Your iPhone will soon look a lot different when iOS 26 (named for 2026) comes out in the fall, but there's more to see under the frosted glass facade. Announced at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference, the latest version of the iPhone's operating system incorporates some features that iPhone owners have watched their Android friends enjoy, plus plenty of other enhancements.
For instance, the Camera and Photos apps are gaining long-awaited functional redesigns; the Messages and Phone apps are taking a firmer stand against unwanted texts and calls; and Apple Intelligence contributes some improvements in a year when Siri has been delayed. Here are the updates you can expect to see on the iPhone soon.
The next version of the operating system is due to ship in September or October (likely with new iPhone 17 models), but developer betas are available now, with a public beta expected in July.
Watch this: Introducing iOS 26 at WWDC25 04:37
Apple/Screenshot by Joe Maldonado/CNET
Transparent new Liquid glass design
After more than a decade of a flat, clean user interface -- an overhaul introduced in iOS 7 when former Apple Chief Design Officer Jony Ive took over the design of software as well as hardware -- the iPhone is getting a new look. The new design extends throughout the Apple product lineup, from iOS to WatchOS, TVOS and iPadOS.
The Liquid Glass interface also now enables a third way to view app icons on the iPhone home screen. Not content with Light and Dark modes, iOS 26 now features an All Clear look -- every icon is clear glass with no color. Lock screens can also have an enhanced 3D effect using spatial scenes, which use machine learning to give depth to your background photos.
The new All Clear icon look in iOS 26 is part of the Liquid Glass design. Apple/Screenshot by Jeff Carlson/CNET
Dynamic and adaptable lock screen
... continue reading