Apple on Monday unveiled iOS 26, their upcoming new software for the iPhone. The update brings a new Liquid Glass design, new Apple Intelligence features, and much more.
New Design With a Liquid Glass Design
iOS 26 has a new design that is crafted with Liquid Glass, which is a new translucent material that reflects and refracts its surroundings, bringing greater focus to content. The new design is used on both the Lock Screen and Home Screen, bringing new customization options to app icons and widgets, including a clear look.
The time shown on the iPhone Lock Screen now fluidly adapts to the available space in an image, and wallpapers can now have a 3D effect when users move their iPhone. A simplified, streamlined Camera layout is new to the Photos app, which is also updated to feature separate tabs for Library and Collections views.
Safari’s web pages now flow from the top edge to the bottom of the screen, enabling users to see more of the page while maintaining access to frequently used actions like refresh and search.
The tab bar in Apple Music, News, and Podcasts now floats above users’ content, dynamically shrinking when users are browsing, then expanding when they scroll back up.
Developers can access an updated set of APIs that provides access to Liquid Glass materials and components for use in their own apps.
New Apple Intelligence Features
New Apple Intelligence features include Live Translation, which is integrated into Messages, FaceTime, and Phone to help users communicate across languages, translating text and audio on the fly. This feature is run entirely on device, so your conversations stay private.
Visual Intelligence now extends to a user’s iPhone screen so they can search and take action on anything they’re viewing across apps. Users can ask ChatGPT questions about what they’re viewing onscreen, as well as search Google, Etsy, or other supported apps to find similar images and products. Visual intelligence can also recognize when a user is viewing at an event and suggests adding it to their calendar, populating important details like date, time, and location.
Genmoji and Image Playground now offer users more ways to express themselves, including combining their favorite emoji, Genmoji, and descriptions together to create something new.
Shortcuts are more powerful and intelligent, allowing users to tap into a whole new set of shortcuts enabled by Apple Intelligence, as well as dedicated actions for Writing Tools and Image Playground.
Phone and Messages App
The Phone app now offers a unified layout, combining Favorites, Recents, and Voicemails in one place. Call Screening gathers information from unknown callers, providing the details to users to allow them to decide if they want to pick up or ignore a call. When a user is put on hold, Hold Assist notifies the user when a live agent is available.
Messages can now also screen messages from unknown senders, and those messages will appear in a dedicated folder where users can then mark the number as known, ask for more information, or delete.
iOS 26 also offers enhancements to conversations, such as custom backgrounds and the ability to create polls. Apple Intelligence can detect when a poll might come in handy and suggest one. Users can also generate backgrounds that fit their conversation with Image Playground. Group chats, now shows indicators who’s typing, Users can also request, send, and receive Apple Cash.
CarPlay Enhancements
CarPlay now has a new design, with a new compact view for incoming calls, allowing users to see who’s calling without missing key information like upcoming directions. Tapbacks and pinned conversations are available in Messages in CarPlay, as well as widgets and Live Activities. These updates also come to CarPlay Ultra.
Apple Games
Apple Games is a new app that provides an all-in-one destination for games. Players can jump back into titles, discover new games, and more. Gamers can also track what’s happening across all of their games. The Games app also acts as a hub for Apple Arcade, Apple’s game subscription service.
Availability
All of these features are available for testing starting today through the Apple Developer Program at developer.apple.com, and a public beta will be available through the Apple Beta Software Program next month at beta.apple.com. New software features will be available this fall as a free software update for iPhone 11 and later.
