Exploring iOS 26: A comprehensive guide detailing fresh features for your iPhone and practical usage tips
Apple's latest update to its iPhone software, iOS 26, promises a significant overhaul with the introduction of the Liquid Glass redesign and numerous enhancements across several core apps and features.
The Liquid Glass interface, also the name for the software updates for Mac, iPad, Apple Watch, and Apple TV this year, features translucent menus, fluid animations, and some icon changes, with tinting options available.
One of the standout features of iOS 26 is the revamped Messages app, which sees a multitude of changes. Group chats now have new features, polling is introduced, and users can screen out texts from unknown senders.
The Apple Music app gains an AutoMix feature for Apple Music subscribers, while the Wallet app allows users to create a digital passport that can be used as ID at TSA checkpoints for domestic flights. This feature, however, is not available in the iOS 26 public beta.
The Photos app allows customization of the layout of Collections and restores tabs for toggling between the library and collections. The Camera app has streamlined controls, with swiping left or right to access other camera modes and an upward swipe to access settings.
iOS 26 also introduces a new Games app, serving as a one-stop shop for all the games installed on the iPhone. The iPhone lock screen can have a new look with spatial photos as the background image and an adaptive time feature.
CarPlay in iOS 26 adds widgets and the ability to respond to text messages with tapbacks. Phones that support Apple Intelligence in iOS 26 get live translations for conversations with people in other languages.
The public release of iOS 26 is expected in mid-September 2025, shortly after Apple unveils the iPhone 17 lineup. To download the iOS 26 public beta now, users need to enroll in Apple's beta software program and then update through the Settings app.
It is important to note that installing public beta software carries the risk of bugs or instability, so it is advised to avoid installing on your primary device if you require full reliability.
Other notable features include the Phone app's unified interface for recents and missed calls, and the introduction of call screening and hold assist features. The Maps app introduces a Visited Places feature and shows a preview of frequent routes like commutes, school drop-offs, and errands in a Maps widget.
Genmoji and Image Playground gain new features, including the ability to combine two emoji to make a new one and add expressions to genmoji. Expressions are also available in Image Playground, which gains access to ChatGPT for more image styles.
iOS 26 is compatible with any iPhone released from 2019 onward, except for the iPhone XR, iPhone XS, and iPhone XS Max. Users with iPhone 12 or later models can turn images in their library into spatial photos with depth effects.
In summary, iOS 26 is a visually and functionally significant update arriving publicly this fall, with the public beta available now for those enrolled in the Apple Beta program.
The Liquid Glass redesign, appealing to users with its translucent menus and fluid animations, is not exclusive to the iPhone as it also revolutionizes the software for Mac, iPad, Apple Watch, and Apple TV this year. The revamped Messages app in iOS 26, in addition to numerous updates across core apps and features, introduces technology like screen-out options for texts from unknown senders.
