iOS 26.1 Developer beta launched: New features, eligible devices, how to download and more

Soon after releasing the iOS 26 update to iPhone users, Apple has released the new iOS 26.1 developer beta, which brings support for even more languages for Apple's AI features along with refinements across the new UI.

​How to download iOS 26.1 developer beta?

​In order to become eligible for downloading the iOS 26.1 developer beta, you will first have to become an Apple Developer by enrolling in the company's Developer Program. To become a developer, just visit the enrollment page or open the Apple Developer app and sign in with your Apple ID.

​Finish the enrollment process by entering your name and address. Choose your "entity type" as "Individual," and accept the agreement. You will then be enrolled in the free tier of the developer program. Notably, there will be a link to make a payment for the developer program, but even if you don't pay for that, the free tier of the program will still work.

​To get a first glimpse at iOS 26.1, open your iPhone and go to Settings > General > Software Update. After this, click on "Beta Updates" and then on "iOS 26.1 Developer Beta." You should now be able to download the latest iOS version. Your iPhone will restart to update to the new iOS version.

​Pro tip: It's usually recommended to keep your iPhone's battery above 50 percent while performing an update. Moreover, you may also want to back up your data to iCloud or a physical device to protect yourself just in case anything goes wrong with the update.

​iOS 26.1 features:

​Apple added support for Apple Intelligence with last year's iOS 18.1 update, and in the beta version this year, the Cupertino-based tech giant is expanding its premium feature to even more languages.

​After iOS 26.1, Apple Intelligence will be available in eight new languages:

​Chinese (Traditional)

​Danish

​Dutch

​Norwegian

​Portuguese (Portugal)

​Swedish

​Turkish

​Vietnamese

​Moreover, Apple is also expanding support for more languages to its AI-powered Live Translation.

​The new languages now supported are:

​Chinese (Mandarin, simplified)

​Chinese (Mandarin, traditional)

​Italian

​Japanese

​Korean

​The Live Translation feature was first showcased at Apple's WWDC 2025 event earlier in the year and made its debut with the iOS 26 update. The new feature allows users to get real-time translation across various apps like Messages, FaceTime, Phone, and more.

​The feature is compatible with AirPods 4, AirPods Pro 2, and AirPods Pro 3.

​The new update also brings some UI changes, like adding "Liquid Glass" to the keypad in the Phone app, the Calendar app showing full-width color highlights for all events, and the Photos app coming with an improved playback scrubber.

​Moreover, a report by 9to5Mac found references to a code that reveals that Apple is working to add support for Model Context Protocol (MCP). MCP, which was developed by Anthropic, allows AI agents to securely and privately.

​This is how Anthropic explains MCP:

​"The Model Context Protocol is an open standard that enables developers to build secure, two-way connections between their data sources and AI-powered tools… It provides a universal, open standard for connecting AI systems with data sources, replacing fragmented integrations with a single protocol."

iOS 26.1 eligible devices:

iPhone 17 series

iPhone 17

iPhone 17 Pro

iPhone 17 Pro Max

iPhone Air

iPhone 16 series

iPhone 16e

iPhone 16

iPhone 16 Plus

iPhone 16 Pro

iPhone 16 Pro Max

iPhone 15 series

iPhone 15

iPhone 15 Plus

iPhone 15 Pro

iPhone 15 Pro Max

iPhone 14 series

iPhone 14

iPhone 14 Plus

iPhone 14 Pro

iPhone 14 Pro Max

iPhone 13 series

iPhone 13

iPhone 13 mini

iPhone 13 Pro

iPhone 13 Pro Max

iPhone 12 series

iPhone 12

iPhone 12 mini

iPhone 12 Pro

iPhone 12 Pro Max

iPhone 11 series

iPhone 11

iPhone 11 Pro

iPhone 11 Pro Max

iPhone SE

iPhone SE (2nd generation and later)