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 primary 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 in messages and calls to the flexibility to go looking something in your iPhone display by means of Visible Intelligence. The Photographs app can be getting its tabs again! Extra vital are the updates to iPadOS, which can now help windowed apps which can be resizable and may be tiled, bringing it closer to a desktop computing experience individuals have been ready for.
We’ll run by means of the highest new options in each working methods. Here is what you want to know.
Is Your iPhone or iPad Suitable
Yearly, Apple tends to chop off just a few older units from downloading the newest iOS or iPadOS model. The reason being supposedly as a consequence of {hardware} age. (Apple sometimes helps iPhones and iPads for six to seven years.)
iPhones from 2019 and newer—the iPhone 11 and up, together with the iPhone SE (2nd Gen)—will help iOS 26. The iPhones that acquired iOS 18 however are actually lower off from the newest model are the iPhone XR and iPhone XS sequence from 2018. Should you’re uncertain about your iPhone mannequin, head to Settings > Basic > About and have a look at the mannequin title.
iPads are a little bit extra difficult, because the naming scheme fluctuates. Apple not too long ago retired the “generations” and is now utilizing the chipset to indicate the mannequin. You may determine what mannequin your iPad is by heading here. The Seventh-gen iPad from 2019 appears to be the one one that won’t obtain the replace in comparison with iPads that acquired iPadOS 18.
- iPad: eighth gen and later, together with A16
- iPad Mini: fifth gen and later, together with A17 Professional
- iPad Air: third gen and later, together with M2 and M3
- iPad Professional 11-inch: 1st gen and later
- iPad Professional 12.9-inch: third gen and later
- iPad Professional: M4
Methods to Attempt iOS 26 or iPadOS 26 Now
Apple has launched the developer beta of iOS and iPadOS 26, however I do not suggest putting in it simply but in your main iPhone; perhaps use an older iPhone you’ve mendacity round when you actually wish to strive it out. There are some bugs, and there is at all times a threat of messing up your iPhone on an early model meant for builders.
If you’re going to threat it, be sure to again up your gadget. Head to Settings and faucet your title on the high, then choose iCloud. Faucet on iCloud Backup, toggle it on, and faucet Again Up Now. Learn our How to Back Up Your iPhone or iPad information for different strategies and extra particulars.
Whenever you’re able to replace, be certain that your iPhone is totally charged and linked to Wi-Fi. Then go to Settings > Basic > Software program Replace > Beta Updates and select the iOS 26 developer beta. It’s going to request the replace after which take a while to obtain it. Your iPhone will then mechanically restart to put in it, so be sure to put aside a number of minutes for the entire course of. That is it!
Apple’s earlier iOS model was iOS 18 in 2024, however the firm has determined to revamp its naming construction so that every one of its platforms are constant. Meaning iOS, iPadOS, macOS, visionOS, tvOS, and watchOS are all on model 26. Why 26? Apple is following the automobile maker’s playbook, naming the replace for the final two digits of the next 12 months. Most individuals obtain the newest iPhone OS model in December, despite the fact that Apple releases it in September; this fashion it continues to really feel recent proper as the brand new 12 months rolls round.
Prime iOS 26 Options
Let’s check out the highest new options in iOS 26. You may learn extra about it directly from Apple here.
Liquid Glass and Lock Display screen Modifications
Apple has a brand new design language for the iPhone, the primary main visible overhaul in years, and it is known as Liquid Glass. It’s extremely 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 feels such as you’re shifting 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 not like 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 traditional app icons with Liquid Glass, and you may even tint the apps similar to final 12 months. However there is a new possibility for “Clear” app icons, and every part within the interface switches to that all-glass look.
Over on the lock display, 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 approach to flip 2D pictures right into a 3D impact within the Photographs app, and you may apply these to the lock display.
Name Screening and Telephone App Redesign
Taking a web page from Google’s Call Screen feature on Pixel phones, Apple has lastly added its personal model in iOS 26. When you allow Name Screening, it’s going to mechanically reply calls from unknown callers within the background with out alerting you. As soon as the caller provides a motive for his or her name, your cellphone will ring, however you can see the response on the display so you possibly can determine whether or not you wish to reply or not.
Identical to Google’s Maintain for Me function, Apple has a Maintain Help perform that makes staying on maintain extra bearable. Should you’re making an attempt to succeed in an organization however hear the dreaded maintain music, you possibly can flip this function on and will not should pay tremendous shut consideration to your cellphone. When the music is over and a stay agent begins speaking, you may get a notification—useful if you want to wait greater than half-hour simply to succeed in a customer support rep.
These screening capabilities are additionally within the Messages and FaceTime app with an “Unknown Senders” tab. You may approve these numbers and so they’ll present up in your principal Messages view, or mark them as spam. (Some will mechanically be screened as Spam.)
The Telephone app additionally has a brand new look, along with your favorites up high and up to date calls beneath. You’ll swap to the previous Telephone app consumer interface by means of a toggle on the highest proper of the app.
Stay Translation in Messages, Telephone, and FaceTime
Now you can get stay translations from Apple’s Messages, Telephone, and FaceTime apps. We have seen comparable variations of this know-how from Samsung and Google on their respective phones over the previous few years. Within the Telephone app, you possibly can activate a translation mode, and a voice will translate what the opposite individual 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 information does not depart your iPhone, and so they’ll additionally work while you’re speaking with individuals utilizing Android telephones.
In the mean time, Stay Translation in Telephone and FaceTime solely works with one-on-one calls in English (UK and US), French (France), German, Portuguese (Brazil), and Spanish (Spain). Stay Translation in Messages has barely broader language help, together with Chinese language (simplified) and Japanese. Since there’s now a Telephone app on iPadOS and MacOS, you possibly can nonetheless reap the benefits of these options when you reply on these platforms.
Visible Intelligence and the iPhone Display screen
Visible Intelligence debuted with Apple Intelligence as a approach to have Siri perceive the world round you thru the iPhone’s digicam. It is now increasing to grasp the context of your iPhone’s display. Very very like Google’s Gemini, Visible Intelligence can establish what’s in your display and recommend particular actions.
In contrast to triggering Visible Intelligence and Siri with the Digital camera Management or Motion Button, to set off the onscreen contextual mode, you must take a screenshot (these do not should be saved when you faucet the X icon on the highest left). Should 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. Should you’re a PDF, a screenshot may recommend a summarization so you will get the highlights.
There’s even a function similar to Google Lens or Google’s Circle to Search, the place you possibly can take a screenshot after which spotlight a selected factor on the web page you wish to search through Google, or by means of one other app that is put in in your cellphone that helps the function, like Etsy. So you possibly can spotlight a vase, for instance, after which discover comparable outcomes through Google or comparable 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 customized. Should you’re large on emoji, you may like the brand new means to combine two emojis collectively through Genmoji within the keyboard or in Apple’s Picture Playground app. (It is considerably just like Google’s Emoji Kitchen.)
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 help so you need to use a cellular controller to maneuver by means of the consumer interface.) The app permits you to uncover new video games, see what your mates are taking part in, and a Challenges tab permits you to compete even with single-player video games through a leaderboard.
Different Noteworthy Options
There are a number of different options not talked about right here, however listed below are just a few different highlights.
- Photographs: Apple heard your complaints in regards to the Photographs app and introduced again the Library and Collections tabs on the primary 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 while you transfer by means of modes.
- Reminders: You may now see steered duties, buying objects, or follow-ups based mostly in your emails and texts in your iPhone, powered by Apple Intelligence. There’s additionally an choice to auto-categorize associated reminders in a listing.
- AirPods Audio and Video Recording: In case you have AirPods or AirPods Professional with the H2 chip, you can begin recording a video within the iPhone’s digicam app by urgent and holding on the stem. You too can document audio in excessive definition within the digicam app with these AirPods.
- Maps: Maps will be taught the routes you journey often and offers 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 decide in, and you may select for a way lengthy Maps shops this information, from 3 months to perpetually).
- Apple Music: Within the Music app, there’s now an AutoMix function that can seamlessly mixes one music to the following like a DJ utilizing instruments like time stretching and beatmatching. Additionally, when you’re music lyrics, now you can see translations.
- Pockets: Apple’s Pockets app can create Digital IDs along with your US passport, which can be utilized at TSA checkpoints, in apps, and in individual. Additionally, your boarding move will now function airport maps, baggage monitoring with Discover My, and sharable Stay 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 era app.
- CarPlay: Stay Actions are actually coming to CarPlay, so you possibly can see the standing of a buddy’s flight as you are in your approach to the airport to choose them up. You too can now react in Messages with Tapback.
The Prime New iPadOS 26 Options
iPadOS 26 will get most of the similar 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 at all times, you will get a deeper dive from Apple here.
Multitasking Enhancements
iPads have turn into extremely highly effective over the previous few years, however multitasking has been lackluster, making them really feel insufficient as laptop computer replacements. That is altering now with the multitasking adjustments in iPadOS 26. Now apps help windowing, so you possibly can have a number of apps on the display in several sizes. Simply resize them by dragging a nook of the app and organize them wherever.
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 break up apps into thirds or quarters. The acquainted visitors mild buttons from macOS are additionally obtainable now on apps, and when you 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 when you 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 upon the app.
Better of all, iPadOS now permits you to deal with extra duties within the background. Beforehand, when you had been rendering a file in Ultimate Reduce, you’d should hold it open for the render to finish. Now, that process may be completed 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 varieties. You too can 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.
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.
Different Noteworthy Options
- Telephone: There’s now a devoted Telephone app on iPad. Calls made to your iPhone may be routed so you possibly can reply from the iPad, and you can reap the benefits 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 personal handwriting.
- Audio recording: There is a new enter chooser that allows you to decide the proper microphone for every app, useful when you’re connecting exterior mics to the iPad.
- Notes: You may seize conversations from the Telephone app as audio recordings with transcriptions.
