Summary
- Apple has started the rollout of iOS 26.1 Public Beta 2 for eligible iPhones.
- The latest beta build adds new features like Slide to Stop, audio controls for external mics and more.
- Some Beta 1 changes to Calendar and Safari have also been reversed via this update.
After releasing the first iOS 26.1 Public Beta on September 25, 2025, Apple has now started the rollout of the iOS 26.1 Public Beta 2 build today. This is the second iOS 26.1 public beta update, which refines the iOS 26 design language further and brings some new features as well.
iOS 26.1 Public Beta 2 adds new Slide to Stop feature for alarms and timers
After introducing the iOS 26 stable build release almost a month ago, the second public beta for iOS 26.1 is now officially here. As part of this new update, iOS 26-supported devices will now get a new "Slide to Stop" option in Alarms and Timers. So now, apart from the existing stop button, users will also gain the ability of a slide gesture to dismiss alarms and stop/pause timers.
The iOS 26.1 Public Beta 2 update has also added new audio control features, which will help users seamlessly control their external mic usage. There is now the option to manually adjust gains and specifying where files will be saved.
Apart from these two major additions, just like the iOS 26.1 Developer Beta 2 build, the second public beta has also brought forth minor design tweaks to the UI. Other than that, there is a now a 3D mode for Vision Pro inside the Apple Vision Pro app and reversal of some changes made to the Calendar and Safari apps, via the first iOS 26.1 public beta update.
That said, eligible users can install the latest iOS 26.1 Public Beta 2 update by heading over to Settings> General> Software Update> Update Now. Alongside iOS 26.1, Apple has also started the rollout of second public beta updates of iPadOS 26.1, macOS 26.1, watchOS 26.1, tvOS 26.1 and visionOS 26.1.
