Apple has released the second version of the iOS 26.2 Release Candidate for developers and beta testers. This version is basically the final test build before the update goes public. If no major bugs are found, the stable version of iOS 26.2 could be rolled out as early as this week. The update brings several new features, including a Liquid Glass slider on the Lock Screen to adjust the transparency of the clock. AirPods Live Translation is being introduced for users in the European Union. The Reminders app now supports alarms for due tasks, and there are small updates to the Podcasts and Apple News apps. Apple has also refreshed the menu animations, and CarPlay now allows users to disable pinned messages in the Messages app. To help you understand better, I’ve listed all the changes coming with the new iOS 26.2 Release Candidate.
Apple has updated how sleep score works, as many people felt the old scores were too generous. Furthermore, the top rating has now been rebranded as “Very high” instead of “Excellent”, and all the score ranges have been adjusted to give more accurate and clear results.
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Apple Podcasts has been granted the ability to now automatically create chapters, find mentions of other shows and link to them, and organise related content for easier discovery. This update makes it easier for users to explore new content in a more natural way and also makes listening more structured.
Apple News now boasts a simpler layout that highlights popular sections and makes reading smoother and easier. The new makeover also makes it easy to navigate through the app.
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People in the European Union with iOS 26.2 will now have access to the AirPods Live Translation feature that will help them make real-time conversations in different languages more convenient.
iOS 26.2 adds a Liquid Glass slider that lets users change how transparent the clock looks on the lock screen. It works with all supported fonts and gives more control over the screen’s appearance.
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Tasks in the Reminders app can now set off alarms and timers. These alerts can break through Focus modes for urgent tasks, ensuring important reminders are noticed.
CarPlay users can now turn off pinned conversations in Messages, giving them more control over what they see while driving.
The Measure app’s level tool now has a new Liquid Glass-style design, making it look cleaner and more modern.
Apple has released the second version of the iOS 26.2 release candidate, suggesting the full update is almost ready. iOS 26.2 may arrive later on December 9, 2025 (Tuesday), or early December 10, 2025 (Wednesday).
Apple normally releases new iOS updates at 10:30 PM IST. If they stick to this pattern, iOS 26.2 will probably come out around that time too.
The following iPhone models are eligible to receive the iOS 26.2 update:
Please note that even though all the devices above can install iOS 26.2, some of the new Apple Intelligence features need more powerful hardware, so they only work on the newest and fastest devices.