Just days after pushing iOS 26.2 to the public, Apple seeded the iOS 26.3 beta 1 to developers on Monday. The next major point release of the iPhone operating system does not include radical new features, but it promises to bring some notable changes to the platform.
Below are all the changes we’ve discovered in iOS 26.3 beta 1.
iOS 26.3 beta 1: What’s new and changed
Transfer to Android
Photo: Rajesh Pandey/Cult of Mac
Apple and Google are collaborating to simplify cross-platform data migration to comply with EU regulations. As part of this, the first iOS 26.3 beta adds a new “Transfer to Android” tool. It will allow you to seamlessly move your photos, messages, notes, apps, and other data to another Android phone.
The tool won’t transfer your health data, paired Bluetooth items, or protected notes and photos.
Google is working on a similar tool for Android, with signs of it being found in the latest Android 16 Canary build.
Notification Forwarding
Photo: Rajesh Pandey/Cult of Mac
iOS 26.3 beta 1 adds a new Notification Forwarding option under Settings > Notifications. It allows forwarding of notifications to one accessory at a time. Presumably, Apple is adding this feature to enable the iPhone to forward notifications to non-Apple Watch wearables.
Notification Forwarding will only work with one paired device at a time. So, if you are forwarding notifications to a third-party wearable, your Apple Watch won’t display any notifications.
The feature, also designed to comply with EU regulations, will apparently only work in the European Union. However, I see the option on my iPhone in India.
Separate Weather and Astronomy wallpapers
iOS 26.3 beta 1 assigns Apple’s Weather wallpapers into their own category. Older builds grouped the Weather and Astronomy wallpapers together.
iOS 26.3 beta 1 separates the Weather and Astronomy wallpapers and adds additional options pic.twitter.com/f0MxGy0AEo
— Aaron (@aaronp613) December 16, 2025
When to expect iOS 26.3 to move beyond beta
The two major changes in iOS 26.3 beta 1 appear to stem from antitrust and regulatory pressure on Apple. As of now, the beta does not include any other notable improvements. Apple will likely release iOS 26.3 in late January or early February after a few more beta builds.
Rajesh has been writing about consumer technology for over a decade, with a strong focus on iPhones, Macs and Apple’s ecosystem. He enjoys digging into Apple software updates, hardware changes, and discovering new Mac apps that make work faster and more enjoyable.
