iOS 26: What you need to know about Apple’s updated operating system

Apple has introduced iOS 26 — a major update for the iPhone that brings a stunning new design, expanded Apple Intelligence capabilities, improvements to the Phone and Messages apps, as well as updates to CarPlay, Apple Music, Maps, and Wallet. The announcement took place in Cupertino, California, at WWDC 2025. The update will be available in fall 2025 for iPhone 11 and later. Here's what's new for users.

New Liquid Glass Design

iOS 26 offers a fresh design called Liquid Glass, which gives the interface a vibrant and dynamic look while maintaining the familiar feel of iOS. Transparent elements that reflect and refract the environment add a new level of liveliness to icons, widgets, controls, and navigation.

Key design changes:

• Lock Screen and Home Screen:
  • The clock adapts to the available space in the image, creating a dynamic effect.
  • Spatial scenes with 3D effects respond to iPhone movement.
  • New customization options for icons and widgets, including transparent styles.
• Apps:
  • Camera: Simplified interface for easier focus on the moment.
  • Photos: Separate tabs for the library and collections.
  • Safari: Web pages smoothly display edge to edge, with quick access to refresh and search.
  • Apple Music, News, Podcasts: Floating tab bar that compresses while scrolling, emphasizing content.
• Developer APIs: A new toolkit enables developers to build apps with dynamic Liquid Glass design.

“iOS 26 shines with magnificent design and major feature enhancements that make the iPhone even more useful,” said Craig Federighi, Apple’s Senior VP of Software Engineering.

Apple Intelligence: Smarter and More Personal

Apple Intelligence in iOS 26 becomes even more powerful, offering new ways to interact with content. All features work on-device to maintain privacy.

Major new features:

• Live Translation:
  • Integrated into Messages, FaceTime, and Phone.
  • Translates text and audio in real time for conversations in different languages (supports English, French, German, Italian, Brazilian Portuguese, Spanish, Japanese, Korean, Simplified Chinese).
  • Fully on-device for privacy.
• Visual Intelligence:
  • Lets you search for information based on what's on screen (e.g., products, events).
  • Integrated with ChatGPT, Google, and Etsy to search for images and items.
  • Automatically detects events and suggests adding them to your calendar.
• Genmoji and Image Playground:
  • New forms of self-expression by creating unique emojis and images from descriptions and combinations.
• Shortcuts:
  • New smart actions powered by Apple Intelligence (e.g., Writing Tools, Image Playground).
• Order Management:
  • Automatically detects and summarizes order details from emails (even without Apple Pay).
• Foundation Models:
  • A new framework giving developers access to on-device AI models at no additional cost.

Communication and Focus Enhancements

• Phone App:
  • A unified layout combining Favorites, Recents, and Voicemails.
  • Call Screening: Gathers caller info to help decide whether to accept or reject the call.
  • Hold Assist: Alerts when a live agent joins the call.
• Messages:
  • Filters messages from unknown senders into a separate folder.
  • New features:
    • Group polls (suggested by Apple Intelligence based on context).
    • Custom chat backgrounds (including those created in Image Playground).
    • Typing indicators in group chats.
    • Send and receive money via Apple Cash in chats.
    • Pin important conversations and use Tapbacks.

CarPlay Updates

Used more than 600 million times daily, CarPlay gets even more convenient and stylish in iOS 26:

• New Design: Compact call notifications that don’t disrupt navigation.
• Messages: Support for Tapbacks and pinned chats.
• Widgets and Live Activities: Show relevant info without losing focus.
• CarPlay Ultra:
  • Expanded car integration, including climate and radio control across all screens.
  • Available in new Aston Martin models, coming soon to Hyundai and Kia.

Apple Music, Maps, and Wallet

• Apple Music:
  • Lyrics Translation: Translates song lyrics.
  • Lyrics Pronunciation: Helps sing along in any language.
  • AutoMix: Smooth DJ-style transitions between tracks using AI.
• Maps:
  • Visited Places: A log of visited locations (restaurants, shops) with end-to-end encryption.
  • Smart routing: Chooses routes based on your daily habits and sends delay notifications.
• Wallet:
  • Pay in installments or with rewards via Apple Pay.
  • Updated boarding passes with Live Activities for flight tracking, airport navigation (via Maps), and luggage tracking (via Find My).

Additional iOS 26 Features

• Apple Games:
  • A new hub for games with recommendations, events, and Apple Arcade access.
  • Easy switching between games and chatting with friends.
• AirPods:
  • Studio-quality audio recording for calls and content (AirPods 4, AirPods Pro 2).
  • Remote camera control (take photo/video by tapping the stem).
• Parental Controls:
  • Simplified creation of child accounts.
  • New features: contact approval requests, sensitive content blurring, app download exceptions.
• Safari:
  • Improved fingerprinting protection across browsing history.
• Accessibility:
  • Accessibility Reader: A customizable reading mode.
  • Braille Access: Interface for Braille displays.
  • Improvements to Live Listen, Background Sounds, and Personal Voice.

Availability

• Testing: Available starting June 9, 2025, via the Apple Developer Program (developer.apple.com). Public beta in July 2025 at beta.apple.com.
• Release: Fall 2025 as a free update for iPhone 11 and newer.
• Apple Intelligence Requirements: iPhone 16, iPhone 15 Pro/Pro Max, iPad mini (A17 Pro), iPad/Mac with M1 or newer. Supported languages: English, French, German, Italian, Brazilian Portuguese, Spanish, Japanese, Korean, Simplified Chinese. Additional languages (Danish, Dutch, Norwegian, etc.) expected by late 2025.

In short…
iOS 26 is a big step forward for iPhone, offering the new Liquid Glass design, powerful Apple Intelligence, and enhancements to everyday apps. From live translation and smart routes in Maps to the updated CarPlay, the update makes iPhone more expressive, intelligent, and user-friendly. Public beta arrives in July, with the full release coming in fall 2025.