iOS 26.2 Beta 1: AirPods Live Translation hits the EU and Podcasts gets smarter

Apple has seeded the first developer previews of iOS 26.2, iPadOS 26.2, watchOS 26.2, tvOS 26.2, and visionOS 26.2, and the headline change is clear: AirPods Live Translation is expanding to users in the European Union. While these builds are limited to registered developers, they offer an early look at how Apple is iterating on everyday apps and system experiences between major releases.

What’s new at a glance

• AirPods Live Translation rolls out to the EU with an initial set of supported languages.
• Apple Podcasts gains automatic chapters, smarter mentions, and a new “From This Episode” hub for links referenced during a show.
• Apple News adds four fresh sections: Sports, Puzzles, Politics, and Food.
• Liquid Glass clock customization arrives on the Lock Screen, letting you tune clock opacity with a slider.
• Reminders + Alarms: create alarms directly from Reminders, with refined alerts and completion options.

AirPods Live Translation arrives for the EU

Live Translation on AirPods is designed for quick, on-the-go conversations and travel.

With iOS 26.2, Apple is enabling the feature for EU users, a notable expansion that broadens who can try near real-time interpretation through AirPods and a paired iPhone. The beta currently lists support for these languages: English (U.S.), English (U.K.), French (France), German (Germany), Portuguese (Brazil), Spanish (Spain), Chinese – Simplified (China), Chinese – Traditional (China), Japanese, Korean, and Italian. As with most system features in early testing, expect polish and regional behavior to continue evolving as feedback rolls in.

Apple Podcasts gets a quality-of-life upgrade

Apple is quietly turning the Podcasts app into a better research and reference tool. First, automatic episode chapters help listeners jump to the exact segment they want without relying on show notes or manual scrubbing. Second, you can now see and follow podcasts that get mentioned inside the player or the transcript, reducing the friction of discovering shows through conversation. Third, the new “From This Episode” section consolidates links referenced on-air into a single place on the episode page, which is great for sourcing, shopping lists, or digging deeper into topics.

Apple News adds four new sections

In iOS 26.2 beta 1, the News app surfaces Sports, Puzzles, Politics, and Food as dedicated sections. The mix hints at Apple’s strategy: daily habit loops (scores, crosswords), civic coverage, and evergreen lifestyle content. For readers, that means quicker pathways to specific interests and potentially richer editorial curation in each lane.

Lock Screen style: Liquid Glass clock

Personalization continues with a Liquid Glass slider for the Lock Screen clock. Instead of a single static look, you can adjust clock opacity to better balance legibility with wallpaper art. Subtle tweaks like this sound small, but they make it easier to land on a lock screen that feels yours.

Reminders can now create alarms

Another practical touch: you can create an alarm from within Reminders. When that reminder alarm triggers, you’ll see familiar controls including snooze and slide to stop, and you can optionally swap snooze for a mark as complete action. It’s a tidy bridge between task tracking and time-based alerts – useful for morning routines, medication, or time-boxed work sessions.

Beyond iPhone: other platform betas

Alongside iOS 26.2, Apple has released developer betas for watchOS 26.2, tvOS 26.2, and visionOS 26.2. Interestingly, macOS Tahoe 26.2 has not been posted as of this first wave, with timing expected to follow soon.

Availability and caution

As always, these are developer-only betas. Features may change before public release, some capabilities might be gated to certain regions or hardware, and performance can vary. If you test on secondary devices, back up first and be prepared for app updates as developers tune their software for 26.2.

Even in an incremental cycle, the 26.2 line brings a meaningful blend of utility and polish: live translation that broadens who can participate, a smarter podcasting workflow, a livelier News layout, and thoughtful quality-of-life touches that make Apple’s platforms feel more responsive to everyday use.