Apple Releases iOS 26.1 Beta 2 Update With Background Security Improvements, Custom Workouts in Fitness App

Apple on Monday released the iOS 26.1 Beta 2 update for iPhone to developers and beta testers. The new operating system (OS) firmware arrives almost two weeks after the introduction of the first beta update of the iOS 26.1 series. As per reports, there are several minor changes in tow. There is a new toggle for the Background Security Improvements in Settings, an option to create custom workouts in the Fitness app, a slight change to the alignment of text and icons in Settings, and more.

iOS 26.1 Beta 2 Update: What's New

Apple, as is customary, has not revealed what's included in the first iOS 26.1 beta update. The release notes simply state, “iOS 26 beta gives you an early preview of the upcoming apps, features, and technologies.” It comes with the build number 23B5059e.

Fortunately, the folks over at MacRumors have taken a deep dive into the update, and we have an idea of what's available to beta testers and may soon be offered to stable iOS 26 users.

Apple is said to have made a quality-of-life change when setting up an alarm. Instead of the traditional tap to stop functionality, users will now be able to slide their finger across the screen to stop an alarm. Tapping the option will snooze it, but a slide gesture will be required to stop the alarm from ringing.

As per the report, a new Background Security Improvements option has been added under the Privacy and Security section in the Settings app. There is a new toggle for automatically downloading and installing security updates. This option in iOS 26, notably, replaces the previous Rapid Security Responses feature.

iPhone users can also reportedly create their own custom workouts. They can select the workout type, estimated Active Calories, effort, duration, and the start time. The report mentions that the icon and text alignment have been changed and are now aligned to the left, instead of the previous centre alignment. This change also applies to the name of a folder on a Home Screen.

The publication also revealed that options in the Photos app, such as Favourite, Play as Slideshow, and Hide, are now located at the top of the menu. These previously appeared as the options in the dropdown menu.

Other minor changes reportedly include more subtle light refraction with darker icon and background colours, Pinch to Crop now appearing momentarily when setting a wallpaper, and a new Display Borders toggle in Accessibility settings.

iOS 26.1 Beta 2 is available as a free over-the-air (OTA) software update to registered Apple developers and beta testers on iPhone 11 and later models. A public beta is also available for general consumers who are enrolled in Apple's beta software programme. To install the update on your iPhone, open the Settings app and tap on General > Software Update > Install Now.