Within days of pushing iOS 26.2 stable to the public, Apple has seeded the first iOS 26.3 beta to developers. The next major point release of the OS 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. 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 and protected notes or photos.
Google is also 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 will apparently only work in the European Union, though I see the option on my iPhone in India as well.
Separate Weather and Astronomy wallpapers
iOS 26.3 beta 1 gives the Weather wallpapers their own category. In older builds, Weather and Astronomy wallpapers were grouped 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
The two major changes in iOS 26.3 beta 1 possibly stem from anti-trust 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 closely following and writing about the latest happenings in the world of mobile for nearly a decade now. While he prefers Android, he does not deny the superiority of Apple’s products and ecosystem.
