Apple has released iOS 26 on Monday.This is a big update for the iPhone that includes a new “Liquid Glass” design and adds more Apple Intelligence features to main apps. Apple claimed that the software is now available for iPhones that can use it through the Settings app.
The UI itself is the most obvious difference. Liquid Glass makes icons, controls, and widgets see-through and reflecting. The Lock Screen’s “adaptive time” changes size around notifications and live activities. When you move the phone, photo wallpapers look like they are moving in 3D. Apple said the appearance was “expressive and delightful” while keeping the navigation the same.
Apple Intelligence also has a bigger job to do. A new Visual Intelligence feature enables people learn more about what’s on the screen and start searches. Messages, FaceTime, and Phone now have Live Translation, which lets you translate text and audio in real time, even on AirPods. Shortcuts can also now call an Apple Intelligence model directly or send a step to ChatGPT for more information. Apple mentioned that Image Playground and Genmoji let you use more styles and customize them more. You can also use ChatGPT to explore other styles.
The Phone app has new features that help you save time and cut down on spam. Before the phone rings, Call Screening can get the identity and reason for the call and put calls from unknown numbers into a separate list. Hold Assist stays on the line and lets you know when a real person picks up. Messages now has the ability to screen messages from unknown senders, show when people are typing in a group, run polls, and add backgrounds to conversations.
Photography and media get updates on how to improve your quality of life. The interface of the Camera app is simplified, and when the system sees a smudge, it will remind you to wipe the lens (this feature is only available on newer models). You may now use a new gesture on your AirPods to start recording a video or taking a picture. In Photos, the Library and Collections are now separate, and you may customize how you view them. Events like concerts and sports are also easier to find. Apple Music includes animated album art to some albums and an AutoMix function that mixes songs together by matching their beats.
Maps and driving also get a new look. CarPlay uses the Liquid Glass design, small call banners, pinned chats and Tapbacks in Messages, widget stacks on the dashboard, and Live Activities that work across the whole system. Apple Maps now has “Visited Places,” a list of places the phone has been to, and “Preferred routes,” which learns your usual routes.
Apple is also releasing a “Apple Games” app that will be a single place for all of your games and friends’ activities, as well as “Preview” on the iPhone, which lets you browse and edit PDFs with scanning, AutoFill, and export options.
Apple is adding more protections for kids in families with Communication Requests (when kids ask to connect with new numbers), making it easier to turn existing accounts into Child Accounts, providing age-appropriate experiences in third-party apps, and adding safeguards that stop nudity from being seen in live FaceTime or shared photo albums. Some new accessibility features are “Accessibility Nutrition Labels” on App Store pages, a systemwide Accessibility Reader with typefaces and spacing that can be changed, and Braille Access for notes, documents, captions, and launching apps.
Other important new features include the ability to record high-quality audio and video while on a video call, an audio-input picker in Control Center, an estimated time to full charge, adaptive power management on newer Pro models, blood-pressure logging reminders in Health, a new Workout tab in Fitness (with more metrics or Apple Watch tie-ins), smart-home “Adaptive Temperature,” custom alarm snooze lengths, password history in the Passwords app, and Markdown import/export in Notes.
Apple claimed that some functions only work on newer devices or are only available in certain regions or languages. The “Apple security releases” page on the business’s website has security notes for today’s releases, and the company also indicates which features are available in each country.
To upgrade your iPhone, go to Settings > General > Software upgrade and follow the on-screen instructions. Apple also said that software updates can change how well your device works and how long the battery lasts. More information can be found on its support site.
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