What is New in iOS 26?
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{Photograph}: Julian Chokkattu
Wait, what came about to iOS 19? In case you are puzzled as to how we were given to iOS 26 when the final model was once iOS 18, do not be disturbed: You did not omit the rest. Apple made up our minds to modify the naming construction for all of its working techniques to 26 this 12 months to replicate 2026. It is more or less like new automotive fashions. The spotlight in iOS 26 is the design: Liquid Glass. It is divisive, however there are methods to tone down the glassy glance.
Probably the most sensible and helpful function is the name screening gear within the Telephone, Messages, and FaceTime apps. Whenever you decide in, your iPhone will display calls from unknown callers, dramatically decreasing the selection of robocalls or scammers that dial your quantity. It really works in a similar fashion in Messages by way of screening texts from unknown numbers and placing them in a separate tab. There may be additionally a Hang Lend a hand serve as right through calls, in order quickly as you listen the cling song, faucet Hang Lend a hand, and your iPhone will ping you when there is a actual human at the different finish.
For extra of the highest options in iOS 26 and tips on how to obtain it, take a look at out our roundup.
Your iPhone simply were given an replace. Liquid Glass, iPad multitasking, and contact screening—check out Apple’s new options in iOS 26 and iPadOS 26.
Charging Adapters for Your iPhone
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{Photograph}: Julian Chokkattu
Apple hasn’t introduced a charging brick within the field for the reason that iPhone 12, so if you happen to shouldn’t have one, we’ve got were given you coated with a couple of suggestions. A majority of these are 30-watt chargers that may fast-charge maximum iPhones. If you wish to have the quickest speeds at the iPhone 17 fashions, you’ll be able to want a 40-watt charger, and we now have some selections for you.
Anker 511 Nano 3 30-Watt Charger for $16: This is likely one of the tiniest chargers we’ve got examined, and the prongs fold up for much more area financial savings. It is available in amusing colours, and it is great and inexpensive.
Counterpart The Charger for $44: Why raise a charger and cable one by one when you’ll get each in a single? Retractable chargers are well-liked, and I really like this horny fashion from Counterpart. You’ll get it in a couple of colours, and the USB-C cable extends as much as 4 ft. The prongs fold so that they may not scratch the rest to your bag, and the 35-watt output is sufficient to fast-charge maximum iPhones and iPads. It will recharge a MacBook, even though a MacBook Professional calls for a extra tough charger.
Apple 40W Dynamic Energy Adapter for $40: Apple’s new Dynamic Energy Adapter gets you the quickest charging speeds imaginable at the iPhone 17 fashions. That is 50 % in simply 20 mins, and I used to be in a position to copy that during my assessments. It is a smaller charger than prior fashions, and it is some of the few chargers with SPR AVS beef up (Usual Energy Vary Adjustable Voltage Provide). It is a mouthful, however necessarily, it may spice up energy output as much as 60 watts when wanted. That implies it is a extra flexible charger that you’ll use to your MacBook Air and your iPhone.
Nomad Slender 65W Energy Adapter for $55: That is my go-to charger every time I commute. It is extremely narrow, has lots of energy, and has two USB-C ports so I will price a couple of units concurrently. The adapter can get somewhat scorching, however I have used this charger for years without a problems.
The Proper USB-C Cable
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{Photograph}: Simon Hill
Cable Issues USB-C to USB-C Thunderbolt 4
The issue with USB-C is that its features are so huge, however no longer each and every USB-C cable helps each and every unmarried serve as. You want to verify the cable you purchase helps video output, rapid knowledge switch, and immediate charging if that is what you wish to have. The cable Apple contains within the field can raise as much as 60 watts of energy, and that’s the reason just about it. You’ll use this cable to recharge a MacBook, however possibly no longer a MacBook Professional below heavy load.
In the event you get a cable like this one from Cable Issues, you’ll be able to be coated for each and every situation. It helps as much as 100 watts of energy so you’ll use it for your whole devices, has DisplayPort to paintings with exterior screens, and helps as much as 40 gigabits according to 2nd of knowledge switch. It additionally is available in a couple of lengths.
Learn our Best possible USB-C Cables information for extra.
Get a MagSafe Transportable Battery
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{Photograph}: Simon Hill
Anker
MagGo Energy Financial institution (10K) (Qi2)
The wonderful thing about MagSafe is that you’ll pop a battery at the again of your iPhone, and also you shouldn’t have to fret about any wires. That is our most sensible advice, and it helps the Qi2 usual, so it’s going to paintings with any tool with Qi2. It has a ten,000-mAh potential this is excellent to recharge an iPhone absolutely as soon as after which some, and there is a integrated kickstand so you’ll proceed looking at your favourite display because it fees. Best possible of all is the integrated LED show, useful for seeing how a lot juice the charger has left.
Learn our Best possible MagSafe Energy Banks information for extra suggestions.
{Photograph}: Julian Chokkattu
Apple
iPhone Air MagSafe Battery
Apple has a devoted narrow MagSafe Battery for the iPhone Air. It takes benefit of the Air’s new design and suits completely at the again. (It’s going to paintings with different iPhones, however you must position the battery horizontally, making the entire thing awkward.) No, this $99 accent is not in reality value it. You’ll in finding higher-capacity batteries for much less cash. In my assessments, I used to be in a position to get 68 % again on my iPhone Air prior to the three,149-mAh MagSafe Battery died. Alternatively, it is nonetheless lovely dang narrow, labored reliably, and suits like a glove. Possibly catch it on sale.
Get a 3-in-1 Wi-fi Charger
{Photograph}: Simon Hill
Belkin
3-in-1 Qi2 Charging Stand
When you’ve got an iPhone, there is a probability you may have some other Apple device, like AirPods or an Apple Watch. If that is so, you in reality must get a 3-in-1 charger for your own home. We now have heaps of choices in our Best possible Apple 3-in-1 Chargers information, however this Belkin MagSafe fashion is our favourite. It has a sublime design and fees the iPhone and Apple Watch at most speeds, and you’ll pop your earbuds at the base to most sensible them up. It may not paintings with the iPhone 16e until you get a MagSafe case, or even then, you will not be aware about the speedier and extra environment friendly charging speeds.
Use a MagSafe Grip
{Photograph}: Brenda Stolyar
It is easy, reasonable, and flexible. Anker’s MagGo 610 grip magnetically sticks to the again of your iPhone and has a steel ring. Pop this out to make use of it as a kickstand in panorama orientation, or as a finger loop for enhanced grip when the usage of your iPhone. Learn our Best possible MagSafe Grips information for quite a few different suggestions, together with flashy choices like this heart-shaped PopSockets grip.
Lift a MagSafe Pockets
{Photograph}: Molly Higgins
Courtesy of Nomad
Hate bringing a pockets with you in all places? Stick it to the again of your iPhone! This Nomad leather-based pockets is sublime and will cling about 4 playing cards. What makes it distinctive is that it options Apple’s In finding My, that means you’ll monitor its location within the In finding My app if you happen to lose it. That does imply the pockets must recharge each and every from time to time, however you’ll with ease recharge it with any MagSafe charger, no proprietary cable wanted. (It must final round 5 months on a unmarried price.) Learn our Best possible MagSafe Wallets information for extra choices.
The MagSafe global is glorious and peculiar. We now have lots extra suggestions in our Best possible MagSafe Equipment information, starting from MagSafe digital camera cages and tripods to notepads you’ll magnetically stick with the again of your iPhone.
The iPhone 13 and older iPhones are most certainly to be had someplace, however you should not take the bait. They do not have the processing energy to stay alongside of the newest instrument, and despite the fact that they do, they’re going to have a far shorter instrument shelf existence or lack trendy options like USB-C. The one older iPhones value taking into consideration in this day and age are the iPhone 14 or iPhone 15 collection, even higher if it is the Professional fashions, if you’ll in finding them at low costs. Simplest the latter has the USB-C charging port, even though.
The iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR are bring to an end from receiving the iOS 26 replace, so they are particularly ones to steer clear of. With out instrument beef up, your tool will slowly develop into much less safe and may just develop into a gradual, buggy mess.
The iPhone’s Charging Port Is Now USB-C
The iPhone 15 vary ditched the long-standing Lightning port for USB-C, and it is now within the iPhone 16 and iPhone 17 vary too. This is similar charging port on iPads, MacBooks, Android telephones, Home windows laptops, and plenty of extra non-public tech devices. USB-C is continuously known as the “common port” as a result of it may technically deal with more than a few obligations. For instance, you’ll plug in exterior shows and prolong the iPhone’s display or attach the similar USB-C equipment you may well be these days the usage of in your pc, like SD card readers. Unfortunately, it does imply your Lightning equipment may not paintings until you get dongles.
You’ll learn extra about what the port does right here, however there are two essential issues to notice:
The iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16e, iPhone 17, and iPhone Air beef up the USB 2.0 usual similar to the iPhones prior to, so you’ll be able to max out at 480 megabits according to 2nd of knowledge switch speeds.
The iPhone 15 Professional, iPhone 15 Professional Max, iPhone 16 Professional, iPhone 16 Professional Max, iPhone 17 Professional, and iPhone 17 Professional Max beef up the USB 3.0 usual and are able to as much as 10 gigabits according to 2nd of knowledge switch speeds.
What’s the Deal With eSIMs?
All iPhone 14 and more recent units utterly ditch the bodily SIM tray in the United States, that means you’ll not simply pop your bodily SIM inside of to activate cell connectivity. As an alternative, you will have to depend on an eSIM. You’ll learn extra about them right here. This tech has been to be had in iPhones for the reason that iPhone XS and XR, however now you have to make use of it. Apple has additionally began switching extra world fashions to eSIM best, just like the iPhone Air.) If you end up putting in place your new iPhone, you’ll be able to mechanically be requested to switch your quantity out of your earlier iPhone, and the entire procedure must take a couple of mins with none bother. (eSIMs are extra safe than bodily SIMs.) Whenever you switch your quantity, your bodily SIM card may not paintings anymore.
There is a probability you should still run into some problems, particularly if you are coming from an Android telephone (or wish to transfer again to an Android telephone). You will have to take a look at along with your provider to get your cell connection in running order once more. It mustn’t take lengthy, however it isn’t so simple as popping in a bodily card.
Easy methods to Substitute Your iPhone’s Battery
What Is the Motion Button and Digicam Keep an eye on Button?
The Motion Button debuted at the iPhone 15 Professional fashions, and they are now usual on each and every iPhone within the lineup. It sits above the amount rocker at the left fringe of the telephones. It successfully replaces the previous Mute Transfer, however recall to mind it as only a configurable button. You’ll have it nonetheless keep an eye on the mute serve as of the telephone, or customise it (Settings > Motion Button) to cause the flashlight, a Voice Memo, and even release an app or Shortcut.
Digicam Keep an eye on is some other more recent addition that debuted at the iPhone 16 collection. At the proper fringe of the telephone underneath the facility button, press it to release the Digicam app, and you’ll press it to seize a photograph or get started recording a video. A gentle faucet and swipe can transfer thru other digital camera lenses or modes, however I discovered this nerve-racking. (You’ll configure it by way of heading to Settings > Digicam > Digicam Keep an eye on.) Press and cling this button and you’ll be able to cause Apple’s Visible Intelligence. It will use the digital camera to spot topics in entrance of you, very similar to Google Lens, so you’ll ask questions by the use of Google or ChatGPT about what you are looking at.
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