Apple has today released iOS 26.1 and iPadOS 26.1 to the public, bringing several enhancements to VoiceOver and braille, various visual changes to interface elements throughout the operating systems, expanded language support for Live Translation, and more.
New features and changes for blind, deaf blind, and low vision users
iOS 26.1 and iPadOS 26.1 include the following new features and changes for blind, deaf blind, and low vision users:
- When connecting your iPhone to power, VoiceOver should now speak the estimated charge time as it appears visually. This feature was introduced with iOS 26.0, but was not previously accessible with VoiceOver.
- New commands to move to the next and previous checkbox, as well as to move to the next and previous rotor voice, have been introduced. These commands have no default touch or keyboard assignments, but can be mapped in Settings > Accessibility > VoiceOver > Commands.
- It is now possible to hide the Back button in Braille Access, useful for those who use the "Escape" command and don't want extra buttons to be shown. To do this, go to Settings > Accessibility > VoiceOver > Braille > Braille Access, and toggle the "Show back button" switch off.
- When viewing files under Braille Notes, folders are now clearly indicated by an "f" proceeding them.
- When using Apple Pay, VoiceOver now provides additional spoken guidance.
- There is a new "Tinted" option for Liquid Glass, which we believe may improve the legibility of visual elements that use that design language for some users. This setting can be found in Settings > Display & Brightness > Liquid Glass.
Resolved accessibility bugs
Our experience is that the following accessibility bugs have been resolved or meaningfully improved in iOS 26.1 and iPadOS 26.1:
- The Live Captions feature under Braille Access now supports FaceTime and phone calls.
- Double-tapping an episode in the TV app now plays the episode as expected.
- On iPadOS, it is now possible to move apps to the Dock using the actions rotor.
- Attempting to move a file in Braille Access when no folders are present no longer crashes the app.
- The button to show bookmarks in Safari's toolbar is now correctly labeled.
New accessibility bugs
We are currently aware of two new accessibility bugs in these releases:
- When downloading an app from the App Store, VoiceOver speaks extraneous text prior to speaking the download progress. This issue occurs both when downloading apps not previously on the device and when downloading updates.
- The button indicating that an iMessage was sent with Siri, located to the right of the message, is labeled as "Replay" instead of "sent with Siri."
If you notice any further changes, improvements, or regressions in your use of these releases, please post a comment below with your findings.
Release Notes
iOS 26.1
This update adds new languages for Live Translation with AirPods, a new tinted option for Liquid Glass, along with other features, bug fixes, and security updates for your iPhone.
This update includes the following features and enhancements:
- Liquid Glass setting gives you the option to choose between the default clear look or a new tinted look which increases opacity of the material in apps and notifications on the Lock Screen
- Live Translation with AirPods support for Chinese (Simplified and Traditional), Japanese, Korean and Italian
- Apple Music MiniPlayer swipe gesture to go to the next or previous track
- Apple Music AutoMix support over AirPlay
- Gain control is available for external USB microphones when recording with local capture
- Local capture files can be saved to a specific location
- Manual workout logging is available directly from the Fitness app
- New Camera setting to turn on or off Lock Screen swipe to open Camera
- Improved FaceTime audio quality in low-bandwidth conditions
- Communication Safety and Web content filters to limit adult websites are enabled by default for existing child accounts for ages 13-17 (Age varies by country or region)
For information on the security content of Apple software updates, please visit: https://support.apple.com/100100 Some features may not be available in all regions or on all iPhone models. To learn more, please visit: https://apple.com/ios/feature-availability Software updates, like this one, add new features and improvements that may affect performance and/or battery life. To learn more, please visit: https://support.apple.com/125039
iPadOS 26.1
This update adds Slide Over as a windowing option, a new tinted option for Liquid Glass, improvements to local capture, and includes other features, bug fixes, and security updates for your iPad.
Slide Over
- Slide Over lets you keep a window on top of other windows, and easily hide off screen when not in use
- Resizable windows in Slide Over let you choose your preferred size and aspect ratio
Local capture
- Gain control is available for external USB microphones when recording with local capture
- Option to let you choose where local capture files are saved
This update includes the following features and enhancements:
- Liquid Glass setting gives you the option to choose between the default clear look or a new tinted look which increases opacity of the material in apps and notifications on the Lock Screen
- Apple Music MiniPlayer swipe gesture to go to the next or previous track
- Apple Music AutoMix support over AirPlay
- New Camera setting to turn on or off Lock Screen swipe to open Camera
- Improved FaceTime audio quality in low-bandwidth conditions
- Communication Safety and Web content filters to limit adult websites are enabled by default for existing child accounts for ages 13-17 (Age varies by country or region)
- Discover new content, spatial experiences, and quickly access information about your device using Apple Vision Pro app, now available on iPad
For information on the security content of Apple software updates, please visit: https://support.apple.com/100100 Some features may not be available in all regions or on all iPad models. To learn more, please visit: https://apple.com/ios/feature-availability Software updates, like this one, add new features and improvements that may affect performance and/or battery life. To learn more, please visit: https://support.apple.com/125039
How to update
iOS 26.1 and iPadOS 26.1 are available via Over-the-Air Update (Settings > General > Software Update), via Finder on a Mac with macOS Catalina or later, or via iTunes on a PC or Mac with macOS Mojave or earlier.
Before updating, we strongly recommend making a full and complete backup of your device (either locally or in iCloud, depending on personal preference). This will ensure that, in the unlikely event that something goes wrong during the update process, you will have a current backup on hand in case a device restore becomes necessary. Also, if using OTA update, we recommend plugging your device into a power source for the duration of the download/installation process, so as to prevent the unlikely event of your battery going dead during the update.
Comments
Imessage but with Siri
I've also experienced the Imessage bug when using Siri in a group chat. When a group member sends a message using Siri, VO refuses to play the message. Instead the info menu pops up stating add to existing contact, create new contact, etc. when the replay button is pressed. I hope this is resolved in Ios 26.1.1 or 26.2.
Email scrolling issue
Not sure if anyone has reported it here, though it has been reported in a couple individual posts, but if you need your email Do Not get this update!
As of 26.1 you can no longer scrol your emails. They will read fine but you won't be able to open links unless you can manually drag the email with a single finger hold and drag, which is also very unstable. Or you can use the side bar to scroll in 10% incriments, frustrating with small emails, impossible with longer ones. This bug is hitting more than a few people so I would say it's not safe to update until it's been fixed.
Magic Retina
While I cannot speak on links, there is a workaround for the scrolling issue. Check this out:
https://www.applevis.com/forum/apple-beta-releases/mail-app-voiceover-scrolling-issue-ios-261-rc
Email work around
Alas, that only works for scrolling. You still have to hunt for links and as soon as the cursor is off the inconsistently located scroll bar your email is stuck again. At least twice while I fiddled with this the still unfixed focus bug dragged my email back to the top anyway.
Speaking bad issues for low vision folks, Iām typing this with no way to aee my screen. With larger type, the bloated keyboard is making the whole screen disappear for sone reason.
Regression Vo stopped announcing number of digits in passcod
I see this as an important regrtession in 26.1
When typing in your passcode after restart or in other situations and you use the that is n
how many digits are left in the secure password field after the last digit was deleted.
Now voiceover says nothing.
This has not worked e.g. when typing in the code to install an update and maybe also in other places, but the most important situation when unlocking the phone voiceover would normally announce X of 6 values entered.
Now voiceover is saying absolutely nothing. So if you are in doubt you have to find the edit field and review the info.
This has in the time I have owned an Apple Watch never worked there but i did not expect the bug to spread to iOS.
digits og X digits
mail really really bad vo and scrolling
Fortunately I do not really use vo for longer mails or co complex mails, but for reading the latest mails and searching where it has gone worse after intelligence has been added but still better than most other sollutions.
However reading about the scrolling issues I tried using the rotor to find links, and found that only links that are on the screen is shown in my test newsletter with many links and pictures. Really really bad and not what we would expect of Vo.
scrolling 3 fingers still work it seems, but if the list of links in the rotor does not show all links it is close to useless.
Voiceover
Is it me or VO seeing to be having more issues than past iOS? Could it be that VO is dying and needs a reboot? Beside adding new features when the did apple do a clean update of VO? Everytime a new iOS comes out, VO has more bugs. Just asking. Long live cats. PS, this is not negativity but question, do not like my poste, move on and do not respond. Thanks. Again long live cats.
More features added faster
You'll et more bugs that way. Powers that be would rather pay for new code than bug fixes, and that's the way the whole industry works.
Speaking styles for Siri voices
I can no longer locate options to change the speaking styles for Siri voices. I can still see the option to adjust rate, pitch, volume and frequencies.
Time to charge and a fix
Two things here:
1. Why am I not seeing the time to charge? All my phone says is for example charging 65%, slow charger. It's not telling me the time remaining.
2. A long-standing bug seems to have been fixed in this update. When unlocking your phone and entering the passcode, you did not hear the keyboard clicks you always get when using any other secure field. Now you do finally.
Bob Cavanaugh
Second is cool that is fix but first, never hear about it. Do get after 20 minutes how long the phone will be charge and stop charging after 80%. Long live cats.
@Brian: Fingerprint
Which older device?
My SE 2022 asks for my code to go into the touch ID and passcode section, and it has an option to add another fingerprint.
I didn't attempt to add another fingerprint while in the touch ID and passcode section. Is it there that you have to use a fingerprint?
OldBear
iPhone SE 2020. That's the only device I have currently running iOS 26.1. My primary device, is an iPhone SE 2022, and I'm leaving that on 18.7. For now at least. Assuming you have 26.1 on your SE 2022, try going into touch ID and passcode, and adding a new fingerprint. It should ask you to use a fingerprint to unlock your device, or at least unlock that action, so that you can add, edit, or remove a fingerprint.
This is where I am stuck, because my saved fingerprint on my SE 2020, is not working.
Brian
I just added a fingerprint on my SE 2022, only to see what would happen. It asked me for my passcode when I entered the touch ID section. It did not ask for a fingerprint to add a fingerprint. I guess the older model maybe... or maybe something is wonky about your update.
I do remember that in 18, and probably 26, if you assign a fingerprint to activate the new Real ID,, it gives you a warning if you go to delete that particular fingerprint that it won't work anymore... because everything has to be too complicated nowadays.
On other thing about fingerprints, while I'm complaining, I figured out that the fingerprint works much more often if I press the side button to wake the phone, then touch the reader with no pressure. Turns out you can't record a fingerprint when pressing the reader, it activates the Home screen, and pressing the reader to wake the phone distorts a fingerprint enough to not be recognized. I'm just not quick enough to ease up on the press before the reader reads.
Not to worry, I won't be quick enough to look at the phone when it wants me to, if I get a new phone with face ID.
Could be
A wonky update, that is. That's why I keep the old device around though. So that I can test out updates, before I put them on my primary device.
New Layout for the Phone App...
I'm a bit late in replying again here. I've been playing around with the phone app, and I like the new layout. Just last week I was able to interact with several spam calls that I received, which VoiceOver reported as "spam risk." I obviously didn't call them back, but I did other things with them. I haven't yet turned on call screening, but it'll be interesting to see that in action. My voicemail seems to be working again, or at least to some extent. VoiceOver read out the text of at least one legitimate and one spammy voicemail. The legit one was from a neighbor who is currently out of town visiting family for Thanksgiving. But I still don't seem to be able to actually hear voicemail just after it has been left. For some reason this seems to come and go, and I've been rather puzzled by it. I'm going to ask my parents about it later in the week.