iOS 26.3 Beta: All the New Features and Changes So Far

iOS 26.3 is the next point update in the iOS 26 cycle, and the early picture is clear. Apple released beta 1 in mid-December, and today it pushed out beta 2 to developers. Because testing is happening over the holiday window, this looks like a smaller update than earlier betas, with fewer headline features.

That does not make it unimportant. Beta 1 already showed where Apple is heading next. You get easier switching between platforms, more pressure to open features in the EU, and a small but deliberate cleanup on the Lock Screen. Beta 2 may continue in that direction, refining what Apple started in the first build rather than adding major new features.

Everything new in iOS 26.3 beta so far

As of beta 1, three user-facing changes stand out:

• Transfer to Android: a new, built-in iPhone to Android transfer flow
• Notification Forwarding: iPhone notifications forwarded to a third-party wearable, with EU limits
• Weather wallpaper category: Weather split from Astronomy, with new curated presets
• No major changes noted in beta 2 so far

Below is what each one does, what it does not do, and why it matters.

1) Transfer to Android: Apple is finally treating Android switching as a first-class flow

iOS 26.3 introduces a new transfer tool that lets an iPhone user place their iPhone next to an Android phone to start a transfer process. From there, you can move key categories of data without needing a separate app.

This part matters because Apple’s traditional “Move to iOS” flow has long centered on the direction Apple prefers: Android to iPhone. Apple still supports that approach through its own “Move to iOS” app, but iOS 26.3 is a notable shift because it puts iPhone-to-Android help inside iOS itself.

What you can transfer

• Photos
• Messages
• Notes
• Apps (in some form, likely as references to equivalent installs)
• Passwords
• Phone number
• Other core data categories

Apple’s positioning is that the flow works without requiring you to download a separate transfer app.

What does not transfer

Apple also calls out limits, and they are not small:

• Health data does not transfer
• Paired Bluetooth devices do not transfer
• Protected items, including locked notes, do not transfer

Those exclusions are practical, but they also underline a bigger truth. Some parts of your iPhone life still live in Apple’s walled garden, or in formats that do not have a clean equivalent on Android.

2) Notification Forwarding: iPhone alerts on non-Apple wearables

iOS 26.3 adds a new setting called Notification Forwarding that allows incoming iPhone notifications to be forwarded to a third-party wearable, such as an Android smartwatch.

Apple says notifications can only be forwarded to a single device at a time. If you forward notifications to a third-party wearable, your Apple Watch will not receive and display those notifications.

That design choice tells you a lot. Apple is opening the door, but it is doing it in a controlled way that avoids a “mirror everywhere” scenario.

The feature is limited to the European Union, tied to antitrust pressure around third-party wearable access.

Expected setup flow

• Pair the wearable with your iPhone.
• Go to Settings > Notifications > Notification Forwarding.
• Select the wearable.
• Confirm Apple Watch notifications will pause.

One more practical note: even if the toggle exists, the wearable side must support the handshake. Apple can expose an API and still require vendors to implement it. 

This is not only about Galaxy Watch users wanting alerts. Notification access is a foundational capability. Once a platform starts sharing it, other doors can open later, including: 

• richer notification interactions
• better background syncing patterns
• deeper accessory integration

iOS 26.3 does not promise all of that, but it establishes a precedent: Apple can provide system-level notification access outside Apple Watch, at least in a regulated region.

3) Weather wallpaper: a cleaner Lock Screen category

In Lock Screen wallpaper customization, Weather now has its own category instead of being bundled with Astronomy.

Apple also appears to include three pre-designed Weather wallpapers, each with different time fonts and different Weather widget layouts to show how the wallpaper can be used.

You will find it in the Lock Screen wallpaper picker, inside customization, where iOS lets you create and manage Lock Screens. Apple documents the broader customization framework in its iPhone user guide, even if it does not yet spell out the iOS 26.3 category split.

This one sounds cosmetic, but it fits a pattern.

Apple has been steadily turning the Lock Screen into a modular surface: widgets, font styles, photo treatments, and now better grouping. Splitting Weather from Astronomy reduces clutter and makes it easier for people to find what they want without scrolling past unrelated visual styles.

How to try them

• Long-press the Lock Screen.
• Tap Customize.
• Tap Wallpaper.
• Select Weather.
• Adjust fonts and widgets.

Compatibility

iOS 26.3 runs on the same devices that support iOS 26. Apple’s compatibility list for iOS 26 starts at iPhone 11 and includes later models. If your iPhone runs iOS 26 today, you are in the support window for iOS 26.3 as well.

Release timing

Apple has not pinned a public date in the UI, but the expectation across coverage is a release in late January 2026, after the beta cycle completes.

That timing also fits the usual cadence of point releases that follow a December update, especially when testing slows during the holidays.

Apple is making it easier to leave iPhone for Android, which is a rare move in tone and in product design. It is also starting to loosen its grip on notifications for non-Apple wearables, at least where regulators demand it. And it continues to clean up the Lock Screen experience with clearer wallpaper categories and curated Weather presets. 

Changes in beta 2

So far, beta 2 does not introduce any notable new features beyond the changes already seen in beta 1.