Minecraft Bedrock Preview 26.70.20 arrived on October 13, 2026, bringing consoles and mobile devices a set of features already seen in the fourth Java Edition 26.4 snapshot. The headline change is Brittle Ice, which cracks under the feet of players and mobs, along with an experimental toggle that reworks how monsters spawn in the Nether. For Xbox, PlayStation, Windows and iOS players, it's the first chance to try these features before they hit the stable Bedrock release.

Brittle Ice and the new ice caves

Brittle Ice generates naturally in the ice caves biome as part of a new terrain feature called a crevasse, a narrow, winding fissure in the rock. The block cracks after three "steps" when a player or most mobs stand on it, and after the final crack it breaks apart completely rather than melting like regular ice. The only mob that can walk on it safely is the Frostbite, so in practice Brittle Ice works as a natural terrain trap in the new caves.

You can only collect the block with Silk Touch, and there's an alternative way to create it: water flowing directly onto Blue Ice. Every water block that touches Blue Ice horizontally turns into Brittle Ice, which opens up some interesting building options for fans of guides on survival mechanics. At the bottom of the crevasses in ice caves you'll also find small pools of water, which make getting around without falling into traps even harder.

Jukebox playlists

The second big addition is jukebox automation. Just place a regular chest, a trapped chest or any of the copper chest variants directly above a jukebox and fill it with music discs to get a working playlist. Discs play in slot order, skipping empty slots and items that aren't discs, and once the last one finishes, the list starts over from the beginning.

  • When a disc finishes, the jukebox automatically swaps it for the next one from the container above
  • If the chest is empty, the disc already in the jukebox plays again
  • Ejecting the current disc skips to the next available one on the list

Server and adventure map builders have been waiting a long time for this, since it lets you create longer music sequences without building complicated redstone contraptions. Players on servers that host parties or dance floors get an easier way to run background music.

Experimental Nether spawning rebalance

Preview 26.70.20 also introduces an experimental toggle called Nether Spawning Rebalancing, which you have to enable separately in the world settings. The feature reduces overall mob density in the Nether and changes spawning rules in fortresses, aiming to match Java Edition's behavior more closely. That's good news for Bedrock players, who have been reporting for years that the Nether in their version can feel noticeably more crowded with mobs than on PC.

Since it's an experimental feature, it doesn't affect existing worlds by default, and you need to activate it manually before creating a new map. The developers caution that the mechanic may change before it reaches the stable release, so it's best to test it on backup copies of your worlds rather than your main survival progress.

Release schedule and fixes

Following the usual Bedrock pattern, the preview landed first on iOS and iPadOS on October 11, 2026, and two days later, on October 13, it expanded to Windows, Xbox, PlayStation, ChromeOS and Android. The gap comes from Apple's store certification process, which Mojang has to go through separately from other platforms.

Besides the new blocks and features, the update includes a hefty list of technical fixes, including corrected rendering for icicles and ice crystals, new sound events for Frostbite transformations, and a range of fixes for mobs, blocks, the UI, Realms and game performance. Among the smaller changes is a fix that lets you light candles with fire-starting items held in your main hand, which previously worked inconsistently.

What's next for 26.4

The features in Preview 26.70.20 match the changes in Java Edition 26.4 Snapshot 4 exactly, which means Mojang is keeping the pace of work on both platforms in sync ahead of the final release of the next update. Players on Bedrock Edition can download the preview now and try the new features before they reach the stable branch available to everyone.

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