iOS 26.3 beta 1 arrived yesterday for developers, bringing some expected changes but also one small surprise: the wallpaper gallery has expanded with a new dedicated Weather section.
iOS 26.3 splits Weather and Astronomy into separate wallpaper sections, with new options
The first beta of iOS 26.3 was fairly light on changes. But that’s typical for Apple’s last beta before the holiday break. It’s likely that we’ll see more new features emerge in beta 2 in the new year.
However, one area the update changes is the iPhone wallpaper gallery.
What used to be the ‘Weather & Astronomy’ section has now been split into two dedicated rows, named simply:
- Weather
- Astronomy
This change comes with new wallpaper options in the Weather section.
In iOS 26.2, there was just one Weather wallpaper available. But in iOS 26.3 beta 1, Apple has three wallpapers to choose from.
The core feature of the wallpapers is shared. They all show you ‘Live weather conditions for your current location.’
However, each pre-set wallpaper uses different fonts and has unique widget setups all ready to go.
Essentially, Apple is making it easier to choose a Weather wallpaper that fits your preferred style, without putting the burden of customization work on users.
Here’s hoping this change is just a small part of what Apple has planned for wallpapers in the iOS 26.3 beta cycle.
Do you tend to use Apple’s built-in iOS wallpapers or your own custom options? Let us know in the comments.
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