a major part of this point release.
- AirDrop Codes: To enhance security when sharing with non-contacts, AirDrop now uses a one-time verification code. When initiating a transfer with a stranger, a code is generated on the receiver's device that the sender must enter to complete the file transfer. This access lasts for 30 days.
- Expanded Live Translation (EU): Following regulatory compliance efforts, the AirPods Live Translation feature is now available for users in the European Union, supporting a hands-free, real-time conversation experience.
- Enhanced Safety Alerts (US): In the US, a new Enhanced Safety Alerts section has been added to Settings, which provides more detailed, location-aware notifications (including maps and guidance) for imminent threats like earthquakes, floods, and other natural disasters.
Other Notable Changes
- Screen Flash for Alerts: An Accessibility setting now offers the option to have the device's screen flash when a notification arrives, in addition to or instead of the rear LED flash.
- Games App Filters: The Games app library now includes filters to sort games by size (useful for clearing storage), category, and friend challenges.
- Sleep Score Revision: The criteria for the Sleep Score feature (part of Health and Apple Watch) have been adjusted, resulting in more accurate and stringent scores for each quality level.