Apple’s headline iOS 26 features like Apple Intelligence and redesigned apps tend to get all the attention. But some of the most useful changes are easy to miss. These underrated iOS 26 updates quietly improve the iPhone experience in ways that don’t make the keynote but still matter in everyday use.
From smarter AirPods behavior to new journaling tools and better battery estimates, here are 13 updates you might have missed.
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AirPods get smarter when you fall asleep
One of the most practical underrated iOS 26 updates is automatic pausing for AirPods when the system detects you’ve fallen asleep. No more waking up to the next podcast in your queue or loud music after you drift off to sleep. Now if only iOS 26 could convince my dog that AirPods aren’t chew toys when I fall asleep listening to audio.
CarPlay, meet handoff
Another nice touch is expanded Automatic Switching, which now includes support for CarPlay as part of the handoff experience. This is useful for when you go from grocery shopping or an outdoor workout to driving and want to pick up where you left off on your music or podcast.
Journal expands with new views and syncing
The Journal app now supports multiple journals, inline images, and location-based entry maps. It’s also coming to iPad and Mac, with iCloud syncing across all devices for easier access and continuity.
If you found the Journal app to be underwhelming when it first launched, iOS 26 gives you a good reason to revisit the app. Inline image support reminds me a lot of iWeb and iPhoto Journal, two great discontinued Apple software features from previous decades.
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