The first developer beta of iOS 26.1 is here and makes Apple Intelligence features like Live Translation available to even more users. Here's what's new.
Following the public release of iOS 26 on September 15, Apple has unveiled the first developer beta of the next major operating system update. iOS 26.1 developer beta 1 bears the build number 23B5044l, as does its iPadOS counterpart.
As a whole, iOS 26 delivered a multitude of enhancements, including new screening capabilities for the Phone and Messages apps. There's also a dedicated Games application. Some of the changes in iOS 26 are great for business users, while others appeal to the creative crowd.
Even so, iOS 26 is primarily known for its controversial "Liquid Glass" design language, used across all of Apple's software platforms. The preceding flat aesthetic, used from iOS 7 through iOS 18, has effectively been replaced by a new glass-like material.
Apple Intelligence got its fair share of enhancements as well. iOS 26 delivered new ChatGPT-powered styles for Image Playground, along with improvements to Shortcuts and Visual Intelligence. Developers now have access to the Foundation Models framework, enabling Apple Intelligence features in third-party apps.
Apple's suite of AI-powered features also grew larger with iOS 26, which offers Live Translation. iOS 26.1 takes things a step further, by making Live Translation, and Apple Intelligence as a whole, usable across additional languages.
New Apple Intelligence and Live Translation languages
In 2024, the iOS 18.1 update introduced Apple Intelligence, and now iOS 26.1 has made Apple's AI features available to even more users. Monday's developer beta includes support for nine new languages and varieties.
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Live Translation supports additional languages on iOS 26.1.
In addition to the languages supported by previous versions of iOS, Monday's developer beta introduces support for:
- Chinese (Traditional)
- Danish
- Dutch
- Norwegian
- Portuguese (Portugal)
- Swedish
- Turkish
- Vietnamese
Live Translation was also updated, and it now supports the following additional languages:
- Chinese (Traditional)
- Chinese (Simplified)
- Japanese
- Korean
The Live Translation feature, announced during the company's WWDC 2025 event, brings real-time language translation to iOS 26. The feature works across Messages, FaceTime, and other apps.
For instance, Live Translation can immediately translate text into other languages as you type out a message in iMessage. As texts in other languages come in, the Apple Intelligence feature can instantly translate them for you.
It also works with AirPods, provided they have Apple's H2 chip. This means Live Translation is compatible with AirPods 4, AirPods Pro 2, and AirPods Pro 3.
Alongside the Apple Intelligence and Live Translation language expansion, iOS 26.1 developer beta 1 suggests Apple is working on MPC support for iPhone, iPad, and Mac.
Model Context Protocol support is in the works
Model Context Protocol or MCP bridges the gap between AI systems and traditional apps. MCP makes it possible for AI systems to access and interact with the data they need through a universal protocol, rather than requiring custom implementations for each data source.
iOS 26.1 beta 1 suggests MCP support is in the works.
The protocol itself was introduced by Anthropic, but has since been adopted by leading AI companies like OpenAI and Google, among others. Apple is set to be the latest tech giant to embrace MCP, judging by iOS 26.1 beta code.
As for how the iPhone maker would go about implementing and utilizing MCP, the answer lies in Apple's App Intents system. Siri can perform actions in third-party apps with the help of App Intents, as can the Shortcuts app.
The Model Context Protocol could, similarly, make it possible for third-party AI models to perform actions in iPhone, iPad, and Mac apps. This approach makes sense, given Apple's past attempts at offering integration with third-party AI tools like ChatGPT.
However, MCP is currently only visible in the code of iOS 26.1 developer beta 1, meaning that the protocol won't be available to users and developers just yet. Even Siri's promised in-app capabilities have already been delayed to "the coming year," so there's no telling when MCP support will debut.
Some of the changes in the first developer beta of iOS 26.1, however, are already visible in the Settings and Phone, and Photos apps.
Background Security Improvement and other changes
With Monday's developer beta, Apple appears to have changed "Rapid Security Response" updates into "Background Security Improvement."
The keypad in the Phone app now uses Apple's Liquid Glass material.
As its name implies, the feature makes it possible to automatically install security improvements and system files even before they're visible in the Settings app.
Apple previously used Rapid Security Response updates to quickly address security vulnerabilities that were being actively exploited. Background Security Improvement offers virtually the same benefit.
Other improvements in iOS 26.1 beta 1 include visual enhancements.
Specifically, the keypad of the Phone app has been updated to utilize Apple's Liquid Glass material. The video scrubber in the Photos app and the AirDrop icon have both been redesigned.
Similarly, the Calendar app now shows full-color tags behind events, while Safari has gained a slightly wider tab bar. These are only small user interface improvements, but are welcome changes nonetheless.
The Music app has also gained a quality-of-life enhancement, as you can now swipe to change tracks in the app.
Overall, the first developer beta of iOS 26.1 delivers support for new Apple Intelligence languages, but not much else. Apple deploys new developer betas of iOS nearly every two weeks, meaning that we'll likely see additional features and changes with subsequent software releases.
