Apple has initiated the rollout of the third developer beta for iOS 26.2, revealing a wealth of features that go beyond typical mid-cycle updates. Following the comprehensive redesign introduced earlier this year with iOS 26, Apple continues to enhance the user experience. This latest beta includes smarter health integrations, enhanced sharing capabilities, visual updates, and beneficial quality-of-life improvements for both iPhone and iPad users. One notable feature in Beta 3 is the new AirDrop codes, allowing users to generate a one-time code that enables non-contacts to send or receive files for a duration of up to 30 days, facilitating swift exchanges with colleagues or new connections.
Additionally, a new option in Settings called ‘Manage Known AirDrop Contacts’ allows users to revoke access easily. This subtle enhancement aims to simplify everyday file sharing. Beta 3 also broadens Apple’s health ecosystem with a new API that permits third-party developers to access Hypertension Notifications from the Apple Watch via the Health app. This advancement allows wellness, monitoring, or chronic condition management apps to provide enhanced insights when users receive high blood pressure alerts. Users will also notice an updated privacy prompt after installing the update, which clarifies how Apple manages data linked to Apple Accounts. This update aligns with the company’s ongoing commitment to privacy.
A code discovered within the beta suggests that users in Japan may soon have the option to select an alternative voice assistant for the Side Button action, possibly including assistants like Gemini or Alexa, contingent on regulatory conditions and limited to Japan-based Apple IDs. The updated Liquid Glass interface includes several enhancements, particularly in Tinted mode, which now automatically disables accessibility features that may interfere, like Reduce Transparency or Increase Contrast, facilitating easier toggling. The Liquid Glass-style Level tool in the Measure app has also been optimized for clearer numeric readings.
The Games app is evolving into a more organized hub, with Beta 3 introducing a new splash screen that showcases upcoming enhancements, including improved sorting and filtering options and real-time challenge score updates. The Reminders app has gained a new feature allowing users to designate tasks as ‘urgent,’ triggering a loud alarm that can bypass Focus modes, with first-time users receiving a brief overview of this enhancement. For iPad users, Beta 3 reinstates the drag-to-split functionality, allowing apps to be dragged from the Dock, App Library, or Spotlight directly into Split View or Slide Over, a feature that had been removed in earlier iPadOS transitions.
Alongside these significant upgrades, Apple has refined Sleep Score categories, introduced AI-generated chapters in Podcasts, enabled CarPlay to mute pinned conversations, and improved navigation within Apple News. Furthermore, AirPods Live Translation is anticipated to expand into EU markets by December, likely coinciding with the public rollout of iOS 26.2. The Lock Screen will also receive a more striking Liquid Glass slider for clock transparency, completing this unexpectedly comprehensive update.
