The entirety to understand in regards to the unfastened instrument replace through NewsFlicks

Have you ever performed round with the brand new iOS 26 but? This is learn how to obtain it in your iPhone if you have not but — if you do, you’ll be able to realize a number of new adjustments, together with a transparent design referred to as Liquid Glass. The translucent glance will also be discovered inside of apps in addition to your lock and residential displays. (You’ll’t flip it off, however you’ll cut back the transparency to make it much less transparent.) The overhaul is certainly one of a number of giant adjustments that include iOS, macOS, iPadOS, watchOS and the remainder of Apple’s instrument suite — the brand new running machine updates for the ones devices are additionally to be had to obtain now.

You can additionally see more than one helpful additions within the Telephone and Messages apps. For example, the power to weed out unsolicited mail texts or unknown senders and an strategy to dangle your spot on a telephone name while you’ve been looking forward to a consultant to select up. And for amusing, you’ll now create polls in workforce texts. Different new enhancements coming come with a showed AirPods are living translation characteristic, and a brand new bouncy animation at the passcode display and within the Keep watch over Heart.

In case you are making plans to improve your telephone this yr, check out the entire new fashions Apple unveiled all the way through its iPhone 17 tournament, from the iPhone 17 lineup (take a look at our evaluation of the iPhone 17) to the all-new ultra-thin iPhone Air (check out our hands-on evaluation). For those who overlooked the keynote, you’ll make amends for the entirety Apple introduced right here or rewatch the overall iPhone 17 release. The corporate rounded out its bulletins with 3 new Apple Watch fashions, in addition to the brand-new AirPods Professional 3.

Maximum more moderen iPhone fashions are eligible to obtain iOS 26. We have now rounded up a complete listing of recent options you’ll be able to have to try. In case you are ready to replace your telephone till iOS 26.1 turns into to be had, observe that the beta model is to be had now so it should not be too lengthy earlier than it is launched to the general public.

What’s iOS 26 and will have to I obtain iOS 18.7 first?

As an alternative of freeing iOS 19, Apple skipped its naming conference forward to iOS 26. The corporate has made up our minds to line up its iOS model numbers with a year-based machine, very similar to automobile type years. So whilst iOS and its sibling running techniques have been launched in 2025, they are all designated “26” to mirror the yr forward.

Apple additionally launched iOS 18.7 along iOS 26 to handle safety problems — nice information when you shouldn’t have a telephone that is eligible to run the most recent OS. In case you are questioning which one to obtain first, it is in reality as much as you. Do you wish to have to watch for Apple to quash any insects in iOS 26 or do you wish to have get right of entry to to the entire new options everybody’s speaking about now?

What’s Liquid Glass design?

Let’s be fair. Out of the entirety introduced at WWDC this yr, the new Liquid Glass design used to be the big name of the display. The iPhone’s house and lock displays have appeared just about the similar yr after yr — the final thrilling factor (in my view) used to be the choice so as to add your personal aesthetic to your own home display through customizing your apps and widgets. So seeing the house and lock displays’ new facelift is refreshing.

So what precisely is Liquid Glass? Apple calls it a “new translucent subject material” since, neatly, the apps and widgets are transparent. Alternatively, the display can nonetheless adapt to darkish and lightweight modes, relying on atmosphere. You can additionally realize buttons with a brand new floating design in numerous apps, like Telephone and Maps. They are designed to be much less distracting than the present buttons, however are nonetheless simple to peer.

Whilst the design overhaul has confirmed to be debatable since its announcement, some — together with Engadget’s Devindra Hardawar — like the brand new course, even supposing it is moderately paying homage to Microsoft’s translucent Home windows Vista Aero designs from just about 20 years in the past.

That mentioned, whilst it used to be in beta mode, Apple included some consumer comments into the design, dialing again the transparency in no less than some puts. And whilst it’s going to proceed to adapt, Apple customers will not be able to flee it: The corporate says Liquid Glass used to be designed to make all of its platforms extra cohesive.

Here is a take a look at how the translucent aesthetic appears with the brand new macOS Tahoe 26 in your desktop.

Methods to flip iOS 26 Liquid Glass settings off

For those who to find you do not like the brand new transparent take care of downloading iOS 26, you’ll exchange a pair Accessibility settings, despite the fact that you’ll’t totally flip off Liquid Glass. For starters, you’ll cut back the liquid glance through going to Settings > Accessibility > Movement > toggle on Scale back Movement.

You’ll make your drop-down menus extra opaque as a substitute of translucent through going to Settings >Accessibility > Show & Textual content Measurement > toggle on Scale back Transparency.

You’ll additionally exchange your transparent apps again to the way in which they have been. Simply press and dangle any app in your display and make a selection Edit House Display screen. From right here, faucet Edit (most sensible left) and Customise. You’ll change out to Default, Darkish or Tinted.

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

iOS 26 has a laundry listing of recent options. Some of the maximum profitable:

Telephone app redesign: You’ll now scroll thru contacts, contemporary calls and voicemail messages all on one display. It additionally comes with a brand new characteristic referred to as Dangle Help that’ll notify you when an agent involves the telephone so you’ll keep away from the elevator track and proceed on with different duties.

Are living Translation in Telephone, FaceTime and Messages: iOS 26 brings the power to have a dialog by means of telephone name, FaceTime or textual content message with anyone who speaks any other language. Are living Translation makes use of Apple Intelligence and it’s going to translate your dialog in actual time, which ends up in some stop-and-go interactions within the examples Apple shared all the way through its presentation.

Polls in workforce chats: Bored with sorting thru what turns out like loads of messages to your workforce chat? You and your mates can now create polls in workforce messages to make a decision such things as which brunch spot you might be consuming at or whose automobile you take on a street shuttle.

Filtering unknown senders in Messages: If you have not gained unsolicited mail texts about unpaid tolls or different citations, you might be fortunate. For the ones people who’ve, the ones nerve-racking messages will quickly be filtered away in a separate folder.

Visible Intelligence: Very similar to a opposite Google symbol seek, this new characteristic will let you seek for the rest that is in your iPhone display. For example, when you spot a couple of trainers anyone is dressed in in an Instagram photograph, you’ll screenshot it and use Visible Intelligence to search out the ones sneakers (or identical ones) on-line.

Pictures tabs are again: For any individual who is been pissed off with final yr’s adjustments to the Pictures app, you’ll be able to be at liberty to understand that your tabs are again. Library and Collections have their very own separate areas so that you shouldn’t have to scroll to infinity to search out what you might be on the lookout for.

Digital camera app updates: Navigating the Digital camera app will have to be more practical in iOS 26, as the entire buttons and menus are in handy spots — much less swiping, extra photograph taking. Plus, there is a new characteristic that tells you in case your lens must be wiped clean.

FaceTime “Conversation Protection” characteristic: A more moderen addition to iOS 26 seems to be the FaceTime “Conversation Protection” characteristic that pauses communications if and when nudity is detected. The characteristic seems to be a kid protection characteristic that makes use of on-device detection, thus obviating any cloud-based privateness problems.

New lock display choices: The iPhone lock display is extra customizable in iOS 26, with a cooler clock, 3-d wallpaper results, extra widgets and higher center of attention mode choices.

New alarm atmosphere: You can not be caught with the 9-minute snooze atmosphere to your alarms. As an alternative, you presently have the ability to modify your snooze time from one to fifteen mins.

Screenshots glance other: You can realize a number of new options when you are taking a screenshot, together with “spotlight to go looking,” the strategy to seek your symbol on Google and ChatGPT is there for any questions you could have in regards to the symbol.

Preview on iOS 26: There is a new app referred to as Preview that allows you to scan paperwork, fill out PDF bureaucracy, in addition to spotlight, underline or strike thru textual content in a PDF report. You’ll additionally take away backgrounds from photographs on this app.

New adjustments with iPadOS 26

Your iPad is not getting left at the back of on the subject of giant updates. Here is what to search for.

Multitasking and actual windowing: Whilst you obtain the most recent replace, you are able to have more than one apps working in your display on the identical time. When you open an app, it is going to seem in your display as customary however you are able to resize and transfer it throughout your display to make room for different apps. This selection is not obligatory so you’ll flip it off if you do not adore it.

Visible replace: Together with the opposite new OSes, iPadOS 26 additionally has the Liquid Glass aesthetic. This new glance seems at the lock and residential displays, in addition to the drop-down menus.

New menu bar: Whilst you swipe down in your display, the brand new menu bar will seem with choices like Document, Edit, Home windows and extra. There may be additionally a seek possibility if you are on the lookout for one thing particular.

There may be extra past that, so be sure that to try our first impressions of iPadOS 26.

What about AirPods?

AirPods also are getting up to date with iOS 26. Listed below are one of the most extra notable purposes.

Enhanced audio recording: Apple calls this “studio-quality” audio recording, and with it, you’ll be able to realize extra readability whilst in noisy environments.

Digital camera faraway keep an eye on: The use of this, you’ll take a photograph or get started and prevent video recording with only one press in your AirPods. When taking pictures, you’ll be able to get a three-second countdown earlier than your iPhone or iPad snaps the image.

Are living translation characteristic: Are living translation is to be had on AirPods Professional 3, AirPods Professional 2 and AirPods 4 with ANC when paired with iPhones working iOS 26. Apple says that once anyone speaks to you in a special language, you’ll use your AirPods to translate what they’re announcing.

Center charge tracking: Apple offered new AirPods Professional 3 earbuds this month, which come with center charge tracking. It’ll paintings with Apple’s Well being app and different health apps that monitor center charges.

Did Siri get an replace?

Siri is in a conserving trend. Apple has prior to now specified that its smarter voice assistant — first promised at WWDC 2024 — is behind schedule till some level “within the coming yr,” so you should not be expecting any main adjustments at this time. However there are stories that Apple is aiming to present Siri a larger mind transplant through basing it on third-party synthetic intelligence fashions like OpenAI’s ChatGPT or Anthropic’s Claude, which might make 2026 a pivotal yr. The corporate could also be reportedly running on a “stripped-down” AI chatbot to rival ChatGPT.

Which iPhones will be capable of improve to iOS 26?

A couple of iPhone fashions that run the present model of iOS — iPhone XR, XS and XS Max — are not suitable with the most recent improve. However any iPhones from 2019 or later will probably be eligible for iOS 26:

• iPhone SE (moment era or later)

When are you able to obtain iOS 26?

iOS 26 has formally been launched to the general public free of charge as of September 15, 2025.

In case you are extra within the new Apple Intelligence options, here is the entirety Apple published for iOS, macOS and extra all the way through WWDC. Additionally, take a look at how iOS 26 screenshots may well be an intriguing preview of Apple’s behind schedule Siri transform.

Replace, September 19: Added information about making Liquid Glass much less transparent.

Replace, September 18: Added data about Engadget’s iPhone 17 evaluation.

Replace, September 17: Added main points and hyperlink in regards to the new iPhone Air.

Replace, September 16: Added information about editing Liquid Glass settings, and new data in regards to the Preview app.

Replace, September 15: Famous iOS 26 is formally to be had for obtain.

Replace, September 12: Famous iOS 26 is coming to eligible iPhones in only a few days, timing TBD.

Replace, 9-11: Added the goods Apple launched at its Tuesday tournament and famous when iOS 26 will probably be to be had to obtain.

Replace, September 9: Famous the iPhone tournament is beginning quickly.

Replace, September 8: Famous the iPhone 17 tournament is the next day.

Replace, September 4: Added information about how screenshots are other in iOS 26.

Replace, September 3: Famous Apple is anticipated to liberate iOS 18.7 along iOS 26.

Replace, September 2: Added extra new options coming with iOS 26.

Replace, August 29: Added new phase about Siri and a hyperlink to what is new with the iOS 26 Digital camera app.

Replace, August 27: Added the legit iPhone 17 tournament date, in addition to the possible iOS 26 liberate.

Replace, August 25: Added a rumor about new AirPods Professional having center charge tracking.

Replace, August 22: Famous that Apple has formally stopped signing iOS 18.6.

Replace, August 20: Famous that iOS 26 public beta 4 and iOS 18.6.2 at the moment are to be had to obtain.

Replace, August 18: Added information about a possible iOS 18.6 replace.

Replace, August 15: Added to hyperlink to what to anticipate on the Apple iPhone tournament and information about what is to be had within the iOS 26 screenshots editor.

Replace, August 13: Added new AirPods element noticed within the iOS 26 beta.

Replace, August 11: Famous that iOS 26 developer beta has hit beta 6.

Replace, August 8: Added new options coming with iPadOS 26 and AirPods.

Replace, August 6: Famous the discharge of iOS 26 beta 5 and the brand new bouncy characteristic on passcode display and Keep watch over Heart.

Replace, August 4: Famous that Apple is reportedly running on a ChatGPT rival.

Replace, August 1: Added quote from Tim Cook dinner about iOS 26.

Replace, July 31: Famous that iOS 18.6 is now to be had.

Replace, July 24: Famous the iOS 26 public beta is now to be had.

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

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

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