This is all the things it’s essential to learn about new Apple options and find out how to get it in your iPhone

Cannot wait till the autumn to entry all the brand new Apple iOS 26 options? You may formally download and install the public beta in case you’re trying ahead to seeing what’s coming this 12 months. Want extra of a guided tour? Take a look at our preview of the iOS 26 public beta release, which exhibits off the contemporary residence and lock display redesign we have been asking to see for years. Known as Liquid Glass, the brand new translucent look will prolong throughout all of Apple’s upcoming working methods. The overhaul is certainly one of a number of large modifications coming to iOS, macOS, iPadOS and the remainder of Apple’s software program suite, all of which have been showcased throughout the firm’s WWDC keynote on June 9.

After overpromising on AI plans final 12 months, Apple stored its iOS roadmap targeted extra on fundamental high quality of life enhancements this 12 months. There are a number of helpful additions coming to the Telephone and Messages apps in your iPhone, as an example: Apple execs outlined the flexibility to weed out spam texts or different unknown senders and an possibility to carry your spot on a cellphone name whenever you’ve been ready for a consultant to select up. Plus, a treasured function that we took as a right is coming again (trace: it is within the Photographs app).

Siri, in the meantime, is in a holding sample. Apple has beforehand specified that its smarter voice assistant — first promised at WWDC 2024 — is delayed till some level “in the coming year,” so that you should not anticipate any main modifications within the present betas. However there are studies that Apple is aiming to offer Siri a much bigger mind transplant by basing it on third-party artificial intelligence models like OpenAI’s ChatGPT or Anthropic’s Claude, which may make 2026 a pivotal 12 months.

With every beta, it looks like further new enhancements are popping up, like a newly found FaceTime function that’ll freeze your video if it detects nudity. Most newer iPhone fashions are eligible to download iOS 26 (each the betas and ultimate model). Need to see the complete record of latest options coming this fall? Learn on.

What’s iOS 26?

Whereas the present iPhone working system is iOS 18, Apple is skipping the numbering forward to iOS 26 later this 12 months. The corporate has determined to line up its iOS model numbers with a year-based system, just like automotive mannequin years. So whereas iOS and its sibling working methods might be launched in late 2025, they’re all designated “26” to mirror the 12 months forward. (In the meantime, iOS 18 is still getting new versions this summer, too.)

What’s Liquid Glass design?

Let’s be sincere. Out of all the things introduced at WWDC this 12 months, the new Liquid Glass design was the star of the present. The iPhone’s residence and lock screens have seemed just about the identical 12 months after 12 months — the final thrilling factor (for my part) was the choice so as to add your personal aesthetic to your house display by customizing your apps and widgets. So seeing the house and lock screens’ new facelift is refreshing.

So what precisely is Liquid Glass? Apple calls it a “new translucent material” since, properly, the apps and widgets are clear. Nevertheless, the display can nonetheless adapt to darkish and lightweight modes, relying on environment. You will additionally discover buttons with a brand new floating design in a number of apps, like Telephone and Maps. They’re designed to be much less distracting than the present buttons, however are nonetheless simple to see. Whereas the design overhaul has confirmed to be controversial since its announcement, some — together with Engadget’s personal Devindra Hardawar — like the brand new course, even when it is considerably harking back to Microsoft’s translucent Windows Vista Aero designs from practically twenty years in the past.

That mentioned, as of the discharge of the iOS 26 beta 2, Apple has already incorporated some user feedback into the design, dialing again the transparency in a minimum of some locations. And whereas it is going to proceed to evolve, Apple customers will not be capable to escape it: Liquid Glass was designed to make all of Apple’s OSes extra cohesive. This is a take a look at how the translucent aesthetic will look with the new macOS Tahoe 26 in your desktop.

What are the brand new and notable options of iOS 26?

iOS 26 has a laundry record of latest options. Among the many most worthwhile:

Telephone app redesign: You will lastly be capable to scroll by contacts, current calls and voicemail messages all on one display. It additionally comes with a brand new function referred to as Maintain Help that’ll notify you when an agent involves the cellphone so you’ll be able to keep away from the elevator music and proceed on with different duties.

Stay Translation in Telephone, FaceTime and Messages: iOS 26 is bringing the flexibility to have a dialog through cellphone name or textual content message with somebody who speaks one other language. Stay Translation will translate your dialog in actual time, which ends up in some stop-and-go interactions within the examples Apple shared throughout its presentation.

Polls in group chats: Bored with sorting by what looks like a whole lot of messages in your group chat? You and your pals will quickly be capable to create polls in group messages for deciding issues like which brunch spot you are consuming at or whose automotive you take on a highway journey.

Filtering unknown senders in Messages: If you have not obtained spam texts about unpaid tolls or different citations, you are fortunate. For these of us who’ve, these annoying messages will quickly be filtered away in a separate folder.

Visible Intelligence: Much like a reverse Google picture search, this new function will mean you can seek for something that is in your iPhone display. As an example, in case you spot a pair of sneakers somebody is carrying in an Instagram photograph, you’ll be able to screenshot it and use Visible Intelligence to search out these sneakers (or comparable ones) on-line.

Photographs tabs are again: For anybody who’s nonetheless annoyed with the Photos changes made last year, you may be joyful to know that your tabs are coming again. Library and Collections may have their very own separate areas so you do not have to scroll to infinity to search out what you are in search of.

FaceTime “Communication Security” function: A more recent addition to iOS 26 seems to be the FaceTime “Communication Safety” feature that pauses communications if and when nudity is detected. The function seems to be a baby security function that makes use of on-device detection, thus obviating any cloud-based privateness points.

Which iPhones will be capable to improve to iOS 26?

A number of iPhone fashions that run the present model of iOS — iPhone XR, XS and XS Max — will not be suitable with the newest improve. However any iPhones launched in 2019 or later might be eligible for the iOS 26 update.

Not listed below are the presumed new iPhone 17 models (or possibly iPhone 26?) which might be all however sure to be introduced and launched in September.

The right way to set up iOS 26 beta

The iOS 26 public beta is now obtainable to obtain through the Apple Beta Software Program. If you happen to’re not already a member, you may want to enroll to check out all the newest options. Simply go to beta.apple.com and join together with your cellphone quantity or e mail tackle. It is free.

When you’re in, you’ll be able to set up it by going to Settings > Basic > Software program Replace and deciding on iOS 26 public beta.

A phrase of warning: Do not join together with your major iPhone until you are OK with any dangers that happen with utilizing an OS that is not finalized.

When will the ultimate model of iOS 26 be launched?

iOS 26 might be launched to the general public this fall. It often is available in September, inside every week of the Apple iPhone occasion. Final 12 months, it rolled out to iPhone customers on September 16 — precisely one week after the iPhone 16 lineup was introduced.

If you happen to’re extra within the Apple Intelligence options coming, here is everything Apple revealed for iOS, macOS and more throughout WWDC. Additionally, try how iOS 26 screenshots could possibly be an intriguing preview of Apple’s delayed Siri rework.

Replace, July 24: Famous the iOS 26 public beta is now obtainable.

Replace, July 3: Famous new FaceTime function discovered within the developer beta.

Replace, June 30: Famous ongoing iOS 18 releases, and studies that Apple is contemplating further exterior LLMs for Siri.

Replace, June 25: Famous modifications added in iOS 26 beta 2.

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