- The third iOS 26.2 beta is out now
- It includes a new way to use AirDrop with people who aren’t in your contacts
- It also hints at the ability to change the default voice assistant, though so far only in Japan
Apple has now rolled out the third iOS 26.2 beta, and while most of the changes and additions here are minor, there is one quite substantial new feature.
Now – as spotted by MacRumors – you’ll be able to use AirDrop to share files with someone without having to add them as a contact first, or enabling AirDrop for everyone nearby. Instead, you can generate a code which – once shared with someone – allows the two of you to exchange files over AirDrop for 30 days. So this works even if you have your AirDrop set to contacts only.
If you want to remove their AirDrop privileges before 30 days are up – or simply see a list of those you’ve shared such a code with – you can do so from Settings > General > AirDrop > Manage Known AirDrop Contacts.
The other changes in this iOS 26.2 beta are relatively minor, but worth knowing about. For example, third-party medical apps will now be able to access hypertension notifications from the Apple Watch, and Apple has further tweaked the design of the Level in the Measure app, having given it a Liquid Glass overhaul in the previous beta.
Most of the other additions simply provide you information about changes that were added in previous betas. For example, there’s now text in the Reminders app making it clearer that you can add an alarm to a reminder if you set it as urgent – with the ability to add alarms having been added in a previous iOS 26.2 beta.
Similarly, there’s now a warning added to the Liquid Glass settings screen, alerting you that you can’t use the previously added ‘Tinted’ option in combination with the ‘Reduce Transparency’ and ‘Increase Contrast’ accessibility settings.
A Japan-only Siri replacement
There is one final thing though that could be a big deal except that it’s currently limited to Japan, as there are signs in this beta that users in Japan will soon be able to choose a different default voice assistant that you’d be able to launch by long pressing the side button.
It’s unclear why this would be Japan-only, but if Apple ever expands that to the rest of the world then it could be a huge upgrade for anyone who’s not keen on Siri.
In any case, as with previous iOS 26.2 betas we wouldn’t necessarily recommend downloading this, especially as the finished version will probably be out very soon. But if you simply can’t wait, here’s how to download iOS betas.
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