Ubuntu 26.10 'Stonking Stingray' is an interim release scheduled for October 15, 2026, serving as a testing ground for features destined for Ubuntu 28.04 LTS. Key highlights include Linux kernel 7.x, a switch from dbus-daemon to dbus-broker for better performance, GNOME 51 with various shell and app fixes, and local-first AI features including Myna speech-to-text. Canonical is continuing its Rustification push by sponsoring ntpd-rs development and has already replaced several core utilities with Rust equivalents. Other additions include a redesigned installer and onboarding flow (targeting 28.04), a package-agnostic App Center, Ubuntu Certified hardware checks in Settings, RISC-V full desktop support, Microsoft MFA via authd, and an experimental amd64v3 package archive.
