iOS 26.2 is available now with tweaks to Apple Music, Podcasts, Games, and more

iOS 26.2 release notes

Here are Apple’s official release notes for iOS 26.2:

Apple Music

Favorite Songs playlist appears in Top Picks on the home tab
Offline lyrics for downloaded songs so you can view them without an internet connection

Podcasts

Automatically generated chapters make it easier to navigate episodes
Links to mentioned podcasts let you see and follow other podcasts mentioned in the episode you’re listening to directly from the player and transcript

Games

Filters in the Games library let you find games by category, size, and more
In-game challenge score banners provide realtime updates when someone new has taken the lead
Improved support for connected controllers such as Backbone and Razer

This update also includes the following enhancements and bug fixes:

Additional Lock Screen time customization option lets you further adjust its appearance, giving the Liquid Glass material more or less opacity
Enhanced Safety Alerts can inform you about imminent threats such as floods, natural disasters, and other emergencies, with rich information like a map of affected areas and links to additional safety guidance (available in the U.S.)
Alarms for Reminders help you stay on top of urgent tasks, and provide snooze and Live Activity support if you’re not ready to check the reminder off
AirDrop codes offer an additional layer of verification when using AirDrop with unknown contacts by providing a code on the receiver’s device that the sender must enter to complete the transfer
Apple News Section links at the top of the Today feed offer easy navigation to popular topics like Sports, Politics, Business, and Food
Multipack accessory pairing in the Home app lets you use the same setup code to easily enroll multiple accessories when sold together
Flash for alerts in Accessibility Settings offers the additional option to have the device screen flash when you receive a notification
Tables in Freeform can hold text, images, documents, and drawings, with cells that intelligently resize to fit, bringing structure to the infinite canvas
Fixes an issue where pre-release albums in the Apple Music library were not immediately playable at their release time
Fixes an issue where a Privacy and Security setting may incorrectly be marked as managed by an enterprise organization

iOS 26.2: What’s new

We will continually update this list as the beta progresses and more changes are added and discovered by the community.

Measure app: The Measure app gets a new Liquid Glass design.

Games app: New library filtering, improved controller navigation, and challenge scores that update in real time.

Updated Sleep Score ranges: Apple has adjusted what the various Sleep Score ranges mean, making it require higher scores for the better descriptions. For example, “High” used to be a score of 70-89, and is now 81-95.

Lock Screen Liquid Glass slider: The clock control for the Lock Screen how has a slider to adjust how transparent/glassy the time readout should be. This replaces the old “clear or tinted” toggle.

Apple News design: The design of Apple News has been tweaked, with four quick-select categories at the top. These appear to be based on your previous activity.

Podcasts improvements: The Podcasts app gets auto-generated chapters along with the ability to more easily follow mentioned podcasts or follow up on links mentioned in a podcast episode.

Set Alarms and Timers for Reminders: If you set a reminder as “urgent” you will be asked if you wish to create and alarm or timer for it.

Freeform app: You can now insert tables into your boards.

iOS 26.2: How to install

Your iPhone will eventually prompt you to install iOS 26.2, but that can take a while, even if you have “Automatic Updates” turned on. To get it now, follow these steps:

Open Settings.

Tap General.

Tap Software Update.

Make sure you have the intended version of iOS selected if necessary, and follow the on-screen instructions.