Apple kicked off a new round of 26.2 beta releases for developers earlier this week, and now the first public betas are here too, including iPadOS 26.2. Here’s everything new.

New features in iPadOS 26.2 public beta 1

Today’s new iPadOS 26.2 public beta is the same software build released to developers earlier this week. As a result, we already know all of the new features and changes to expect.

Here are iPadOS 26.2’s new features so far:

• Reminders has a new alarm feature that I’m instantly a big fan of
• Podcasts gets three powerful upgrades, including AI-generated chapters
• News has design changes that especially benefit iPhone, but impact iPad too
• Freeform lets you use tables
• Apple Music lyrics now work offline
• The Lock Screen clock can have its Liquid Glass effect changed more drastically

Overall, it’s a pretty feature-rich beta 1 release.

One thing that hasn’t changed since iPadOS 26.1 is that Slide Over still only supports a single app at a time.

The return of Slide Over in iPadOS 26.1 has been huge for my daily workflows, but I do hope Apple offers multi-app functionality in a future update.

Since this is only beta 1, it’s likely Apple has even more new features and changes coming to iPadOS 26.2 in future weeks.

We’ll keep you posted on any new discoveries in today’s beta 1 build, and upcoming releases of iPadOS 26.2.

Have you installed the iPadOS 26.2 public beta, and if so, have you noticed anything new? Let us know in the comments.

Best iPad accessories

• Apple Pencil Pro (now only $99, down from $129)
• 100W USB-C power adapter for fast charging
• AirPods Pro 3
• tomtoc Tablet sleeve bag for protection and style
• Baseus 10ft USB-C cable for extended reach

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