Apple rolls out iOS 26.1, brings new Liquid Glass toggle, lock screen controls, and more

Apple iOS 26

Apple has officially rolled out iOS 26.1, and while it’s not a massive overhaul, it brings a handful of thoughtful new features. From a “Liquid Glass” display toggle to smarter lock screen controls, new language support for Apple Intelligence, and more refined touches across the ecosystem, iOS 26.1 has meaningful upgrades.

The standout change in iOS 26.1 is the new Liquid Glass toggle, which lets users customise the iPhone’s translucent design aesthetic. Found under Settings > Display & Brightness > Liquid Glass, it allows you to switch between a clear and a tinted look. The tinted option slightly reduces opacity across system UI elements like notifications and tab bars, offering a more subdued, frosted-glass feel. The feature also appears on macOS and iPadOS, though with subtler differences.

Changes to lock screen
Another practical tweak comes to the lock screen. For the first time in years, Apple lets users disable the swipe to open Camera shortcut — a move that will prevent accidental camera launches. The toggle lives under Settings > Camera > Lock Screen Swipe to Open Camera. Given the many ways to open the Camera app now (including via the Control Centre, Action button, and Camera Control), this change makes sense for anyone tired of unintended swipes.

Apple Intelligence features
Beyond the interface updates, iOS 26.1 expands Apple Intelligence support to more languages including Traditional Chinese, Danish, Dutch, Norwegian, Portuguese (Portugal), Swedish, Turkish, and Vietnamese. AirPods Live Translation also gains new languages such as Mandarin (simplified and traditional), Italian, Japanese, and Korean.

Apple’s streaming service is getting a makeover too — it’s no longer “Apple TV+” but simply Apple TV, accompanied by a fresh, more vibrant app icon.

Other refinements include a new Local Capture section in Settings to manage audio and file saves, a redesigned alarm dismissal screen with a Slide to Unlock interface, and a new swipe gesture to change songs in the Music app.

Availability

iOS 26.1 is now available for iPhone 11 and later, iPhone SE (2nd gen and newer), and the new iPhone Air.