Apple has announced the iOS 26 OS update at its Worldwide Developer Conference 2025 event in Apple Park HQ in Cupertino, California. It confirms now that the phone maker will use year-based numbering system on its operating system updates from here on. The new software issue brings Liquid Glass design, more enhancements on Apple Intelligence, and new features on other apps. Below, we have all the major updates on the iOS 26 update.
Table of contents
iOS 26 major highlights
Liquid Glass design
The iOS 26 will bring to iPhones a Liquid Glass interface inspired by VisionOS. It’s a translucent material that reflects its surroundings which Apple says “makes something purely digital feel natural and alive.” It brings content to greater focus and deliver new vitality across controls, app icons, widgets, and more.
The Liquid Glass design will be found in the Home Screen and Lock Screen, bringing a new experience and new look. There’s also new spatial scenes, which brings a 3D effect to the wallpapers. The new software design introduces a dynamic touch response.
Apple Intelligence
The new update elevates Apple Intelligence AI features. It unlocks new ways of communication. For e.g., Live Translation is now incorporated into Messages, FaceTime, and Phone, allowing users to communicate in different languages. It translates text and audio on the go. Also, it can now automatically identify and summarize order tracking details right from emails.
Similarly, Visual Intelligence is integrated into iPhones’ screens, allowing users to “take action” on things they see across apps. Users can ask ChatGPT what they are seeing on their screen for information. Visual Intelligence is also capable of understanding events, date, time, location, etc.
Phone app feature
The Phone app now brings a unified layout combining Favorites, Recent, and Voicemails together. Call Screenings take place on Live Voicemail, which helps remove any interruption. And when a user is holding a call, the Hold Assist gives notification when a “live agent is available.”
iOS 26 also brings custom backgrounds and the ability to create polls in Messages, while typing indicators can be seen in group chats.
CarPlay changes
The iOS 26 has its Liquid Glass design language on the CarPlay too. Now, CarPlay comes in light and dark modes and alerts for incoming calls, messages, and other notifications. The new update also brings Live Activities and widgets. According to Apple, widgets on iPhones also work on CarPlay.
Updates on Apple Music, Maps, and Wallet
On Apple Music, users can understand lyrics in their songs through Live Translation. AutoMix leverages AI to switch from one song to the next using time stretching and beat matching. In Apple Maps, Visited Places lets users remember places they have already been to. Users can have their iPhones detect places like restaurants or shops to know if they have been in those places before.
Users can also find the preferred route to reach their place of destination. Likewise, users can choose to pay with either installments or rewards when they perform in-app purchases on Apple Pay. The boarding passes let them see and share Live Activities in real-time.
Apple Games
As rumored, iOS 26 introduces a new app, Apple Games. It offers players an “all-in-one destination for their games. It gives users the ability to get back to their games or find their next favorite game, etc. They also get to know what’s happening in other games. As Apple says, “Games app is also the best way to experience Apple Arcade, Apple’s game subscription service with more than 200 award-winning and highly rated games for the whole family.”
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AirPods ANC
Thanks to iOS 26, AirPods 4, AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation (ANC), and AirPods Pro 2 get new features. With the Voice Isolation feature, iPhone, iPad, and Mac users can record their audio or video with immersive quality and enjoy clearer calls. Also, the AirPods stem can be pressed to take a photo or start and pause videos with the camera remote.
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Accessibility
The accessibility feature includes Accessibility Reader, which brings a custom reading experience across the system. Likewise, Braille Access comes with braille displays. There are new updates to Live Listen, Background Sounds, Personal Voice, etc., which bring next-level accessibility features on iPhones and the Apple ecosystem.
When will iOS 26 be released?
iOS 26 is available for testing via the Apple Developer Program at developer.apple.com. The public beta will be released in July through the Apple Beta Software Program at beta.apple.com. The iOS 26 update will be available to iPhone 11 and later, while Apple Intelligence is available only to iPhone 15 Pro and later iPhones.
How to download and install the iOS 26 beta?
While the early beta versions of iOS 26 will be riddled with bugs and the handset may lag, it’s still possible to try it out: To install iOS 26 beta, do the following when it becomes available:
- Tap on General
- Go to Software update
- Tap on Beta Updates
- Choose between the developer and public betas
- Wait for the beta update to show up
- Download and install on your iPhone
Which iPhones will support iOS 26?
When Apple releases its latest iOS, it leaves behind older devices without support. That is true with this latest update, too. Here are the iPhones that support iOS 26:
- iPhone 17 series (launching in September 2025)
- iPhone 16 series
- iPhone 15 series
- iPhone 14 series
- iPhone 13 series
- iPhone 12 series
- iPhone 11 series
We will update more on this as further information becomes available. Keep visiting the page for more updates.
