Apple signals major software updates and service changes for December. IT outlet 9to5Mac on November 28 local time listed features Apple plans to release next month and items that are not expected to launch.

iOS 26.2 is due in December with a range of features for iPhone users. Apple Music gains offline lyrics support. Reminders adds emergency alerts. Apple Podcasts adds automatic chapter creation. The Health app receives an improved sleep score system.

Apple News has a redesigned layout that improves navigation. Apple Games adds three features, including real‑time challenge score updates during gameplay. Updates related to Liquid Glass include transparency controls for the lock‑screen clock, Liquid Glass tools in the Measure app’s leveling feature, and new system‑wide Liquid Glass animations. CarPlay also adds a new sharing method and an option to disable pinned conversations in Messages.

Changes are also coming for users outside the United States. AirPods real‑time translation launches in the European Union. In Japan, users gain an option to switch Siri to another assistant through the side button. EU users also face limits on Wi‑Fi sharing between iPhone and Apple Watch.

iPadOS 26.2 restores drag‑and‑drop multitasking. iPadOS 26 introduced a new windowing system in September but removed some existing features. iPadOS 26.1 restored Slide Over, and 26.2 brings back drag‑and‑drop tools to manage Split View and Slide Over. Users can again drag apps from the Dock or Spotlight results to move them within the screen and choose full‑screen, Split View or Slide Over, similar to iPadOS 18.

macOS Tahoe 26.2 adds the Edge Light feature. The function brightens a user’s face during video calls and is based on features shared with iOS and iPadOS. It works on all Macs with Apple silicon and uses the Mac’s neural engine to detect a face, its size and its position in the frame to ensure accurate lighting. The image signal processor fine‑tunes lighting to match surrounding conditions.

Apple is preparing the first beta of iOS 26.3. In recent years it has released early x.3 betas before the holiday season. The first beta of iOS 26.3 is likely to appear in December, a few weeks after the public release of iOS 26.2.

Apple Arcade adds five new games on December 4. The additions refresh more than 200 existing titles. The new games include SpongeBob SquarePants: The Patty Pursuit 2, Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm Plus and Cult of the Lamb: Arcade Edition. Apple Arcade is available as a standalone service for 6.99 dollars per month or through the Apple One bundle.

Apple TV releases the film F1 on December 12. Viewers who already saw it in cinemas can watch it again at home through their subscription. Apple TV also offers new episodes of Pluriverse and Down Cemetery Road, new holiday specials and a documentary series on endangered young animals.

Hardware updates appear unlikely in December. Products such as AirTag 2, Apple TV 4K and HomePod mini 2 may be introduced at a later stage, but a release this year is unlikely.