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iOS 26 is the newest version of iOS, the operating system that runs on the iPhone, and it’s coming this fall. If you were expecting iOS 19 after iOS 18, you might be a little surprised to see Apple jump to iOS 26, but the new number reflects the 2025-2026 release season for the software update. It also lets Apple use the same number across all of its updates, so there’s no more confusion since you’re no longer downloading iOS, macOS, visionOS, and watchOS all with different numbers.
iOS 26 brings the first new major design change that Apple has brought to iOS since iOS 7. Apple says that the new “Liquid Glass” look will be the basis of the next decade of iOS design. Liquid Glass reflects and refracts its surroundings, while putting more focus on content. Many interface elements are almost entirely translucent, and the design extends to controls, navigation, app icons, menus, buttons, and widgets.
Liquid Glass is meant to transform depending on content or context, and it behaves like glass in the real world, so color is informed by its surroundings, and it is meant to adapt between light and dark elements. Liquid Glass uses real-time rendering and can dynamically react to movement to change the way that light reflects off of buttons, switches, sliders, side bars, tab bars, and more.
You’ll see Liquid Glass throughout iOS 26, in all of Apple’s apps, in notifications, on the Lock Screen, in Control Center, and on the Home Screen. Apple is also providing developers with tools to bring the new material to their own apps for a cohesive look. Liquid Glass also extends to iPadOS 26, macOS Tahoe, visionOS 26, tvOS 26, and watchOS 26.
The Liquid Glass design overhaul isn’t just a glossy finish, it also brings updates to the design of controls, toolbars, and navigation throughout iOS 26. App windows, menu bars, and other interface elements have more rounded corners, and controls feature a distinct functional layer designed to sit above apps. These kinds of menus can dynamically morph to provide users with more options in an app.
When scrolling, tab bars shrink down to bring attention to content, but scrolling up brings them right back for fluid navigation. When tab bars are active, they refract the content around them. There are major Liquid Glass design updates for Camera, Photos, Safari, FaceTime, Apple Music, and Apple Podcasts. On the Lock Screen, the Liquid Glass time expands and shrinks to fit behind the subject of a wallpaper, and on the Home Screen, app icons and widgets are made from multiple layers of Liquid Glass that gives the appearance of depth.
The Lock Screen features a spatial scene option for photo wallpapers, giving them a 3D look and a sense of movement. The Home Screen might look different with an option for translucent icons and widgets, but it is functionally the same.
Apple streamlined the Camera app layout with simpler navigation. It has Photo and Video toggles, with other options tucked away behind menus that expand out with a tap. You can swipe to get to more photo and video options. Apple also updated the Photos app to re-add separate tabs for the Library and Collections views. In Photos, you can also activate Spatial Scene for any image, getting a unique 3D view of the image.
Safari has a whole new look, and Apple has updated navigation. By default, Safari adopts the more rounded Liquid Glass buttons and nixes the settings at the bottom of the app, but there’s an option to bring them back with a floating tab bar if you prefer a more feature rich menu. Apple Music, News, and Podcasts all have a new tab bar that floats above the content in the app and dynamically shrinks when users are browsing, so the interface options take up less space on the display.
Along with a new design, Apple is expanding the Apple Intelligence features that are available on the iPhone. Messages, FaceTime, and Phone all support Live Translation for automatically translating conversations when you’re conversing with someone who speaks another language.
Visual Intelligence now understands what’s on your screen, and can answer questions about what you’re looking at using ChatGPT integration. The feature can help you find products, add events to your calendar, and more. Image Playground supports ChatGPT image generation so you can create images in more styles. Genmoji has a new feature for mixing multiple emoji characters to make a new one, and adding descriptions to create an all-new emoji character.
In the Wallet app, there’s a new Apple Intelligence feature that can scan your emails to summarize order tracking details from merchants, even if you didn’t make the purchase with Apple Pay. It lets you see all your purchases and their tracking info in one spot. Wallet also now supports paying with installments in stores and getting rewards on in-store purchases. Boarding passes in Wallet support Live Activities for real-time flight tracking, and include access to Maps and Find My.
The Shortcuts app supports intelligent actions that can summarize text, create images, or tap into Apple Intelligence models, making it easier than ever to create automations. Reminders is able to suggest tasks, grocery items and follow-ups based on emails, and it can automatically categorize related reminders into sections.
For developers, Apple is debuting a new Foundation Models framework that allows developers to tap into the AI model that’s at the core of Apple Intelligence, so developers can add new AI features to their apps.
The Phone app has a whole slew of new features. There’s a unified layout that combines Favorites, Recents, and Voicemails. A new Call Screening feature asks unknown callers for their name and reason for calling before sending the call to you, stopping unwanted calls. When you’re stuck on hold, there’s a Hold Assist option that stays on the line for you, so you don’t have to listen to irritating hold music. It lets you know when a live agent is available.
Messages can screen texts from unknown senders, sending them silently to a dedicated folder where users can ask for more information or delete them. Group texts now have typing indicators and support for sending and receiving Apple Cash, plus Messages adds customizable backgrounds for each conversation and polls.
In Apple Music, there’s a Lyrics Translation feature that translates lyrics that aren’t in your language, and Lyrics Pronunciation helps you pronounce those lyrics. A new AutoMix feature uses intelligence to transition from one song to another, using time stretching and beat matching for a seamless shift between songs.
Apple Maps supports Visited Places so you can remember where you’ve been, and on-device intelligence can understand your daily route, popping up your preferred routes and letting you know about potential delays and alternate route options.
Apple added a new Apple Games app that’s an all-in-one destination for discovering and playing games. It supports recommendations, leaderboards, competitions with friends, and more.
CarPlay is getting the same Liquid Glass design overhaul, along with widgets and Live Activities that sync from the iPhone. There are Tapback options, important conversations can be pinned, and Apple added a new compact view for incoming calls so directions aren’t blocked.
In iOS 26, AirPods 4 and AirPods Pro 2 support studio-quality sound recording and improved sound for calls and videos. The AirPods can also be used to take a photo or record a video with a press on the stem. For battery management, there’s a new Adaptive Power setting on the iPhone that intelligently determines when you’re using more battery than normal and adjusts things like screen brightness to preserve battery life.
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