iOS 26.2 Update Released for iPhone & iPad
iOS 26.2 for iPhone and iPadOS 26.2 for iPad have been released by Apple. These updates include a few bug fixes, and also add a few new small features, as well as include essential security patches, making these updates recommended to any iPhone or iPad user that is running the iOS 26 operating system.
New to iOS 26.2 is a slider for the Liquid Glass effect on the Lock Screen, Reminders app gains alarms, AirDrop includes an optional temporary code feature for users who are not in your contacts list, and iPadOS 26.2 reintroduces Slide Over drag-from-Dock as a multitasking option.
Separately, Mac users will find macOS Tahoe 26.2 update available to download, along with macOS Sequoia 15.7.3, macOS Sonoma 14.8.3, watchOS 26.2, tOS 26.2, visionOS 26.2, and updates to other Apple devices as well.
Download links for iOS 26.2 IPSW and iPadOS 26.2 IPSW firmware files are listed further below, as usual. The simplest way to install a new iOS update is on the device with the Settings app.
How to Download & Install iOS 26.2 / iPadOS 26.2 Update
Be sure you first backup iPhone/iPad to iCloud before beginning the system software update process:
- Open the “Settings” app on the iPhone or iPad
- Go to “General” and then choose “Software Update”
- Choose to “Update Now” to download and install iOS 26.2 for iPhone or iPadOS 26.2 for iPad
If you’re still running iOS 18, you will see an aggressive push to get iOS 26.2 onto your device, but you can ignore that and choose to install iOS 18.7.3 instead if you’d like to just install a security update to iOS 18 instead.
The iOS 26.2/ipadOS 26.2 update is large and will require the iPHone/iPad to restart to complete installation.
Users can also choose to update iPhone or iPad with a Mac using Finder, or a Windows PC.
iOS 26.2 IPSW Firmware Download Links
The following links point to firmware files on Apple CDN servers. IPSW files can be used for updating iOS manually by more advanced users:
- iPhone Air
- iPhone 17
- iPhone 17 Pro Max
- iPhone 17 Pro
- iPhone 16e
- iPhone 16 Plus
- iPhone 16
- iPhone 16 Pro Max
- iPhone 16 Pro
- iPhone 15 Pro Max
- iPhone 15 Pro
- iPhone 15 Plus
- iPhone 15
- iPhone 14 Pro Max
- iPhone 14 Pro
- iPhone 14 Plus
- iPhone 14
- iPhone SE (3rd generation)
- iPhone 13
- iPhone 13 mini
- iPhone 13 Pro Max
- iPhone 13 Pro
- iPhone 12 Pro Max
- iPhone 12 Pro
- iPhone 12
- iPhone 12 mini
- iPhone SE (2nd generation)
- iPhone 11 Pro Max
- iPhone 11 Pro
- iPhone 11
iPadOS 26.2 IPSW Firmware Files
- iPad Pro (M5)
- iPad Pro 13-inch (M4)
- 12.9-in. iPad Pro (6th generation)
- 12.9-in. iPad Pro (5th generation)
- 12.9-in. iPad Pro (3rd and 4th generations)
- iPad Pro 11-inch (M4)
- iPad (A16)
- iPad (A16)
- iPad Air 11-inch (M3)
- iPad Air 13-inch (M2)
- iPad Air 11-inch (M2)
- 11-in. iPad Pro (4th generation)
- 11-in. iPad Pro (3rd generation)
- 11-in. iPad Pro (1st and 2nd generations)
- iPad Air (5th Generation)
- iPad Air (4th generation)
- iPad Air (3rd generation)
- 10.2-in. iPad (10th generation)
- 10.2-in. iPad (9th generation)
- 10.2-in. iPad (8th generation)
- iPad Mini (7th generation)
- iPad mini (6th generation)
- iPad mini (5th generation)
iOS 26.2 Release Notes
Release notes for iOS 26.2 for iPhone are:
Apple Music
– Favorite Songs playlist appears in Top Picks on the home tab
– Offline lyrics for downloaded songs so you can view them without an internet connectionPodcasts
– Automatically generated chapters make it easier to navigate episodes
– Links to mentioned podcasts let you see and follow other podcasts mentioned in the episode you’re listening to directly from the player and transcriptGames
– Filters in the Games library let you find games by category, size, and more
– In-game challenge score banners provide real-time updates when someone new has taken the lead
– Improved support for connected controllers such as Backbone and RazerThis update also includes the following enhancements and bug fixes:
– Additional Lock Screen time customization option lets you further adjust its appearance, giving the Liquid Glass material more or less opacity
– Enhanced Safety Alerts can inform you about imminent threats such as floods, natural disasters, and other emergencies, with rich information like a map of affected areas and links to additional safety guidance (available in the U.S.)
– Alarms for Reminders help you stay on top of urgent tasks, and provide snooze and Live Activity support if you’re not ready to check the reminder off
– AirDrop codes offer an additional layer of verification when using AirDrop with unknown contacts by providing a code on the receiver’s device that the sender must enter to complete the transfer
– Apple News Section links at the top of the Today feed offer easy navigation to popular topics like Sports, Politics, Business, and Food
– Multipack accessory pairing in the Home app lets you use the same setup code to easily enroll multiple accessories when sold together
– Flash for alerts in Accessibility Settings offers the additional option to have the device screen flash when you receive a notification
– Tables in Freeform can hold text, images, documents, and drawings, with cells that intelligently resize to fit, bringing structure to the infinite canvas
– Fixes an issue where pre-release albums in the Apple Music library were not immediately playable at their release time
– Fixes an issue where a Privacy and Security setting may incorrectly be marked as managed by an enterprise organization.For information on the security content of Apple software updates, please visit:
https://support.apple.com/100100
iPadOS 26.2 Release Notes
Release notes for iPadOS 26.2 are :
Multitasking
– Multitasking gestures to quickly tile windows or place an app in Slide Over by dragging app icons from the DockApple Music
– Favorite Songs playlist appears in Top Picks on the home tab
– Offline lyrics for downloaded songs so you can view them without an internet connectionPodcasts
– Automatically generated chapters make it easier to navigate episodes
– Links to mentioned podcasts let you see and follow other podcasts mentioned in the episode you’re listening to directly from the player and transcriptGames
– Filters in the Games library let you find games by category, size, and more
– In-game challenge score banners provide real-time updates when someone new has taken the lead
– Improved support for connected controllers such as Backbone and RazerThis update also includes the following enhancements and bug fixes:
– Additional Lock Screen time customization option lets you further adjust its appearance, giving the Liquid Glass material more or less opacity
– Alarms for Reminders help you stay on top of urgent tasks, and provide snooze and Live Activity support if you’re not ready to check the reminder off
– AirDrop codes offer an additional layer of verification when using AirDrop with unknown contacts by providing a code on the receiver’s device that the sender must enter to complete the transfer
– Apple News Section links in the sidebar of the News app offer easy navigation to popular topics like Sports, Politics, Business, and Food
– Multipack accessory pairing in the Home app lets you use the same setup code to easily enroll multiple accessories when sold together
– Flash for alerts in Accessibility Settings offers the additional option to have the device screen flash when you receive a notification
– Tables in Freeform can hold text, images, documents, and drawings, with cells that intelligently resize to fit, bringing structure to the infinite canvas
– Fixes an issue where pre-release albums in the Apple Music library were not immediately playable at their release time
– Fixes an issue where a Privacy and Security setting may incorrectly be marked as managed by an enterprise organization.For information on the security content of Apple software updates, please visit:
https://support.apple.com/100100
Be sure to update the rest of your Apple devices as well, since the entire OS 26 suite received an OS 26.2 update.
I installed the new ios 26.2 update on my iPhone 11 during the Christmas weekend 2025. So far it been about almost a week and 1/2 since I put that update on my iPhone and it work and act the same as ios 17.7.2. As for ios 18.7.3 I will avoid that update at all cost and luckly apple pull it. The ios 18.7.3 update kept restarting my phone every couple days. So far I haven’t seen that problem occur again with ios 26 :). Hopefully it stay like that because I not willing to get an new iPhone yet. And also I got used to the all new clear glass UI.
Luckily I installed the new ios 18.7.3 update for my iPhone 11 under the beta update setting screen when I did. I knew it was not going to be on there very long and it was about a week later after the new ios 18.7.3 was release before apple patched the beta update workaround for iPhone 11 and newer and took it off for good. So sorry for the ios 18.7.2 or older user. Now you guy are force to install and update to new crappy ios 26.2
Just want a toggle to turn off all of the Liquid Glass effects. I don’t think a slider will do that. When you have to address this feature in two updates because of so many complaining. Maybe it wasn’t a great ideal to begin with.
I was still on ios 17.7.2 on my iPhone 11 as of December 12, 2025.
But a day later I saw ios 18.7.3 was gonna be the last ios 18 update for newer iPhone (11 and up). So I quickly want to the software update page in setting to install ios 18.7.3 before it was gone for good but was only offered ios 26.2 which I don’t want yet. But I heard on the internet from other peoples that the ios 18.7.3 update was only in the beta update screen which is stupid on apple part. So I did that and was suprise it work when the update was done and came up to the lock screen and said “your iPhone been updated to ios 18.7.3”. I think apple was hiding the last ios 18 from us so we would hit update now on ios 26.2 by mistake thinking is was ios 18.7.3 then it will be too late because we can’t downgrade to the good old ios 18
You can also mention Sequoia 15.7.3 and Ios 18 something…
This is a solid overview of the iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2 updates. The added Lock Screen Liquid Glass slider and Reminders alarms may seem small, but they significantly improve daily usability. Updates like this show Apple’s focus on refinement and stability.