The High New Options in Apple’s iOS 26 and iPadOS 26

Your iPhone and iPad will look considerably totally different when iOS 26 and iPadOS 26 roll out this fall. And no, you haven’t missed seven working system upgrades since iOS 18 final 12 months. Apple has modified the naming construction of its OS updates and made all of them constant—visionOS 26, watchOS 26, macOS 26—so that they’re now tied to the 12 months after their launch, just like what automobile makers do when debuting new fashions.

The principle spotlight throughout all of Apple’s updates introduced at WWDC 2025 revolves across the new appear and feel of the interface, a design language the corporate calls Liquid Glass. Past that, a number of new options are coming to iOS, from stay translation options in messages and calls to the flexibility to look something in your iPhone display screen by way of Visible Intelligence. The Images app can also be getting its tabs again! Extra important are the updates to iPadOS, which is able to now assist windowed apps which might be resizable and will be tiled, bringing it nearer to a desktop computing expertise folks have been ready for.

We’ll run by way of the highest new options in each working techniques. Here is what it is advisable to know.

High iOS 26 Options

Let’s check out the highest new options in iOS 26. You may learn extra about it immediately from Apple right here.

Liquid Glass and Lock Display screen Adjustments

Apple has a brand new design language for the iPhone, the primary main visible overhaul in years, and it is referred to as Liquid Glass. It’s totally very like the Home windows Aero theme from the Microsoft Vista days in 2006. The interface acts like glass, so knocking down the lock display screen feels such as you’re transferring a pane of glass, and you may see how the apps work together round it. There are even specular highlights on app icons that shift because the cellphone strikes in your hand. Apple has additionally added some newer animations that really feel bouncy, not in contrast to a number of the new animations in Android 16. There’s supposedly no change in efficiency or battery life to render these results.

You may have the conventional app icons with Liquid Glass, and you may even tint the apps similar to final 12 months. However there is a new choice for “Clear” app icons, and all the pieces within the interface switches to that all-glass look.

Over on the lock display screen, the time now adapts to the photograph, stretching till it goes proper behind the highest of the topic for a depth impact. Additionally, when new notifications are available, the topic in your photograph shifts up in order that the notifications do not block them. There’s additionally a brand new method to flip 2D pictures right into a 3D impact within the Images app, and you may apply these to the lock display screen.

Name Screening and Cellphone App Redesign

Taking a web page from Google’s Name Display screen characteristic on Pixel telephones, Apple has lastly added its personal model in iOS 26. When you allow Name Screening, it will mechanically reply calls from unknown callers within the background with out alerting you. As soon as the caller offers a cause for his or her name, your cellphone will ring, however you can see the response on the display screen so you possibly can resolve whether or not you need to reply or not.

Identical to Google’s Maintain for Me characteristic, Apple has a Maintain Help perform that makes staying on maintain extra bearable. In the event you’re making an attempt to succeed in an organization however hear the dreaded maintain music, you possibly can flip this characteristic on and will not must pay tremendous shut consideration to your cellphone. When the music is over and a stay agent begins speaking, you may get a notification—helpful if it is advisable to wait greater than half-hour simply to succeed in a customer support rep.

The redesigned cellphone app in iOS 26.

{Photograph}: Julian Chokkattu

These screening capabilities are additionally within the Messages and FaceTime app with an “Unknown Senders” tab. You may approve these numbers they usually’ll present up in your fundamental Messages view, or mark them as spam. (Some will mechanically be screened as Spam.)

The Cellphone app additionally has a brand new look, together with your favorites up high and up to date calls under. You’ll swap to the outdated Cellphone app person interface by way of a toggle on the highest proper of the app.

Reside Translation in Messages, Cellphone, and FaceTime

Now you can get stay translations from Apple’s Messages, Cellphone, and FaceTime apps. We have seen related variations of this know-how from Samsung and Google on their respective telephones over the previous couple of years. Within the Cellphone app, you possibly can activate a translation mode, and a voice will translate what the opposite particular person says and vice versa in actual time. (You may toggle whether or not you want translation each methods or simply for one language.) Over within the Messages app, you may see translated textual content as part of your message bubble when talking with another person, and in FaceTime, you may get real-time translated subtitles. All of those occur on-device, so knowledge would not depart your iPhone, they usually’ll additionally work whenever you’re speaking with folks utilizing Android telephones.

Reside Translation is built-in into Messages, FaceTime, and Cellphone. It will possibly translate audio in addition to textual content.

Courtesy of Apple

In the intervening time, Reside Translation in Cellphone and FaceTime solely works with one-on-one calls in English (UK and US), French in France, German, Portuguese (Brazil), and Spanish (Spain). Reside Translation in Messages has barely broader language assist, together with Chinese language (simplified) and Japanese. Since there’s now a Cellphone app on iPadOS and MacOS, you possibly can nonetheless make the most of these options if you happen to reply on these platforms.

Visible Intelligence and the iPhone Display screen

Visible Intelligence debuted with Apple Intelligence as a method to have Siri perceive the world round you thru the iPhone’s digital camera. It is now increasing to know the context of your iPhone’s display screen. Very very like Google’s Gemini, Visible Intelligence can determine what’s in your display screen and counsel particular actions.

Not like triggering Visible Intelligence and Siri with the Digital camera Management or Motion Button, to set off the on-screen contextual mode, you must take a screenshot (don’t be concerned, these do not must be saved if you happen to faucet the X icon on the highest left). In the event you take a screenshot of an invite somebody despatched you, for instance, you may see a suggestion so as to add it to your calendar with one faucet. In the event you’re taking a look at a PDF, a screenshot would possibly counsel a summarization so you may get the highlights.

There’s even a characteristic similar to Google Lens or Google’s Circle to Search, the place you possibly can take a screenshot after which spotlight a particular factor on the web page you need to search by way of Google, or by way of one other app that is put in in your cellphone that helps the characteristic, like Etsy. So you possibly can spotlight a vase, for instance, after which discover related outcomes by way of Google or related shoppable vases on Etsy.

New Group Message and Emoji Options

Group chats are lastly getting typing indicators and polls (although the latter is unique to iMessage group chats). There’s additionally the flexibility so as to add new background designs for messages to make them extra personalised. In the event you’re massive on emojis, you would possibly like the brand new potential to combine two emojis collectively by way of Genmoji within the keyboard or in Apple’s Picture Playground app. (It is considerably just like Google’s Emoji Kitchen.)

Conversations in Messages have background textures now.

{Photograph}: Julian Chokkattu

Group chats get an overhaul.

{Photograph}: Julian Chokkattu

A New Video games App

There is a new app in iOS 26! The Video games app is now your one-stop store to see all of the video games you’ve got ever purchased on the App Retailer, and you may launch them proper from this app. (There’s even controller assist so you should utilize a cellular controller to maneuver by way of the person interface.) The app helps you to uncover new video games, see what your folks are enjoying, and a Challenges tab helps you to compete even with single-player video games by way of a leaderboard.

Different Noteworthy Options

There are a number of different options not talked about right here, however listed below are a number of different highlights.

• Images: Apple heard your complaints concerning the Images app and introduced again the Library and Collections tabs on the principle web page of the app.
• Digital camera: The Digital camera app has a brand new look, with a simplified Picture and Video format that expands whenever you transfer by way of modes.
• Reminders: You will now see instructed duties, procuring objects, or follow-ups primarily based in your emails and texts in your iPhone, powered by Apple Intelligence. There’s additionally an choice to auto-categorize associated reminders in an inventory.
• AirPods Audio and Video Recording: If in case you have AirPods or AirPods Professional with the H2 chip, you can begin recording a video within the iPhone’s digital camera app by urgent and holding on the stem. You can even report audio in excessive definition within the digital camera app with these AirPods.
• Maps: Maps will be taught the routes you journey frequently and gives you a heads up about delays earlier than you permit the home. Additionally, there’s now a Visited Locations part within the app (you must choose in, and you may select for the way lengthy Maps shops this knowledge, from 3 months to eternally).
• Apple Music: Within the Music app, there’s now an AutoMix characteristic that may seamlessly mixes one track to the subsequent like a DJ utilizing instruments like time stretching and beatmatching. Additionally, if you happen to’re taking a look at music lyrics, now you can see translations.
• Pockets: Apple’s Pockets app can create Digital IDs together with your US passport, which can be utilized at TSA checkpoints, in apps, and in particular person. Additionally, your boarding go will now characteristic airport maps, baggage monitoring with Discover My, and sharable Reside Actions so your family members can simply obtain and see your flight data.
• Picture Playground: There are new ChatGPT kinds to select from when producing pictures in Apple’s picture technology app.
• CarPlay: Reside Actions at the moment are coming to CarPlay, so you possibly can see the standing of a buddy’s flight as you are in your method to the airport to select them up. You can even now react in Messages with Tapback.

The High New iPadOS 26 Options

iPadOS 26 will get lots of the identical options as iOS 26, so I will not repeat issues on this part, however let’s check out particular new capabilities coming to iPads this fall. As all the time, you may get a deeper dive from Apple right here.

Multitasking Enhancements

iPads have develop into extremely highly effective over the previous couple of years, however multitasking has been lackluster, making them really feel insufficient as laptop computer replacements. That is altering now with the multitasking modifications in iPadOS 26. Now, apps assist windowing, so you possibly can have a number of apps on the display screen in numerous sizes. Simply resize them by dragging a nook of the app and organize them wherever.

Apps will be tiled in numerous configurations.

{Photograph}: Julian Chokkattu

You get Mac-style visitors gentle buttons too.

{Photograph}: Julian Chokkattu

There are native window tiling choices—a flick to the left or proper will tile apps to the edges for simpler split-screen, and you may even cut up apps into thirds or quarters. The acquainted visitors gentle buttons from macOS are additionally obtainable now on apps, and if you happen to press and maintain them, you may see extra choices to rearrange apps with a faucet. Swipe up and maintain and your apps will unfold out in Exposé mode, and you can revisit your grouped apps later even if you happen to swap to a full-screen app. There’s now additionally a menu bar you possibly can pull down from the highest in any app, although the obtainable choices will rely on the app.

Better of all, iPadOS now helps you to deal with extra duties within the background. Beforehand, if you happen to had been rendering a file in Last Lower, you’d must maintain it open for the render to finish. Now, that process will be accomplished within the background, permitting you to modify to different apps for a real multitasking desktop expertise.

A Higher Information App

The Information app has a brand new design that gives up extra data at a look. There are resizable columns, collapsible folders, and you may set default apps for opening particular file sorts. You can even customise folders with totally different colours and emojis to make them visually distinct. Talking of, you possibly can put folders within the dock for speedier entry.

The Information app has sortable, resizable columns.

Courtesy of Apple

Preview App Involves iPad

Apple’s Preview app from macOS is now obtainable on iPadOS, permitting you to open, edit, and mark up PDFs or pictures. It really works with the Apple Pencil, making it nice for filling out textual content fields and signing paperwork.

The Preview app works with Apple Pencil.

Courtesy of Apple

Different Noteworthy Options

• Cellphone: There’s now a devoted Cellphone app on iPad. Calls made to your iPhone will be routed so you possibly can reply from the iPad, and you can make the most of new options like stay translation and name screening, too.
• Journal: The Journal app, initially an iPhone-exclusive app, is now on iPadOS. It now helps the Apple Pencil, so you may make your journal really feel much more private with your individual handwriting.
• Audio recording: There is a new enter chooser that allows you to decide the appropriate microphone for every app, helpful if you happen to’re connecting exterior mics to the iPad.
• Notes: You may seize conversations from the Cellphone app as audio recordings with transcriptions.