iOS 26 Beta 7: The Top Features And Improvements To Your iPhone

With iOS 26 beta 7 upon us, Apple continues to tweak the final improvements and features ahead of the official iOS 26 release, expected a few weeks from now. The seventh test version of this upcoming operating system update doesn't have a lot of new features, but enough to make the experience feel more fluid and stable.

Apple is rolling out the redesigned Blood Oxygen feature to the latest iOS 26 and watchOS 26 betas. The update first appeared last week in iOS 18.6.1 and watchOS 11.6.1, but now developers and public beta testers in the U.S. can try it ahead of the official release. For users jumping straight from iOS 18.6 to iOS 26 next month, the change will already be available, so they won't notice anything new on that front.

After 18 months without this feature on newer Apple Watch Series 9, Series 10, and Ultra 2 watches due to a legal battle, Apple was able to redesign the experience of the Blood Oxygen app. The data captured by the Apple Watch is now analyzed on the iPhone, where U.S. users can see the proper measurement.

That said, there's more to know about iOS 26 beta 7.

Introduced in one of the first iOS 26 betas, Apple continues to tweak Adaptive Power, which is expected to be a key feature of the iPhone 17 Air model. With it, Apple says that when your battery usage is higher than usual, the iPhone can extend the battery life by making performance adjustments. With beta 7, there's a new Adaptive Power Notifications toggle, which will let you know every time this feature is active.

As spotted by 9to5Mac, Apple added a new Drafts filter for Messages in iOS 26. With this change, it's easier to locate a message you intended to send to a friend, but decided to leave for later. Also, the Liquid Glass experience feels even more fluid, as the company makes switching between tabs and activating toggles more bubbly and dynamic. After rough first betas, the animations are now smoother than ever.

Finally, macOS Tahoe beta 7 re-adds the notch to the macOS first splash screen. With the previous beta, BGR suggested that might be an indicator that Apple could be planning a notchless Mac. However, so far the company prefers to make us believe it was just a minor mistake. Only time will tell if it was just a mistake or a teaser for an upcoming Mac laptop.