According to 9to5Mac, Apple has released the release candidate (RC) version of iOS 26.2 for iPhone, making it available as an over-the-air update starting now. The update notably renames the top Sleep Score rating from “Excellent” to “Very High” and recalibrates all category thresholds after user feedback deemed the old system too generous. It also adds AI features to Apple Podcasts for auto-generating chapters and linking mentioned shows, while Apple News gets a refined layout with quick links. Furthermore, AirPods Live Translation expands to EU countries, a new Liquid Glass Lock Screen slider offers precise clock translucency control, and Reminders can now trigger alarms that bypass Focus modes. CarPlay gains the option to disable pinned Messages conversations, and the Measure app’s level tool gets a Liquid Glass redesign. The official public release is expected sometime this month.
The never-ending quest for better sleep
So Apple is basically admitting its Sleep Score system was a little too nice to us. Changing “Excellent” to “Very High” and tightening the thresholds is a classic move after a feature’s been out in the wild. It’s a data-driven correction, sure, but it also feels a bit like grade deflation. Will users who were consistently hitting “Excellent” now feel worse about their “Very High” scores? Probably. The psychological impact of these labels is real, and Apple knows it. They’re walking a fine line between providing useful metrics and creating unnecessary anxiety. Here’s the thing: does tweaking the algorithm actually help people sleep better, or does it just make the data look more “accurate”? I’m skeptical it changes real-world behavior much.
AI tidbits and design tweaks
The AI additions to Podcasts are interesting, but they also feel like table stakes now. Automatically generating chapters and linking to mentioned content is helpful, but it’s the kind of feature we’re starting to expect from any competent platform. It’s a utility play, not a groundbreaking one. The ongoing design refinements in News and the new Liquid Glass elements? They’re nice. The Lock Screen slider for translucency is a classic Apple “pro” touch for customization nerds. But let’s be honest, this is the kind of incremental polish that defines a “.2” update. It’s about refinement, not revolution. The Reminders alarm bypassing Focus modes, however, is genuinely useful. It acknowledges that sometimes, a task is so critical it needs to scream through your digital barriers. That’s smart.
The RC rollout
Releasing a Release Candidate now strongly suggests a public launch is just days away. Apple doesn’t sit on these for long. The fact that this is packed with a bunch of small, user-facing changes instead of just bug fixes is a good sign. It means the core architecture of iOS 26 is stable enough to start layering on these features. But remember, an RC is *almost* final—not completely final. There’s still a chance a show-stopper bug pops up and delays things. It’s unlikely, but it’s happened before. For developers and public beta testers, this is the last stop before the real deal. For everyone else, it’s a preview of the slight but noticeable shifts coming to your iPhone very soon.
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