iOS 26.2 coming next month with these 8 new features

In a recent press release, Apple confirmed that iOS 26.2 will be released to all users in December, but did not specify a specific release date.

We’ve highlighted eight new features coming with iOS 26.2 below.

Liquid glass slider on lock screen

A new slider in the lock screen customization menu lets you adjust the opacity of the liquid clock glass, letting you decide how clear or matte it looks.

This comes after iOS 26.1 added “Clear” and “Tinted” options for Liquid Glass overall.

Offline lyrics in Apple Music

iOS 26.2 adds offline lyrics support to Apple Music, allowing you to view song lyrics even when you’re not connected to Wi-Fi or a cellular network.

Sleep Score Review

iOS 26.2 and watchOS 26.2 revised sleep score ranges:

• Very low: 0-40 (formerly 0-29)
• Low: 41-60 (formerly 30-49)
• Good: 61-80 (formerly 50-69)
• High: 81-95 (formerly 70-89)
• Very high: 96-100 (formerly 90-100)

Apple says the sleep score is calculated based on how long you slept, the consistency of when you fell asleep, and the frequency and duration of awakenings during the night. This feature is available in the Health app on all iPhone models compatible with iOS 26 and in the Sleep app on all Apple Watch models compatible with watchOS 26.

Alarms for reminders

iOS 26.2 lets you set reminder alarms in Apple’s Reminders app.

When adding a reminder, selecting a time and switching to “Urgent” will trigger an alarm at the specified time.

Improvements to Apple Podcasts

The Apple Podcasts app has three new features in iOS 26.2, including automatic chapters for episodes, timed on-screen links, and the ability to view other podcasts that the podcast mentions directly from the audio player and transcript.

Apple News Review

Apple News now has a dedicated “Watching” tab and buttons for quick access to topics like sports, quizzes, politics, business and food.

iPhone screen flash for notifications

Starting with iOS 26.2, your iPhone screen may flash when you receive a notification. Previously, this setting was limited to the camera’s LED flash on the back of the iPhone.

There are now options for LED flash, Screen, and Both in the Settings app under Accessibility → Sound & video → Notification flash. Or you can leave the setting off.

AirPods Live Translation in EU

iOS 26.2 brings live translation to AirPods in the EU.

Live translation allows you to understand someone who speaks a different language than you. For example, if you speak English and someone speaks French to you, Siri can tell you what they’re saying in English through your AirPods.

This feature works best when both conversation participants are using Live Translation on AirPods. If you’re talking to someone who doesn’t have AirPods, you can view a live transcript in the other person’s language on your iPhone.

Live translation is available on higher-end AirPods Pro 3, AirPods Pro 2, and AirPods 4 with active noise cancellation. The feature launched in the US and select other countries with iOS 26, but was not available in the EU until iOS 26.2, as Apple said it needed more time to ensure compliance with the EU’s Digital Markets Act.

In addition to compatible AirPods, users need an iPhone 15 Pro or later with Apple Intelligence enabled and the Apple Translate app installed.

As of iOS 26.1, Live Translation on AirPods supports the following languages:

• English (US)
• English (UK)
• French (France)
• German (Germany)
• Portuguese (Brazil)
• Spanish (Spain)
• Chinese – Simplified (China)
• Chinese – Traditional (China)
• Japanese
• Korean
• Italian

iOS 26 also has built-in live translation in Messages, Phone, and FaceTime, without the need for AirPods.