Well now, Apple has finally released the first stable update, iOS 26.1. This major overhaul introduces several new features to enhance user experience, accessibility and much more. This newest iteration goes even further by allowing users to customize home screen gestures. It further creates new opportunities for linguistics support and provides a much broader range of transparency for the interface’s inner workings.
One of the most exciting aspects of iOS 26.1 is its customizable home screen gestures. Users can finally change the function of each gesture for a more personalized experience. Yet this deep, ever-increasing customization serves the purpose of simplifying navigation and creating greater efficiency within the device, allowing operators to personalize their device to individual tastes. You can now quickly launch the camera app by swiping left on the lock screen. This feature means you’ll always be just a tap away from photography, with no mucking around.
The update significantly expands language support for Apple Intelligence, adding eight new languages: Chinese (Traditional), Danish, Dutch, Norwegian, Swedish, Portuguese (Portugal), Vietnamese, and Turkish. This localization is a major step towards making sure all kinds of users can apply Apple’s new intelligent functions in their mother tongues.
iOS 26.1 introduces live translation support for five additional languages: Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), Italian, Japanese, and Korean. This comprehensive addition enables you to engage in richer, more instant conversations by overcoming language barriers and having natural, flowing discussions.
Perhaps even more exciting, is a new option of a liquid glass setting, which lets you select either clear or tinted liquid glass. Users can find this new setting under Settings > Display & Brightness > Liquid Glass. This feature adds a new decorative menu that greatly improves aesthetics and increases opacity significantly. This change specifically responds to many comments regarding readability of all interface elements.
While some praised Apple’s new see-through UI in iOS 26, others reported they had a real hard time reading some sections of the interface. Addressing this feedback, iOS 26.1 introduces an option to set transparency settings using accessibility features. This change gives users the option to make transparency more opaque for an easier and clearer viewing experience.
Moreover, iOS 26.1 gives users the ability to record their own audio and video locally even when they’re recording a video call. This one addition improves user remote communication experiences by allowing users to capture compelling moments while using Snapchat, all without the hassle of switching between apps.
