iOS 26.2 Beta 2 Lets You Set an 'Urgent' Alarm in Reminders — A Game-Changer for Forgetters

Forgetfulness is a universal frustration, but what if your iPhone could give you a genuinely unmissable, persistent nudge for the things that truly matter? The new iOS 26.2 Beta 2 has just rolled out a feature that might finally solve the problem of ignored notifications: the 'Urgent' alarm setting within the Reminders app.

For anyone who has ever missed a crucial deadline, appointment, or medication dose, this game-changing addition is poised to make forgotten tasks a thing of the past.

Announced: Polish and Key Specs

Apple unexpectedly released the second beta of iOS 26.2 to developers on 13 November 2025. This version features refined interface movements, a range of accessibility upgrades, and targeted fixes for various apps.

Continuing the 'Liquid Glass' visual style introduced earlier in the iOS 26 development cycle, this update focuses on delivering smoother interactions and an enhanced user experience across the entire system.

The iOS 26.2 beta two is assigned the build number 23C5033H, which is an upgrade from the F build provided in the initial beta. It also incorporates modem firmware 1.20.05 for the current iPhone 17 line-up. The size of this particular update is around 2.08 GB.

Other corresponding beta versions released at the same time include iPadOS 26.2, watchOS 26.2, macOS Tahoe 26.2, tvOS 26.2, HomePod 26.2, and visionOS 26.2.

Expected Release Window

Apple is following a new pattern of weekly beta releases, meaning the third beta version is expected to arrive sometime during the week of 17 November. The final public version is scheduled for release in mid-December, though this may be immediately preceded by a minor bug-fix update, potentially named iOS 26.1.1.

Core Feature Additions

1. Complete Reminders App Overhaul

The Reminders app has received a comprehensive redesign. Crucially, 'Urgent' reminders now feature full-fledged alarms, complete with snooze functionality, and persistent notifications that use Live Activities for quick control—allowing you to easily reschedule or mark a task as finished right from the Lock Screen.

Upon opening the updated app, users will see a new introduction screen detailing these capabilities. The urgent toggle is now available immediately when you create a new reminder. If you only set a date but no specific time, the system automatically defaults the alarm to 6 p.m.

Furthermore, the old Siri suggestions have been upgraded into 'Suggested Lists,' which can automatically organise things like groceries, significantly simplifying overall task management.

2. Seamless Movements Across the System

The various menus and overall interactions on the iPhone now display 'teardrop-style' or 'raindrop' animations, closely matching the smooth demonstrations Apple provided at WWDC 2025.

This visual change is evident in areas such as the Home Screen's editing control, the three-dot options in both the Photos and Music apps, and various pop-out selections throughout the entire iOS experience.

Crucially, these new fluid movements operate without any performance drop, making the device feel more responsive overall.

3. Upgrades to the Glass Effect

The Lock Screen's time display now includes a new transparency setting for the Liquid Glass look, offering users options like a 'super dim' setting for significantly decreased visibility. The 'clear-all notifications' button, marked with an 'X', has also been updated to feature a circular Liquid Glass design with smoother, slower animations.

Furthermore, the Level tool inside the Measure app now features two moving Liquid Glass bubbles, replacing the old plain circles, complete with added refraction effects. However, small adjustments to these bubbles are likely to improve how clearly you can read them.

4. Media and Information Apps Get Smarter

The Podcasts app receives significant intelligence improvements, starting with automatically generated chapters featuring a 'magic glyph' icon. It also introduces on-screen links tied to the playback time and allows users to access any shows mentioned in the episode directly from the transcript feature within the player.

In a separate update, the Apple News app has been visually redesigned and now features a dedicated 'Following' section. Furthermore, it adds handy quick-select buttons for specific topic areas such as Sports, Puzzles, Politics, Business, and Food.

5. Enhancements for Access and Translation

A new feature called 'Flash for Alerts' is now available within Settings > Accessibility > Audio/Visual, allowing the display or the camera's LED light to flash when you receive a notification. Users can further customise this setting to work differently depending on whether the phone is unlocked or set to silent mode.

For global communication, the AirPods Live Translation function has been expanded to countries throughout the European Union, enabling real-time conversations through the built-in Translate application.

This translation feature also now syncs your favourite phrases across all your devices, includes support for the Hindi language, and automatically transcribes Simplified Chinese, Japanese, and Korean text into Latin characters for easier reading.

Other App Adjustments

In Apple Music, users can now access and view song lyrics even when they are offline. In the Health app, the categories for sleep scores have been adjusted for better accuracy: Very Low (0-40), Low (41-60), Okay (61-80), High (81-95), and Very High (96-100), with the scoring system now placing greater emphasis on sleep duration, consistency, and how often the user wakes up.

Finally, the Freeform application has a new introductory screen to showcase its recently added table creation tools, which enable users to design flexible layouts and different styles on the canvas.

Stability and Benchmark Results

Initial testing indicates that iOS 26.2 beta 2 runs cooler than both the initial beta and previous iOS 26.1 betas, with devices generating no noticeable heat during installation or the background indexing process.

The platform's raw computing power, as measured by Geekbench 6 scores, remains consistent: the single-core results are slightly lower, while the multi-core results are marginally higher, confirming that performance is stable overall.

Furthermore, battery life remains steady and is comparable to the established iOS 26.1 public release, with no widespread reports of major power drain on main user devices.

Squashing the Bugs

The official release notes mention a specific AirDrop problem where devices running beta one were unable to be seen by those on beta 2; updating both devices completely fixes this issue.

Additionally, numerous internal adjustments have been made to improve animation fluidity and enhance Wi-Fi connection stability compared to earlier beta versions. While there are no reports of major crashes across the system, some minor display issues persist in a few applications when viewing screenshots.

A True Game-Changer Arrives

Ultimately, iOS 26.2 beta 2 is much more than just a typical small-point release. While it delivers welcome system polish and performance stability, its primary importance lies in giving users genuine control over their most essential daily tasks. From enhanced animation fluidity and Liquid Glass refinements to global translation support and core app adjustments, this update systematically elevates the entire user experience.

Most significantly, by finally adding the 'Urgent' alarm setting to Reminders, Apple is offering a powerful, built-in solution that effectively eliminates the problem of missed notifications, solidifying this release as an indispensable upgrade for every iPhone user.