iOS 26 Includes These 100 New Features and Changes for Your iPhone

Date: 2025-06-10 20:59:47

Apple has announced iOS 26, and the upcoming software update includes a long list of new features and changes for iPhones.The first iOS 26 developer beta is now available, and a public beta will follow next month. The update will be released later this year.iOS 26 is compatible with the iPhone 11 and newer.Below, we have provided a high-level overview of 100 new features and changes that are coming with iOS 26, in no particular order:A new Liquid Glass design with shimmery app icons and a translucent interface that reflects and refracts the surrounding colorsThere is a redesigned tab bar in appsA new "Clear" option for Home Screen app icons and widgets, alongside the existing "Light" and "Dark" optionsOn the Lock Screen, the clock dynamically adapts to fill empty spaceOn the Lock Screen, there is an option to view full-screen album artworkPolls in group chats in the Messages appAdd a custom background to any conversation in the Messages appYou can now send and receive Apple Cash in group chats in the Messages appTyping indicators are now visible in group chats in the Messages appThere is a new "Add Contact" button in group chats in the Messages appA new "Select" option in the Messages app lets you select a portion of text within a message bubbleMessages app can screen messages from unknown senders, placing them into an Unknown Senders folderMessages app has gained natural language searchHold Assist can wait on hold for you during a phone call, and notify you when the live agent is ready for youCall Screening automatically answers unknown callers, and asks for their name and the reason for their call, before your iPhone ringsLive Translation for calls and texts across the Phone, FaceTime, and Messages appsA preinstalled Apple Games app lets you discover games, in-game events, and compete with friends with new challengesA preinstalled Preview app lets you create, edit, annotate, markup, and export PDFs, plus crop, flip, rotate, and resize imagesPhotos app is now split into Library and Collections tabsRelevant video thumbnails are now shown in search results in the Photos appIn the Photos app, you can create 3D spatial versions of photos, which was previously only possible using the Apple Vision ProCamera app has a simpler design with Video and Photo tabsIn the Camera app, you will receive an alert if a camera lens needs to be cleaned, so long as "Lens Cleaning Hints" is toggled on in the Settings appThe screenshot editing interface has been slightly redesignedIn the Settings app, you can now turn off CarPlay screenshots under General → Screen Capture, so that taking a screenshot on your iPhone does not also generate a CarPlay screenshot while the device is connected to CarPlayIn the Settings app, can now turn off iCloud Drive syncing via cellular dataPhone app now has an optional all-in-one layout that combines Favorites, Recents, and VoicemailsPhone app now supports screen sharing and SharePlay during phone callsPhone app offers new Monogram styles for contactsA new Focus mode lets you silence an individual SIMJournal app now lets you create multiple journalsJournal app entries can now be viewed on a mapJournal app now lets images be added inline with textPasswords app now shows password historySafari now has three layouts: Compact, Bottom, and TopSafari now offers advanced fingerprinting protection for all browsing by defaultTips app now offers step-by-step guides for troubleshooting common iPhone issuesYou can now test AirPods beta firmware directly via the Settings appYou can start recording video in the Camera app by pressing and holding on the stem of AirPods 4 or AirPods Pro 2AirPods 4 and AirPods Pro 2 now offer studio-quality audio recordingAirPods can now detect when you fall asleep and automatically pause audioYou are now notified when your AirPods are fully chargedYou can be reminded to charge your AirPods when their battery life is lowAirPods audio can now automatically switch to CarPlay as necessaryYou can now set a custom snooze duration of 1 to 15 minutes in the Clock appVisual Intelligence now works with on-screen content, so you can ask ChatGPT questions about what you are looking atVisual Intelligence can now read aloud and summarize screenshots with textGenmoji can now combine two standard emoji into one custom oneImage Playground offers new ChatGPT image styles, including Oil Painting, Watercolor, Vector, Anime, and PrintIn the Shortcuts app, there is a new set of shortcuts powered by Apple IntelligenceApple Music lets you pin playlists, albums, and artists at the top of the Library tabApple Music lets you create playlist foldersLyrics translation for Apple Music songsAutoMix for Apple Music can seamlessly mix from one song to the next like a DJLive Activities support for boarding passes in the Apple Wallet appWallet app now displays relevant information below the boarding pass, such as Apple Maps directions to the appropriate airport terminal, and a shortcut to the Find My app's baggage tracking featureCreate a digital ID in the Wallet app using your U.S. passport, for age and identity verification in supported apps, and at select stores and TSA checkpointsIn participating U.S. states, "Verify with Wallet on the Web" enables you to present your driver's license or state ID in the Wallet app to websites for age and identity verification, starting with Chime, Turo, Uber Eats, and U.S. Bank, as well as the Arizona MVD, Georgia DDS, and Maryland MVAYou can now manage AutoFill credit cards in the Wallet appWhen toggled on, a new Adaptive Power mode can make small adjustments to extend battery life, such as by slightly lowering display brightness or allowing certain background activities to take longerIn the Settings app, you can see how long it will take for your iPhone's battery to achieve a full charge when the device is chargingThe entire Battery section of the Settings app was overhauledA new "Keep Audio in Headphones" setting prevents audio from automatically switching to newly connected devices, like car speakers or Bluetooth speakers, when you are already listening through AirPods or other headphonesYou can now access a list of blocked contacts via the Settings appSafety Check is now an option when blocking a contactApple News+ subscribers in the U.S. and Canada can play a new Emoji GameA new set of Background Sounds include Babble, Steam, Airplane, Boat, Bus, Train, Rain on Roof, and Quiet NightThe so-called Home bar at the bottom of the screen is now hidden more oftenWeather via satellite will allow you to receive the latest forecast information while outside of Wi-Fi or cellular rangeIn the Notes app, notes can be exported as a Markdown fileWith Apple Intelligence, the Reminders app can suggest tasks, grocery items, and follow-ups based on emails or other text on your deviceApple Intelligence can automatically categorize reminders in the Reminders appYou can now create reminders in the Reminders app via the Action buttonApple Maps can now learn your commute between home and work, and notify you if there are any significant delays along your typical route, and offer alternate routes if availableApple Maps can intelligently detect and save the places that you frequently visit and spend time in, such as restaurants or storesApple Maps now lets you choose from additional types of incidents on the "Report an Incident" screenYou can use an iPhone as a wireless microphone for the Apple Music Sing feature on the Apple TV 4K (3rd generation)In the Apple Podcasts app, there are now a wider range of playback speed options, from 0.5x to 3xIn the Apple Podcasts app, an Enhance Dialogue option lets you hear speech more clearly over background soundsIn the Apple Wallet app, Apple Intelligence can now automatically identify, summarize, and display order tracking details from emails sent from merchants or delivery carriersApple Pay now lets you use rewards and installments for in-store purchasesCustom Plans in Apple Fitness+ now automatically create a personalized schedule based on users' workout and meditation preferencesNew accessibility features, such as Accessibility Reader and Braille AccessPersonal Voice can now create a smoother, more natural-sounding replication of your voice in less than a minute, using only 10 recorded phrasesVehicle Motion Cues has gained new options to further help reduce motion sicknessParents can now create or move kids into Child Accounts even more easilyParents can grant an exception for their child to download an app with an age rating that exceeds the app content restriction they setEnhancements across Communication Limits, Communication Safety, and the App Store include parental approvals for contact requests from kids, and blurring out sensitive content in FaceTime calls and photos in Shared AlbumsThere is a new "Transfer From Android" option during eSIM setupWi-Fi Aware is now supportedYou can now sync captive Wi-Fi portal login information across Apple devicesArabic calculatorMultiscript keyboard for Arabic/EnglishYou can now specify spelling while using the Dictation featureLiquid Glass design extends to CarPlay when using an iPhone running iOS 26CarPlay now can now show Live Activities on the Dashboard screenCarPlay can now display widgets for things like calendar appointments and Home app accessory controls (previously CarPlay Ultra only)CarPlay now has a compact view for incoming phone callsCarPlay now shows pinned conversations in the Messages appCarPlay now lets you respond to messages with the standard set of Tapbacks in the Messages appRelated Roundup: iOS 26This article, "iOS 26 Includes These 100 New Features and Changes for Your iPhone" first appeared on MacRumors.comDiscuss this article in our forums

Sources:

More From: