The Top New Features in Apple’s iOS 26 and iPadOS 26

Your iPhone and iPad will look importantly different erstwhile iOS 26 and iPadOS 26 rotation retired this fall. And no, you haven’t missed 7 operating strategy upgrades since iOS 18 past year. Apple has changed nan naming building of its OS updates and made them each consistent—visionOS 26, watchOS 26, macOS 26—so they’re now tied to nan twelvemonth aft their launch, akin to what car makers do erstwhile debuting caller models.

The main item crossed each of Apple’s updates announced astatine WWDC 2025 revolves astir nan caller look and consciousness of nan interface, a creation connection nan institution calls Liquid Glass. Beyond that, respective caller features are coming to iOS, from unrecorded translator successful messages and calls to nan expertise to hunt thing connected your iPhone surface done Visual Intelligence. The Photos app is besides getting its tabs back! More important are nan updates to iPadOS, which will now support windowed apps that are resizable and tin beryllium tiled, bringing it closer to a desktop computing experience group person been waiting for.

We'll tally done nan apical caller features successful some operating systems. Here's what you request to know.

Top iOS 26 Features

Let's return a look astatine nan apical caller features successful iOS 26. You tin publication much astir it straight from Apple here.

Liquid Glass and Lock Screen Changes

Apple has a caller creation connection for nan iPhone, nan first awesome ocular overhaul successful years, and it's called Liquid Glass. It's very overmuch for illustration nan Windows Aero taxable from nan Microsoft Vista days successful 2006. The interface acts for illustration glass, truthful pulling down nan fastener surface feels for illustration you're moving a pane of glass, and you tin spot really nan apps interact astir it. There are moreover specular highlights connected app icons that displacement arsenic nan telephone moves successful your hand. Apple has besides added immoderate newer animations that consciousness bouncy, not dissimilar immoderate of nan caller animations in Android 16. There's supposedly nary alteration successful capacity aliases artillery life to render these effects.

You tin person nan normal app icons pinch Liquid Glass, and you tin moreover tint nan apps conscionable for illustration past year. But there's a caller action for “Clear” app icons, and everything successful nan interface switches to that all-glass look.

Over connected nan fastener screen, nan clip now adapts to nan photo, stretching until it goes correct down nan apical of nan taxable for a extent effect. Also, erstwhile caller notifications travel in, nan taxable successful your photograph shifts up truthful that nan notifications don't artifact them. There's besides a caller measurement to move 2D photos into a 3D effect successful nan Photos app, and you tin use those to nan fastener screen.

Call Screening and Phone App Redesign

Taking a page from Google's Call Screen characteristic connected Pixel phones, Apple has yet added its ain type successful iOS 26. Once you alteration Call Screening, it'll automatically reply calls from chartless callers successful nan inheritance without alerting you. Once nan caller gives a logic for their call, your telephone will ring, but you'll beryllium capable to spot nan consequence connected nan surface truthful you tin determine whether you want to reply aliases not.

Just for illustration Google's Hold for Me feature, Apple has a Hold Assist usability that makes staying connected clasp much bearable. If you're trying to scope a institution but perceive nan dreaded clasp music, you tin move this characteristic connected and won't person to salary ace adjacent attraction to your phone. When nan euphony is complete and a unrecorded supplier starts talking, you'll get a notification—handy if you request to hold much than 30 minutes conscionable to scope a customer work rep.

These screening functions are besides successful nan Messages and FaceTime app pinch an “Unknown Senders” tab. You tin o.k. these numbers and they'll show up successful your main Messages view, aliases people them arsenic spam. (Some will automatically beryllium screened arsenic Spam.)

The Phone app besides has a caller look, pinch your favorites up apical and caller calls below. You'll beryllium capable to move to nan aged Phone app personification interface done a toggle connected nan apical correct of nan app.

Live Translation successful Messages, Phone, and FaceTime

You tin now get unrecorded translations from Apple's Messages, Phone, and FaceTime apps. We've seen akin versions of this exertion from Samsung and Google connected their respective phones complete nan past fewer years. In nan Phone app, you tin move connected a translator mode, and a sound will construe what nan different personification says and vice versa successful existent time. (You tin toggle whether you request translator some ways aliases conscionable for 1 language.) Over successful nan Messages app, you'll spot translated matter arsenic a portion of your connection bubble erstwhile speaking pinch personification else, and successful FaceTime, you'll get real-time translated subtitles. All of these hap on-device, truthful information doesn't time off your iPhone, and they'll besides activity erstwhile you're communicating pinch group utilizing Android phones.

At nan moment, Live Translation successful Phone and FaceTime only useful pinch one-on-one calls successful English (UK and US), French (France), German, Portuguese (Brazil), and Spanish (Spain). Live Translation successful Messages has somewhat broader connection support, including Chinese (simplified) and Japanese. Since there's now a Phone app connected iPadOS and MacOS, you tin still return advantage of these features if you reply connected those platforms.

Visual Intelligence and nan iPhone Screen

Visual Intelligence debuted pinch Apple Intelligence arsenic a measurement to person Siri understand nan world astir you done nan iPhone's camera. It's now expanding to understand nan discourse of your iPhone's screen. Very overmuch for illustration Google's Gemini, Visual Intelligence tin place what's connected your surface and propose circumstantial actions.

Unlike triggering Visual Intelligence and Siri pinch nan Camera Control aliases Action Button, to trigger nan onscreen contextual mode, you person to return a screenshot (these don't person to beryllium saved if you pat nan X icon connected nan apical left). If you return a screenshot of an invitation personification sent you, for example, you'll spot a proposal to adhd it to your almanac pinch 1 tap. If you're looking astatine a PDF, a screenshot mightiness propose a summarization truthful you tin get nan highlights.

There's moreover a characteristic very akin to Google Lens aliases Google's Circle to Search, wherever you tin return a screenshot and past item a circumstantial point connected nan page you want to hunt via Google, aliases done different app that's installed connected your telephone that supports nan feature, for illustration Etsy. So you tin item a vase, for example, and past find akin results via Google aliases akin shoppable vases connected Etsy.

New Group Message and Emoji Features

Group chats are yet getting typing indicators and polls (though nan second is exclusive to iMessage group chats). There's besides nan expertise to adhd caller inheritance designs for messages to make them much personalized. If you're large connected emoji, you mightiness for illustration nan caller expertise to operation 2 emojis together via Genmoji successful nan keyboard aliases successful Apple's Image Playground app. (It's somewhat akin to Google's Emoji Kitchen.)

A New Games App

There's a caller app successful iOS 26! The Games app is now your one-stop shop to spot each nan games you've ever bought connected nan App Store, and you tin motorboat them correct from this app. (There's moreover controller support truthful you tin usage a mobile controller to move done nan personification interface.) The app lets you observe caller games, spot what your friends are playing, and a Challenges tab lets you compete moreover pinch single-player games via a leaderboard.

Other Noteworthy Features

There are respective different features not mentioned here, but present are a fewer different highlights.

• Photos: Apple heard your complaints astir nan Photos app and brought backmost nan Library and Collections tabs connected nan main page of nan app.
• Camera: The Camera app has a caller look, pinch a simplified Photo and Video layout that expands erstwhile you move done modes.
• Reminders: You'll now spot suggested tasks, shopping items, aliases follow-ups based connected your emails and texts connected your iPhone, powered by Apple Intelligence. There's besides an action to auto-categorize related reminders successful a list.
• AirPods Audio and Video Recording: If you person AirPods aliases AirPods Pro pinch nan H2 chip, you tin commencement signaling a video successful nan iPhone's camera app by pressing and holding connected nan stem. You tin besides grounds audio successful precocious meaning successful nan camera app pinch those AirPods.
• Maps: Maps will study nan routes you recreation regularly and will springiness you a heads up astir delays earlier you time off nan house. Also, there's now a Visited Places conception successful nan app (you person to opt in, and you tin take for really agelong Maps stores this data, from 3 months to forever).
• Apple Music: In nan Music app, there's now an AutoMix characteristic that will seamlessly mixes 1 opus to nan adjacent for illustration a DJ utilizing devices for illustration clip stretching and beatmatching. Also, if you're looking astatine euphony lyrics, you tin now spot translations.
• Wallet: Apple's Wallet app tin create Digital IDs pinch your US passport, which tin beryllium utilized astatine TSA checkpoints, successful apps, and successful person. Also, your boarding walk will now characteristic airdrome maps, luggage search pinch Find My, and sharable Live Activities truthful your loved ones tin easy person and spot your formation info.
• Image Playground: There are caller ChatGPT styles to take from erstwhile generating images successful Apple's image procreation app.
• CarPlay: Live Activities are now coming to CarPlay, truthful you tin spot nan position of a friend's formation arsenic you're connected your measurement to nan airdrome to prime them up. You tin besides now respond successful Messages pinch Tapback.

The Top New iPadOS 26 Features

iPadOS 26 gets galore of nan aforesaid features arsenic iOS 26, truthful I won't repetition things successful this section, but let's return a look astatine circumstantial caller capabilities coming to iPads this fall. As always, you tin get a deeper dive from Apple here.

Multitasking Improvements

iPads person go incredibly powerful complete nan past fewer years, but multitasking has been lackluster, making them consciousness inadequate arsenic laptop replacements. That's changing now pinch nan multitasking changes successful iPadOS 26. Now apps support windowing, truthful you tin person aggregate apps connected nan surface successful different sizes. Just resize them by dragging a area of nan app and put them wherever.

There are autochthonal model tiling options—a flick to nan near aliases correct will tile apps to nan sides for easier split-screen, and you tin moreover divided apps into thirds aliases quarters. The acquainted postulation ray buttons from macOS are besides disposable now connected apps, and if you property and clasp them, you'll spot much options to put apps pinch a tap. Swipe up and clasp and your apps will dispersed retired successful Exposé mode, and you'll beryllium capable to revisit your grouped apps later moreover if you move to a full-screen app. There's now besides a paper barroom you tin propulsion down from nan apical successful immoderate app, though nan disposable options will dangle connected nan app.

Best of all, iPadOS now lets you grip much tasks successful nan background. Previously, if you were rendering a record successful Final Cut, you'd person to support it unfastened for nan render to complete. Now, that task tin beryllium done successful nan background, allowing you to move to different apps for a existent multitasking desktop experience.

A Better Files App

The Files app has a caller creation that offers up much info astatine a glance. There are resizable columns, collapsible folders, and you tin group default apps for opening circumstantial record types. You tin besides customize folders pinch different colors and emojis to make them visually distinct. Speaking of, you tin put folders successful nan dock for speedier access.

Preview App Comes to iPad

Apple's Preview app from macOS is now disposable connected iPadOS, allowing you to open, edit, and people up PDFs aliases images. It useful pinch nan Apple Pencil, making it awesome for filling retired matter fields and signing documents.

Other Noteworthy Features

• Phone: There's now a dedicated Phone app connected iPad. Calls made to your iPhone tin beryllium routed truthful you tin reply from nan iPad, and you'll beryllium capable to return advantage of caller features for illustration unrecorded translator and telephone screening, too.
• Journal: The Journal app, primitively an iPhone-exclusive app, is now connected iPadOS. It now supports nan Apple Pencil, truthful you tin make your diary consciousness moreover much individual pinch your ain handwriting.
• Audio recording: There's a caller input chooser that lets you prime nan correct microphone for each app, useful if you're connecting outer mics to nan iPad.
• Notes: You tin seizure conversations from nan Phone app arsenic audio recordings pinch transcriptions.