Apple has officially unveiled iOS 26 at WWDC 2025, promising a significant update to its mobile operating system. This next generation of iOS is set to bring a major design refresh, smarter AI features, and enhancements across core Apple applications, aiming to make the iPhone experience more intuitive, powerful, and personal.
Apple iOS 26
iOS 26 is introduced as part of Apple’s broadest software design update ever. This new design extends universally across multiple Apple platforms, including iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS Tahoe 26, watchOS 26, and tvOS 26. The core of this visual transformation is a new material called Liquid Glass. This translucent material is designed to reflect and refract surroundings, dynamically transforming to focus attention on content. It brings a new level of vitality to controls, navigation, app icons, widgets, and system experiences.
10 best features of iOS 26
iOS 26 introduces a range of exciting new capabilities and improvements, with some features integrated deep within the system and others bringing notable changes to daily interactions. While some of the advanced Apple Intelligence features require newer hardware, and some features are based on speculation mentioned in the sources, here are 10 of the most prominent ones:
- Liquid Glass Design Theme: Headlining the update is the groundbreaking “Liquid Glass” aesthetic. This new design language brings a stunning translucent quality to interface elements like controls and app icons. It behaves like real glass, reflecting and refracting surroundings, adapting color, and dynamically reacting to movement, providing new visual depth across the system, including the Lock Screen, Home Screen, and Dock.
- Smarter AI (Apple Intelligence): At the heart of iOS 26 lies Apple Intelligence. This suite of advanced features is integrated into the system, poised to change how users interact with their devices. It promises to make the iPhone faster and more personal than ever.
- Live Translation in AirPods: Seamlessly integrated across various applications, Live Translation enables real-time communication and understanding. This is mentioned as a standout feature within Apple Intelligence and is speculated to include real-time translation support for AirPods.
- Enhanced Visual Intelligence: Apple Intelligence also boasts enhanced visual intelligence. This feature allows the iPhone to intuitively understand content displayed on the screen and suggest relevant actions, helping to streamline everyday tasks.
- Upgraded Core Communication Apps: Core apps like Phone and Messages have received substantial upgrades. The Phone app gains sophisticated call screening tools for greater control and privacy over incoming calls. The Messages app similarly benefits from new message screening capabilities.
- Dedicated Apple Games App: Gamers can look forward to a new, centralized hub for their gaming adventures with the debut of a dedicated Apple Games app.
- Updated System Experiences: System experiences like the Lock Screen, Home Screen, notifications, Control Center, and Dock incorporate the new Liquid Glass material. Elements such as the time on the Lock Screen are crafted from Liquid Glass and fluidly adapt to fit behind photo subjects. App icons and widgets also use multiple layers of Liquid Glass, enhancing visual depth and offering greater personalization.
- Redesigned App Controls & Navigation: Controls, toolbars, and navigation within apps have been redesigned, crafted from Liquid Glass. They are now designed to fit the rounded corners of modern hardware and dynamically morph to give way to content, making it easier for users to find needed controls. Tab bars also fluidly shrink and expand based on scrolling.
- AI Health Coach: Based on speculation, iOS 26 could introduce an AI-driven health coach. This feature would learn from a user’s data in the Health app to provide tailored advice and potentially include a more intuitive food-tracking feature.
- Camera Simplification: Speculation suggests the Camera app will receive a simpler interface. This redesigned interface would aim to let the user focus on the shot, possibly with separate menus for photos and videos and a glass-like look inspired by visionOS.
Compatible devices
iOS 26 will be available as a free update this fall. The update will not be supported by the:
- iPhone XS,
- iPhone XS Max, and
- iPhone XR models.
However, it will support a wide range of newer iPhones, including the iPhone 16 series (16e, 16, 16 Plus, 16 Pro, 16 Pro Max), iPhone 15 series, iPhone 14 series, iPhone 13 series (including mini), iPhone 12 series (including mini), iPhone 11, and the iPhone SE (2nd generation and newer).
It’s important to note that some advanced Apple Intelligence features require newer hardware and will be limited to the iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, and all iPhone 16 models.
iOS 26 Launch Date
Apple has provided a clear rollout timeline for iOS 26. The developer beta became available on June 9, 2025, for registered Apple developers. A public beta is expected to launch later in the summer, likely next month (July), for users who wish to test the new features early. The stable, full release of iOS 26 is anticipated for Fall 2025. This stable release is expected to arrive alongside the next generation of iPhone 17 models.
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