Apple has unveiled iOS 26, the subsequent model of its iPhone working system, as a part of its suite of bulletins at its Worldwide Builders Convention (WWDC). It incorporates a full redesign with Apple’s new “Liquid Glass” design language.
The announcement marks a change in how Apple signifies its main updates to iOS. Below the earlier advertising scheme, this yr’s main launch would have been iOS 19 — the direct follow-up to iOS 18. However now, Apple’s massive iOS updates will probably be numbered based mostly on the yr following their introduction, somewhat bit like car-makers do with new automobile releases.
A bunch of parts of the working system are getting a significant facelift on account of the redesign. The time in your lockscreen can stretch to fill extra of the display screen. The Digicam app has a extra streamlined structure – many controls at the moment are hidden to make the expertise really feel cleaner. In Safari, webpages are edge-to-edge, and the tab bar floats over your content material.
Apple is including some enhancements to the cellphone app, together with a name screening characteristic that may reply calls in your behalf and sit on calls in your behalf whilst you’re on maintain.
The Messages app is getting a bunch of updates, too, like personalized backgrounds. Apple will provide backgrounds, however you can even add your individual images or photos generated by Picture Playground. You’ll be capable to create polls – and Apple Intelligence can counsel including a ballot if it senses that could be useful. And group chats are getting typing indicators.
To make new emoji, Apple will allow you to merge two emoji with Genmoji as an alternative of simply utilizing a textual content description. And Picture Playground is getting a brand new characteristic that allows you to make photos with the assistance of OpenAI’s ChatGPT.
Apple can also be including Reside Translation, powered by Apple Intelligence, that may translate conversations in actual time. It runs utilizing fashions which can be all on-device. The translations can occur in textual content threads or on cellphone or FaceTime calls, for instance.
That is additionally Apple’s second main iOS replace following the introduction of the corporate’s Apple Intelligence AI options. iOS 18 obtained some fundamental AI options like instruments to enhance writing, Genmoji for customized emoji, and integration with ChatGPT. However some massive promised upgrades to Siri, like the flexibility to take motion based mostly on what it might see in your cellphone, were delayed forward of their anticipated launch.