alt Hacker NewsI would say it's almost certainly a mistake or some side-effect of their system that rolls out updates where they don't happen exactly simultaneously.
Remember that Apple is also pushing that update out to serve their iPhones that cannot get iOS 26. Even if I was to maximize my cynicism, I don't think they presently use security point releases in the manner you are describing.
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CharlesW • last Sunday at 5:21 PM
Also, 26.2 lets you choose a "Tinted" (vs. Clear) style that effectively addresses the primary cosmetic criticism of Liquid Glass.
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I don't think we can really ascertain intent, Apple has a long history of "the feature update IS the security update".
This partly relies on the "just update bro" attitude of sufficient fanbois to achieve upgrade momentum. Otherwise, let's be honest, no one would update, ever, our phones are too personal to be changing constantly.
This "bug" has been there for 2-3 days now. If it was a bug with their software delivery system, I assume it would have been fixed by now, it's affecting many people (with plenty of message board complaints to prove it).