Apple Unveils iOS 26 With Liquid Glass Design, Expanded Apple Intelligence, and New App Features

Apple today unveiled iOS 26, its next major software update for the iPhone. The announcement showcases a significant design overhaul, a new suite of features powered by Apple Intelligence, and key improvements to the Phone, Messages, CarPlay, and other system apps.



The most immediate change in iOS 26 is a new design aesthetic centered on a material Apple calls "Liquid Glass." This translucent material is used across the system on elements like controls, app icons, and widgets, creating a look that reflects and refracts its surroundings. The new design extends to the Lock Screen, where the time can now adapt fluidly around subjects in a photo, and spatial scenes add a 3D effect. The redesign also brings a simplified layout to the Camera app, new Library and Collections tabs in Photos, and a floating tab bar in apps like Apple Music and News that shrinks and expands as you scroll.




Apple Intelligence receives a substantial update, bringing new on-device capabilities. Live Translation is now integrated directly into the Phone, Messages, and FaceTime apps for real-time audio and text translation. Visual intelligence allows users to search for or take action on items visible on their screen, including identifying an event and offering to add it to the calendar. Genmoji and Image Playground are also expanded, letting users mix emoji and text descriptions to create new images. For developers, a new Foundation Models framework provides direct access to the on-device models powering these features.






The Phone app gets a unified layout that combines Favorites, Recents, and Voicemails into a single view. New features include Call Screening, which gathers information from a caller before you answer, and Hold Assist, which notifies you when a live agent is back on the line. In Messages, you can now screen messages from unknown senders into a separate folder. Conversations get support for custom backgrounds, the ability to create polls, and in group chats, visible typing indicators and the ability to send and receive Apple Cash.



CarPlay has been updated with a more compact view for incoming calls, so they no longer obscure navigation. It also gains Tapbacks and pinned conversations in Messages, along with support for widgets and Live Activities. These updates will also apply to CarPlay Ultra.





Several other apps receive notable features. Apple Music introduces Lyrics Translation and Lyrics Pronunciation, as well as an AutoMix feature for seamless song transitions. Maps can now use on-device intelligence to learn your daily routes and will automatically track places you've been with a new "Visited Places" feature. In Wallet, refreshed boarding passes will support Live Activities for real-time flight updates, and users can now choose to pay with installments or rewards for in-store Apple Pay purchases.





iOS 26 also introduces a brand-new app called Apple Games, a central destination to find and manage your games, see updates and events, and access Apple Arcade. Additional features include studio-quality audio recording for AirPods, a camera remote function for AirPods, enhanced parental controls, and advanced fingerprinting protection in Safari.





A developer beta of iOS 26 is available starting today, with a public beta to follow next month. The final version will be released this fall as a free update for iPhone 11 and later. Apple Intelligence features will require an iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 16 models, or an iPad or Mac with an M1 chip or later.

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