iOS 26 is not fairly able to launch but, however we’re far sufficient alongside within the testing course of that Apple is seeding the replace out to tens of millions of public beta testers at this time. iOS 26 can be now refined sufficient that we’re capable of share extra element on what this replace will actually imply for iPhone customers when it is available in September.
When Apple confirmed off Liquid Glass on stage at WWDC 2025, it was dramatically completely different from iOS 18. Translucency was closely used all through the OS, with see-through buttons, navigation bars, menus, and extra. There was such a heavy give attention to translucency that early customers expressed issues over usability and readability.
In the course of the developer beta testing interval, Apple has walked again the extra dramatic Liquid Glass results considerably, and gone backwards and forwards on the design. The Management Middle is now not so clear that it is laborious to see the buttons, navigation bars look way more opaque, and notifications are now not unreadable on busy backgrounds.
Beta 3 specifically resulted in complaints that Apple had gone too far strolling again its design modifications, primarily as a result of it eradicated a whole lot of the transparency in apps. Apple then re-added a few of that transparency in beta 4, which is what public beta testers are getting. Beta 4 isn’t as translucent as beta 1 and beta 2, however the reintroduction of extra of the Liquid Glass impact has upset individuals who closely favor legibility over design. There’s nonetheless a big cut up between those that choose the translucency, and those that suppose it is a main design mistake.
Apple is not carried out tweaking Liquid Glass, and the general public beta suggestions may lead to higher steadiness between visibility and the Liquid Glass look. It will be nice if Apple applied a transparency slider, permitting customers to determine how a lot “frost” they need for the interface.
The Liquid Glass time and management buttons on the Lock Display screen draw the attention and are aesthetically pleasing paired with a photo-based wallpaper. Apple added a function the place the time will dynamically change in measurement primarily based in your wallpaper, and it is also capable of dip additional behind the topic of a picture. That is out there on Apple Look ahead to the Photos face too, and it really works even higher on the wrist. App icons have a stacked glass impact, and folders, the dock, the App Library, and Lock Display screen notifications are nonetheless largely translucent. You may choose into the all-glass search for your app icons and widgets, which boosts the impact. Darker backgrounds will even give a glassier look, with Apple utilizing extra opaqueness for lighter backgrounds to enhance readability.
Whereas the precise glass look of the redesign has seen modifications in the course of the beta, navigation tweaks and simplifications have remained. The Photographs app is the most effective instance, and it has a streamlined two-tab important interface that reveals extra as you want it. The pop-out menus and buttons which have changed extra sophisticated button-laden layouts from iOS 18 are a welcome change throughout Apple’s apps.
A number of the design updates are optionally available. Safari has a extra compact design that tucks tab instruments away behind a menu, however you may as well select to make use of the identical Safari design that you’ve got in iOS 18. There is a unified Telephone app that merges latest calls, missed calls, and voicemails, however you do not have to make use of it. There are locations within the interface the place the menus and navigation bars fall away when not wanted to emphasise content material, with Safari serving for instance. The tab bar collapses down if you scroll down, and comes proper again up for those who scroll up. It is an intuitive change that is sensible.
Apple walked again no less than one controversial design change that was launched in iOS 18. The Photographs app now not has a unified view, and it is now cut up right into a Library tab and a Collections tab. It isn’t the total navigation bar that was out there earlier than iOS 18, however it’s a compromise between the total bar and the unified look. Every thing in iOS 26 is spherical, and the gentle curves work higher than stark strains with the Liquid Glass look. Buttons that weren’t spherical earlier than at the moment are. Menu bars have rounded corners and are extra pill-shaped. Even the keyboard has extra rounded edges.
There are options past Liquid Glass, although perhaps not as many as we have had in previous years. Apple did not emphasize Apple Intelligence as a lot because it did at WWDC 2024 for apparent causes, however there are quite a few Apple Intelligence features in iOS 26.
- Stay Translation – Within the Messages, FaceTime, and Telephone apps, you will get real-time translations for conversations with somebody that does not communicate your language. It is text-based translation in Messages and FaceTime, and voiceover translation within the Telephone app. Languages are restricted proper now, nevertheless it labored effectively in our testing. Translations had been virtually at all times correct, and the function is quick.
- Visible Intelligence for Screenshots – You may take a screenshot and convey up Visual Intelligence instruments to ask questions on it or look it up in an app. It is useful for those who keep in mind that it exists, nevertheless it is probably not a pure workflow for many individuals. It largely leverages ChatGPT, Google Search, and some different apps, and many people are already capable of rapidly get screenshots to those providers with out Apple as a intermediary.
- Pockets Order Monitoring – The Pockets app can mixture your entire purchases in a single spot, pulling order and monitoring data from the Mail app. It is a “beta” function in a beta, and it isn’t working completely. It isn’t at all times nice at linking an order e mail with a subsequent monitoring e mail, so chances are you’ll must spend time manually marking packages as delivered.
- Picture Playground – Apple did not point out this at WWDC, however Image Playground in iOS 26 is quite a bit higher at picture era, particularly if you’re producing a picture primarily based on an individual. Apple additionally built-in ChatGPT kinds that open up extra choices for the look of a picture, nevertheless it’s not helpful except you’ve got a ChatGPT subscription. And for those who do, you may simply use ChatGPT straight for no matter you wish to create.
- Genmoji – Genmoji has a function that lets you choose two or extra current emoji characters to create one thing new, and it is a intelligent technique to give customers a greater thought of methods to use the function. Making a Genmoji with a strawberry and a frog was solely attainable earlier than, however now you may faucet these emoji as a beginning off level. The tip outcomes do are likely to have a extra emoji-style look as a result of they’re primarily based on an emoji.
- Reminders – Siri can counsel Reminders you may wish to add to your reminders listing primarily based on content material present in Messages and Mail. If you happen to’re given a whole lot of duties with both of those apps, it may very well be helpful. There’s additionally a categorization choice that mechanically organizes reminders into logical lists.
- Shortcuts – Apple added Apple Intelligence choices into the Shortcuts app, however sadly, it does not actually make it simpler to create and use shortcuts. Making a shortcut is not any extra intuitive than it was earlier than, and it is nonetheless a function that is out of attain for informal customers who both do not wish to make investments a bunch of time in shortcut creation, or those that do not fairly grasp the way it all works.
- Battery Adjustments – iOS 26 has higher battery reporting instruments, however this one is proscribed to newer gadgets. It offers a weekly view of battery utilization and a comparability of how a lot battery you are utilizing presently vs. your typical common. It is a surprisingly useful metric, and it informs a brand new Adaptive Energy mode that may regulate issues like show brightness and background actions if it detects that you just’re utilizing extra battery than you normally do.
Apple did not lock the entire helpful performance in iOS 26 behind an Apple Intelligence barrier, so there are nice new options that customers with older iPhones will have the ability to use.
- Name Screening – The Telephone app can ask a caller for his or her identify and motive for calling, with that data relayed to you earlier than you reply. This may find yourself being too impersonal for some, however it’s an efficient technique to display screen for spam.
- Maintain Help – Maintain Help does what the identify suggests. If you happen to’re on maintain, you may put them on maintain too. The iPhone will provide you with a warning when somebody is again on the road.
- Messages Backgrounds – Backgrounds in Messages conversations may be custom-made, offered you are chatting with one other iPhone consumer. Each dialog can have a distinct background, however be warned – altering the background modifications it for everybody. Apple wants so as to add a per-conversation toggle for backgrounds, as a result of proper now, it is all or nothing. There might also be cases the place somebody desires to set a background that is just for themselves, one thing that is additionally not an choice.
- Messages Copy/Paste – If you happen to’ve ever needed to repeat only a monitoring quantity, e mail, or another a part of an iMessage fairly than simply your entire message, that is lastly an choice in iOS 26.
- AutoMix – AutoMix is an Apple Music function that transitions from one tune to a different because the tune that is enjoying ends. It makes use of time stretching and beat matching for a clean shift, and it is virtually like having an AI DJ in your pocket. It isn’t nice with all genres but, nevertheless it’s a function that Apple Music customers are going to like.
- Spatial Scenes – Spatial Scenes provides just a little little bit of depth to a 2D picture, giving it a extra 3D appear and feel. If you happen to’ve ever seen these spatial Fb photos which have just a little little bit of motion primarily based on depth data, it is quite a bit like that.
- Apple Maps – Apple Maps can be taught your frequent commutes and supply helpful data like whether or not there are any delays which can be going to gradual you down if you’re making an attempt to get to work. Apple additionally added a Saved Locations function that retains observe of locations that you have visited. For some individuals, that is going to be an undesirable privateness nightmare, however for others, it is a cool technique to keep in mind spots you favored and wish to go to once more. It’s very opt-in.
- Video games – There is a Video games app, however will individuals use it? Will it lead to any notable uptick in cell gaming? We have barely touched the app throughout beta, and it does not do something helpful that the App Store app does not do. There is a function for difficult mates to beat your rating in a sport, nevertheless it’s restricted to a handful of apps proper now.
Ought to You Replace?
iOS 26 is pretty steady at this level, however remember the fact that it’s a beta replace and issues can go mistaken. Apps can break, options can cease working, the battery drain may be intense, and resprings and crashes may be frequent. Apple does not advocate putting in betas on a important machine.
We’ve not had vital issues with the developer betas over the past month and a half, nevertheless it’s not value it when you have important apps or want to maximise battery life.
If you happen to’re anticipating putting in iOS 26 and are anxious in regards to the design modifications, do not be. The core options of iOS are nonetheless there, and the whole lot that is modified is pretty intuitive. It is simple to regulate to the brand new look and lots of the interface updates, and modifications which can be more durable to regulate to resembling the brand new Safari bar and the all-in-one search for the Telephone app may be turned off.
Learn Extra About iOS 26
We have a dedicated iOS 26 roundup that walks via the entire completely different iOS 26 options, in addition to a number of guides that go into much more depth.