Canonical Releases Ubuntu 26.04.1 LTS, Opening Upgrades for Noble Numbat Users

The Register reports that Canonical has issued Ubuntu 26.04.1, the first point release of this year's long-term support edition, and that support for it will continue until 2031; upgrade options are now being made available to users of Ubuntu 24.04 LTS (Noble Numbat), since Canonical does not provide upgrades to LTS users until the first point release.

Most of the official versions have released point releases corresponding to this one, although Ubuntu MATE and one other variant have not. System76 is also expected to launch Pop!_OS 26.04, based on Ubuntu 26.04.1.

In the same way as has been the case with the earlier LTS versions, four more point releases should come after 26.04.1.

Ubuntu 26.04.1 LTS Release, Point-Release Schedule, and Missing Flavors

Ubuntu 26.04.1 is the first point release of the April LTS version and will be supported until 2031; if it adheres to the pattern set by earlier Ubuntu LTS releases then it will be followed by four more point releases, the last of which typically comes a little after the next LTS release, so Ubuntu 26.04.5 should arrive at some point after Ubuntu 28.04 and thus in or about September 2028.

With the release, most of the remixes also receive their corresponding point releases, such as Kubuntu, Ubuntu Budgie, Lubuntu, Ubuntu Kylin, Ubuntu Studio, Xubuntu, Edubuntu, and Ubuntu Cinnamon; there are 10 official flavours but only eight point releases are listed.

Two of the flavours have been left out of the point releases, since the official 26.04 version of Ubuntu MATE was not released, Martin Wimpress having decided to take on a new project known as Nøughty Linux.

Ubuntu Unity isn't included in the list either, since the principal developer, Rudra Saraswat, is at university and as a result the remix failed to make the 25.10 release cycle.

Some developers have taken on the work instead and there now is an Ubuntu Unity 26.04 release, but this version replaces a number of the subcomponents of the previous one and so it is not officially an LTS release. The Register advises Ubuntu Unity users to aim for the 26.10 release instead.

Ubuntu 24.04 Upgrade Offers and the Coming Pop!_OS 26.04 Release

For users of the LTS version, the first point release marks the time when upgrades become available to those who wish to keep their system up to date. Since Canonical does not begin providing upgrades to LTS users until the first point release, users of Ubuntu 24.04 "Noble Numbat" will now start to receive upgrade offers.

As the Register points out, the situation applies to both server users and desktop users because Canonical includes upgrade messages in the output of the apt command and therefore the offers for upgrades are not restricted to those using the graphical desktop.

A less specific consequence in this regard is that System76's Pop!_OS 26.04 is due very soon, it being based on Ubuntu 26.04.1. The company had intended to have a release by the end of June, but this did not take place.

Last December the team reached version 1.0 of its own COSMIC desktop and then, this week, launched COSMIC version 1.7.0. According to The Register, it has grown to like both COSMIC and Pop!_OS after an initial period of instability, noting that they are faster than Ubuntu itself and offering useful features such as being able to change the screen DPI on the go, although it has experienced freezes on older machines that are 10 to 15 years old. COSMIC is being developed more quickly than any other desktop in the Linux world, and the team has bold plans for "Epoch 2" and what comes after it.

Availability

Ubuntu 26.04.1 LTS is now available and will be supported until 2031, with upgrade options being made available to users of Ubuntu 24.04. The various official versions have point releases that correspond to each other, although Ubuntu MATE does not have a 26.04 version and Ubuntu Unity 26.04 is not an LTS edition.

Pop!_OS 26.04 is due any time soon, but no definite release date has been confirmed, having already failed to meet an earlier target at the end of June.

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