Apple’s iOS 26 software update for iPhones is available today to all users using iPhone 11, iPhone SE 2, and later. iOS 26’s marquee feature was Apple’s Liquid Glass design, which included elements on screen that resembled a “glassy” look. Other features included a call screening assistant, a new gaming and preview app, in-app translation across the system, and updates to Genmoji and Image Playground apps.
The operating system update also went through a big numerical change as Apple jumped from iOS 18 to iOS 26 for two key reasons. First, it wanted to bring all operating systems — iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, tvOS, and VisionOS — in sync. And it also wanted to reflect the year number in which the majority of the people will use this update.
Liquid Glass
Liquid Glass design has been the most significant visual overhaul for iOS in years. Apple’s intention with this redesign was to take inspiration from the Vision Pro interface and apply it to all of its operating systems. The elements are meant to look like they are made of translucent glass. This resulted in challenges in terms of readability and how elements in the background look.
Image Credits: Apple
Since June, Apple has made changes to how “glassy” the interface looks multiple times through beta releases. While the company is releasing the stable version of iOS 26 today, we might expect visual tweaks for improved readability and usability in the coming months. This visual change might take a bit of time for users to adjust, and they might not like certain elements right away.
Apple apps
The Phone app has a new unified look where your favorites are up top in a card format with recents and voicemails on the same screen. You can tap the filter button on the top right and look at these sections individually as well. (If you don’t like the new interface, Apple also gives you an option to switch to the classic look.)
iOS 26 also brings a call screening feature to iPhones, which is a personal favorite. When an unknown number calls you, the system asks for their name and the purpose of the call. Once they give this information, the system invokes the ringer and notifies you of the call. You can look at the conversation and interject at any time. Transcription of voicemail doesn’t work well for all languages, but call screening has reduced the number of calls I’ve had to pick up.
Image Credits: Apple
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