iOS 26.1 — you'll never oversleep again with this slightly sinister new alarm button

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iOS 26.1 won't let you sleep in

iPhone 17 Pro Max shown in hand
(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

Apple's iOS 26.1 Beta aims to make it a little more difficult to sleep through alarms by changing the action to turn them off.

We’ve all had that experience where you accidentally turn off the alarm as you blearily stab at the snooze button on your iPhone. Sure, extra sleep is nice, but sometimes you really need to get up. Apple's new version of the alarm interface, first spotted by MacRumors, removes the ability to turn off the alarm with a press.

Image of the new design for the alarm options

(Image credit: MacRumors)

The new slide option has been designed to be the same size as the snooze button, allowing Apple to keep a seamless look. However, the buttons are slightly larger than the ones in iOS 18, which makes it harder to hit the wrong one by accident. On top of that, the new swipe-to-turn-off option is also used for any timers on the phone.

What else is coming in the iOS 26.1 beta

iOS 26.1 (left), iOS 26 version (right)

(Image credit: 9to5 Mac)

For the most part, the iOS 26.1 beta isn’t filled to the brim with new features, but there are a fair few visual changes included. For instance, the Phone app gets a new look to better match Apple’s Liquid Glass design language. Meanwhile, the Photo app’s video scrubber has also changed to a new pill-shaped cutout.

On top of some new looks, iOS 26.1 also includes Apple Intelligence support for eight more languages. If you’re a fan of the new Live Translate feature for Apple AirPods, then you’ll also see support for a further five languages, including Chinese, Japanese and Korean.

Unfortunately, if you were hoping for the long-awaited update to Apple’s personal assistant Siri, then it looks like you might be waiting a while. Apple has indicated that we won’t see features like being able to understand your personal context, on-screen awareness and in-app action until at least 2026.

This change to having a slider isn’t the biggest in the world, but it will surely help us wake up after a restful night. If you want to try out the iOS 26.1 beta, then you first need to sign up on Apple’s beta software page. Once that’s done, you’ll be able to access the beta in your compatible iPhone's settings menu.

However, as with any beta, make sure you back up your iPhone first, as software and apps don’t always work as they should. Alternatively, you can always wait until a more stable release for the best overall experience.

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Josh Render
Josh Render
Staff Writer

Josh is a staff writer for Tom's Guide and is based in the UK. He has worked for several publications but now works primarily on mobile phones. Outside of phones, he has a passion for video games, novels, and Warhammer. 

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