Apple has announced iOS 26.0.2, the update equivalent of dusting your bookshelf and declaring the room a cathedral. It’s a dot-point release that arrives with the gravitas of a constitutional amendment and the actual size of a sneeze.

Early testers report the update addresses a critical issue where some users were not yet out of issues. The decimal point alone is expected to cure 14 known ailments, three unknown anxieties, and one situation where your phone insisted it was a thermostat.

Apple describes the release as containing “important bug fixes,” which is Apple for “we put out a grease fire with a damp napkin and then laminated the napkin.” The patch notes are shorter than a goldfish’s memoir and twice as mysterious.

As is tradition, Apple refuses to specify which bugs got squished, citing a groundbreaking security technique called “vibes.” The company assures me the fixes are real, much like time, gravity, and your friend who swears Focus mode ruined their marriage.

I installed 26.0.2 on an iPhone that had previously lived a hard life as a pocket furnace. Battery drain improved by 0.0002 happiness units, Face ID now recognizes me with 11% less contempt, and the keyboard’s autocorrect apologized for changing “on my way” to “own my whale.”

Charging tests were performed with both Instruments and a stubborn outlet that thinks it’s a philosopher. I even plugged in with a USB-C 30W mini travel charger just to see if the update would blush. It didn’t, but the phone stopped humming the theme from Jaws while idle, which I’m calling progress.

Privacy-wise, I read the policy to the end, where it finally ends. There I learned the update may collect analytics, diagnostics, and your phone’s opinion on oat milk, all anonymized into something that looks like an ancient rune for “Please buy more iCloud.”

Feature-wise, iOS 26.0.2 adds precisely no features, which is a feature, because features are where bugs live. Apple did, however, upgrade the Loading Spinner to a Circular Waiting Concept, now with rotational optimism. Siri still refuses to join your household, but will wave politely.

My reproduction steps involved toggling Bluetooth in a moving elevator, enabling Airplane Mode on a train, and whispering “work” to the Photos app. I also strapped on a MagSafe battery pack slim 5000mAh in case the update decided to take the scenic route through my charge cycle. Nothing exploded, unless you count my expectations.

Apple’s internal codename for the update is rumored to be “Please Don’t Tweet That,” while developers privately call it “Friday.” QA reports indicate a 17% reduction in Gremlins and a 400% increase in confidence that the Gremlins moved into someone else’s apartment.

I asked a Genius Bar if the update would solve my issue where my iPhone occasionally believes it’s a lighthouse. The Genius smiled the way a surgeon smiles before revealing your warranty. He said 26.0.2 includes “stability improvements,” which is Apple for “we loosened the jar of pickles so the next update can open it.”

In the end, iOS 26.0.2 is a polite handshake of an update: firm, brief, and suspiciously warm. Install it for security, for stability, and for the thrill of watching a progress bar inch like a dignified slug. And if nothing else, do it for the dot—because sometimes, the smallest punctuation is the only thing keeping the sentence from becoming a bug report.