Apple showed off iOS 26 at WWDC 2025. This big software upgrade gives the iPhone a whole new look and a lot of new functions that change how you use it. The public will be able to get this new iPhone operating system in the autumn of 2025, perhaps at the same time as the new iPhone 17 series. This week, developers will be able to use the beta version. A public beta version will be out in July.
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A New Era of iOS: Liquid Glass Design
The Liquid Glass interface is the most obvious new feature in iOS 26. This new visual style is based on the look of VisionOS utilised in Vision Pro. It adds depth, transparency, and dynamic reactivity to the iOS environment. The design feels lighter, smoother, and more immersive since it changes based on the colours and context of each thing on the screen.
For the first time, iPhone users may choose a third visual setting dubbed All Clear in addition to Light and Dark. This simple setting turns app icons into clear tiles that seem like glass. This gives the home screen a clean, modern look.
Enhanced Lock Screen and Adaptive Controls
Liquid Glass turns the lock screen into a canvas for interactive and responsive features. Depending on the backdrop image or incoming notifications, time displays and widgets can change size, move, and stretch. Spatial scenes use machine learning to make lock screen backgrounds look like they have depth in 3D.
Streamlined Camera and Photos Apps
The Camera app gets a careful revamp with an interface that is easy to understand and use. With a simple swipe, users can now switch between Photo and Video modes and easily get to common settings. The Photos app, on the other hand, uses Liquid Glass to power a new bottom menu that makes things clearer and easier to navigate.
Redesigned Phone App with Smart Call Management
The Phone app in iOS 26 not only uses the new design language, but it also adds Call Screening. This feature answers calls from unknown numbers automatically and only lets the user know if the caller says their identity and why they are calling. Hold Assist is another feature that saves you time. It finds hold music and waits for you, letting you know when a live agent joins the line.
Messaging Gets Smarter and More Expressive
The Messages app gets more colourful and unique. Users may now add backdrops to chats, make polls that change in real time in group chats, and get better at spotting spam. These changes make communicating more fun and useful every day.
Safari and FaceTime Focus on Clarity
Safari now puts the tab bar over the content, which makes it easier to browse without clutter. FaceTime has a simple design that hides controls during chats and shows personalised posters for regular contacts on the main page.
Music App Introduces Lyrics Translation and AutoMix
The Music app now has translation and pronunciation guidelines for song lyrics, which makes it easier to comprehend and sing along with music in other languages. AutoMix mixes tracks together like a DJ, and users can pin their favourite albums and artists to get to them faster.
A New Gaming Experience
With mobile games becoming more and more popular, Apple has released a separate Games app. This hub lets you quickly go to Apple Arcade and other games without having to go via the App Store.
Live Translation and Visual Intelligence
Live translation in Messages, Phone, and FaceTime makes it easier for people who speak different languages to talk to each other. Apple Intelligence adds new tools that let users translate captions in real time, and Visual Intelligence lets them even get event details or product information from screenshots.
Maps, CarPlay, and Wallet Improvements
Maps get more personal by remembering the routes users use most often and grouping places they visit by category or city. CarPlay now has small notifications, interactive widgets, and Live Activities that show you what’s happening right now.
The Wallet app now supports Digital ID for TSA checks and includes improved purchase tracking that uses AI to collect order data from texts and emails, even if Apple Pay wasn’t used. Users may now handle their reward points and installment payments right from the Wallet interface.
Additional Features and Accessibility
There are a lot of small enhancements in iOS 26 that you might not notice:
- Users can start capturing video with a long tap on the AirPods Camera Remote.
- You may now set alarms to snooze for 1 to 15 minutes.
- With AirPods that have an H2 chip, you can now record audio and video calls in HD.
- Updates to accessibility make things better for people who read Braille and help with motion sickness.
- Based on messages and emails, the Reminders app proposes things to do and things to buy.
- The diary app lets you use more than one diary, map, and inline image.
- Parental controls have been improved to help parents keep track of their kids’ communication and App Store access.
Compatibility and Release Timeline
All iPhones from the iPhone 11 and iPhone SE (2nd generation) onwards, including the newest iPhone 16 series, can run iOS 26. The complete public release should happen in September or October 2025, which is the usual time for an iPhone to come out. Developer beta access starts right away, and the public beta will be available in July.
Final Thoughts
Apple is starting a new, exciting chapter for the iPhone with iOS 26. The Liquid Glass design, smart features, and deep integration of Apple Intelligence are big steps forward in both looks and how well it works. iOS 26 is meant to make the iPhone experience better in every way, whether you’re taking pictures, talking to friends, or finding your way around the digital world.
