- The third iOS 26.1 beta is out now
- It includes a redesigned app icon for Apple TV, to go along with its rebranding
- There are also hints that more third-party AI integrations could be coming soon, and there’s a new Local Capture settings screen
The next beta for iOS 26.1 has now landed, and while this doesn’t include many changes from the previous beta, there are three notable alterations.
First up, as spotted by 9to5Mac, the Apple TV app has a new logo, which has a bit more color to it than the old one. That in itself might not seem very notable, but it’s part of Apple’s recently announced rebranding of the service, which is now simply called Apple TV rather than Apple TV+, and which, according to Apple, has “a vibrant new identity.”
Presumably, that vibrancy will ultimately extend beyond having a more colorful app icon, but for now, that’s all we get.
More AI options
Elsewhere in this iOS 26.1 beta, there’s code spotted by X user @aaronp613 that suggests Apple might soon offer third-party AI integrations other than ChatGPT. Right now, you can plug ChatGPT into Siri to get responses from the former for queries that Siri isn’t suited to, but if you prefer a different AI – such as Google’s Gemini – you’re out of luck.
However, in this iOS 26.1 beta, some text has changed from “Report a concern related to ChatGPT” to “Report a concern related to a Third Party”, suggesting that other third-party AIs might become options.
With iOS 26.1 beta 3, Apple is getting closer to allowing additional 3rd party AI-integration. Apple has replaced “Report a concern related to ChatGPT” to “Report a concern related to a Third Party” pic.twitter.com/25zW9WLeNhOctober 13, 2025
This is something Apple first talked about implementing back in 2024, but this text change is a sign that it might finally be happening soon.
The only other iOS 26.1 beta 3 feature that has been found is a Local Capture section on the settings screen. Spotted by X user @zollotech, this allows you to change where Local Capture files are saved, and optionally toggle Local Capture to only include audio.
Local Capture, if you don’t already know, is a feature that allows you to record audio and video on your side of a video conference call.
In iOS 26.2 Beta 3. New local capture option under settings—> general. pic.twitter.com/HTWaAnPOpLOctober 13, 2025
In any case, that’s everything so far in this latest iOS 26.1 beta, but previous betas also added features and improvements, such as a feature that makes it harder to sleep through your alarms, and some gesture controls in Apple Music.
If you’re keen to grab these updates, you can download the latest iOS 26.1 beta now, but we’d expect the finished version to land very soon, so you might be better off waiting for that.
Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button!
And of course you can also follow TechRadar on TikTok for news, reviews, unboxings in video form, and get regular updates from us on WhatsApp too.
Add Comment