Apple Seeds iOS 26.1 Beta 2 to Developers: Here’s Everything New

By Mehtab Ansari • Updated On Oct 7, 2025

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TL; DR

Alarms and timers now need a “slide to stop” gesture to prevent accidental dismissals.
iPad regains Slide Over multitasking for quick app access.
Transparent navigation buttons return in Photos, and the Dock gets the Liquid Glass effect.

Apple has released iOS 26.1 Beta 2 to developers, refining usability and visual details across the system. While the update doesn’t introduce major new features, it polishes the iOS 26 experience with interface and control improvements.

Slide to Stop for Alarms

In this beta, alarms and timers now require users to slide to stop them on the Lock Screen, reducing accidental dismissals.

iOS 26.1 Beta 2 has a new “slide to stop” for Alarms and Timer. pic.twitter.com/OgOV2IcBvl
— Beta Profiles (@BetaProfiles) October 6, 2025

ALSO READ: iPhone 17 Pro vs. vivo X300 Pro vs. OPPO Find X9 Pro: Leaks Reveal the Ultimate Camera Showdown

Slide Over is Back

For iPad users, iPadOS 26.1 Beta 2 restores the Slide Over multitasking feature, allowing a floating app window over the main workspace for quick access.

More (and Less) Liquid Glass

Apple has also brought back transparent navigation buttons in the Photos app, giving it a more Liquid Glass-like look. Meanwhile, the Dock now gets the “Liquid Glass” effect seen elsewhere in iOS 26, improving visual consistency.

More apps have been updated to support the Liquid Glass redesign. However, the background in the control center is now more blurred, like it was in iOS 26.0.

iOS 26 Beta 1 vs Beta 2

Huge improvement!! It is wayyyyy more readable now. pic.twitter.com/IO3AMEq6eJ
— Sam Beckman (@sam_beckman) June 23, 2025

ALSO READ: The iPhone 17 Pro’s 4X Telephoto Camera: Upgrade or Downgrade?

More Left-Alignment

Other changes include left-aligned headers in Settings and Home Screen folders (this was already the case with the passcode screen), new controls for external microphone gain, and an option for automatic background security updates. Accessibility settings now add a “Display Borders” toggle for clearer button outlines.

The update also reverts some visual changes from Beta 1, such as Calendar’s full-color backgrounds, which have been toned down. Overall, iOS 26.1 Beta 2 focuses on small changes. The stable rollout of iOS 26.1 is expected later this month.

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Mehtab Ansari

Mehtab Ansari is the Assistant Editor – Features & Reviews at Smartprix, where he writes about smartphones, laptops, audio gear, and everything in between. A computer science student by degree but a tech nerd by heart, he’s been into consumer tech for years and started reviewing products professionally in February 2024. He’s especially into photography and audio, often spending more time testing a smartphone’s camera than he probably should. For him, tech isn’t just work, it’s what he’s always thinking about.

Expertise

Smartphones, laptops, tablets, monitors, smartwatches, photography, and audio gear. I’ve reviewed over 60 products across these categories on Smartprix in the past year and a half.

Education - Bachelor of Computer Applications – Nizam College, Hyderabad (2022–2025) | Joined Smartprix -February 2024 | Published Reviews & Stories - 723

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