Ubuntu 26.10 ‘Stonking Stingray’ released with local AI speech-to-text

Canonical has released Ubuntu 26.10, an interim Linux distribution codenamed ‘Stonking Stingray’. This version provides nine months of support, lasting until July 2027, and features several technical updates including the Linux 7.3 kernel, GNOME 51, and Mesa 26.2.

A major highlight of this release is Myna, an optional speech-to-text tool. Myna utilizes locally installed AI models to perform transcriptions, ensuring that audio data is processed on the device without being uploaded to cloud services. While not pre-installed in the base system, it is available in the package repositories and requires downloading approximately 1 GB of dependencies. Jon Seager, VP of Ubuntu Engineering at Canonical, noted that Myna represents a milestone in the company’s AI roadmap, with a primary focus on accessibility.

Other notable updates include a faster window tiling system, passkey support at the login screen, and a suite of core tools written in Rust. The distribution also introduces post-quantum ready package signatures and expanded full-disk encryption with TPM support. The ISO image for the release is approximately 6 GB.