Apple Releases iOS 26.2 Release Candidate to Developers

Apple has released the release candidate version of iOS 26.2 to developers, signaling an imminent public rollout of the update for compatible iPhones. The software, which builds on the Liquid Glass interface introduced earlier this year, is expected to launch as early as next week, potentially between December 8 and December 10, though some reports point to December 12 through 14.

The update arrives amid Apple's efforts to accelerate adoption of iOS 26 among users still running the previous version, iOS 18. In a recent change to the Settings app, iOS 26.1 now appears as the recommended software update for eligible devices, relegating iOS 18 options to the bottom of the menu. This adjustment, effective this week, aims to highlight the benefits of the newer operating system without mandating the switch. Apple continues to provide security patches for iOS 18 on supported hardware, including the iPhone XS, XS Max, and XR models that cannot run iOS 26. For newer devices, such as the iPhone 11 and later, the company emphasizes that upgrading ensures access to the latest features and protections.

iOS 26.2 is compatible with iPhone 11 and subsequent models, though advanced capabilities...