Exciting news for Apple fans! The first public beta of iOS 26 is rolling out, and it's bringing back the AI-generated notification summaries for news and entertainment apps after a controversial hiatus.

Previously, Apple disabled this feature back in January following criticism from the BBC, which revealed that the summaries sometimes misrepresented the news. Now, with this beta release, users are getting a second chance to experience AI summaries—but with a crucial caveat.

What You Need to Know Before Downloading!

Before you rush to download the beta, keep in mind that this is not the final version of iOS 26. Users might encounter bugs, and battery life could take a hit, so it’s best to test this on a secondary device rather than your main one. Apple is known for experimenting, and the final version could see changes to this feature before its public debut this fall.

Navigating the New AI Summary Feature

Upon updating, you’ll be prompted with a series of splash screens for different permissions, including one specifically for AI notification summaries. You have two choices: opt-in to receive summaries or defer the decision.

If you decide to proceed, you’ll find categories such as News & Entertainment, Communication & Social, and All Other Apps. Clicking on News & Entertainment reveals a startling red warning: "Summarization may change the meaning of the original headline. Verify information." Additionally, a disclaimer at the bottom informs you that this is a beta feature prone to inaccuracies.

Tweaking Your Notification Preferences