iOS 26 Features You Need to Know: From Liquid Glass Makeover to Hidden Upgrades

Part 1. Expected List of iOS 26 Features | Major & Lesser-Known Announcements

With the arrival of the latest addition in its iDevice firmware, Apple is delivering a mix of standout changes and quietly powerful enhancements. The iOS 26 update isn’t just about eye-catching visuals, but also packs several under-the-radar features that improve phone performance a lot. From bold visual transformations to background upgrades, this part will explore all major iOS 26 new features in detail:

1. Liquid Glass: Apple’s Next‑Gen Interface

A sleek and glass-like theme across iOS 26 brings a bright and lively feel to your iPhone. In Apple’s new Liquid Glass design, you'll notice that everything from controls and buttons to app icons and widgets now has a translucent layer. It reflects or refracts the background to create depth and a modern aesthetic. When you move your phone or scroll through screens, these elements subtly shift and shimmer.

It is thanks to real‑time light effects and rounded & responsive edges. The design adapts smoothly between light and dark modes, blending with your chosen wallpaper to emphasize content. Plus, Liquid Glass extends to iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, tvOS, and visionOS.

2. Lock Screen & Home Screen Upgrades

This new iteration of iOS firmware refreshes both your Lock and Home screens with smart and appealing enhancements. For example, the time display now adjusts dynamically to move out and adapt its size based on background content. These iOS 26 new features let you add and interact with widgets directly on both screens, allowing quick access to the information. Even your wallpaper layout gets smarter to let photos shift into 3D.

Plus, app icons and widgets on the Home Screen adopt the new "glassy" look. They blend effortlessly with your wallpaper and support transparent or clear themes. Together, these changes bring a more responsive and personalized feel to everyday phone use.

3. Core App Enhancements

Quite a large number of applications have also received a major boost in features and performance. These eye-catching changes and thoughtful iOS 26 upgrades enhance everyday use. The following is the list of the apps and the new enhancements you will find in them:

Messages

• Typing indicators now appear for everyone in group chats.
• Polls let you collect opinions easily, and Apple Intelligence can suggest one when it senses it's needed.
• Custom backgrounds let you set unique images for each chat.
• Apple Cash support enables sending or requesting cash without leaving the app.
• Screening unknown senders keeps spam out of your inbox.

Camera & Photos

• The Camera app gets a tidier layout, tucking extra settings behind expandable menus for a cleaner look.
• Photos return to a tabbed view, separating options like Library and Collections for easier navigation.
• You can now create “spatial photos,” images with a subtle 3D effect that shifts as you tilt the phone.

Safari

• A floating, edge-to-edge tab bar keeps browsing immersive yet easily navigable.
• Enhanced privacy and distraction controls include fingerprint protection and ad blocking.
• Machine-learning highlights offer article summaries and related content recommendations.

Phone & FaceTime

• Call Screening and Hold Assist welcome unknown callers and hold your place in queues.
• Live Translation now works on iPhone and FaceTime, translating conversations in real-time.

Maps

• Using on-device machine learning, Maps learns your routine to suggest routes and warn about delays.
• A new Visited Places feature keeps track of locations you go to frequently, offering easy access.

4. 15 Hidden Gems Apple Barely Mentioned at WWDC 2025

While we have discussed a lot of core iOS 26 features, a large number of minor tweaks still remain. Due to being a major update, it overhauls the whole firmware to increase performance and security. That makes the minor change in the system a lot more important for users to know. Summarized below are 15 such gems that are critical to enjoying a smooth and secure experience:

1. Custom Snooze Duration: Rather than being stuck with a nine‑minute snooze, you can now pick any duration between 1 and 15 minutes. It lets you tailor alarm reminders just as you like to get more productivity.
2. Report Spam Voicemails: When unknown callers leave annoying voicemails, a new "Report Spam" button helps. Using it allows you to clear the inbox and send feedback to Apple for better filtering.
3. Estimated Time to Charge: Watch your charge progress with an on‑screen estimate, showing how long it will take. Knowing the approximate time is great for planning your day.

4. Lens Cleaning Warning: Your mobile will nudge you when it detects a foggy or smudged camera lens. It aims to ensure that the captured photos are always clear.
5. Block List & Safety Check: Now you can see the block list in settings to view and manage who’s blocked. Added is a “Safety Check” feature that will help when you opt to block a contact on the phone.
6. Password History View: Get to track all past passwords stored in Keychain with much more ease. This new ability is helpful for managing resets, reuses, or changes across accounts.
7. Adaptive Power Mode: This intelligent setting adjusts performance, brightness, and background activity based on usage. Utilizing this function will allow you to expand the phone battery quite a lot.

8. Markdown Export: A new function in iOS 26 is to let you export your notes in the Markdown format. That makes it a lot easier to share plain-text versions of your notes.
9. AirPods Auto-Pause When You Sleep: If you doze off while listening, your AirPods detect it and pause immediately. It helps you save battery and avoid sleeping through notifications.
10. AI Actions in Shortcuts: When setting up shortcuts on the phone, you can include on‑device AI steps like image generation. Doing it helps you build smart, automated workflows to increase productivity.
11. Dynamic Themes: Your iPhone’s color scheme shifts throughout the day to make a much more lively experience. The mobile’s soft daylight tones in the morning gradually darken as evening falls.

12. Adjustable Widget Sizes: Tidy up your Home Screen with more layout options, the chief being resizing the widgets. You can choose a desired size for better organization and style.
13. Swipe Shortcuts in Safari: Navigate faster with new gestures that let you swiftly switch tabs with ease. Furthermore, you can scan back and forth or jump between pages without tapping icons.
14. App‑Specific Location Sharing: Grant location access only when needed, and that too only to specific apps. With this feature, you can further protect your privacy without having to disable the location function.
15. Enhanced Voice Control & Text‑to‑Speech: Accessibility features receive a boost with more accurate voice controls. Moreover, flexible speech settings make iPhones easier to use for everyone.

5. Workflow & Productivity Perks

Apple has packed iOS 26 with smart workflow upgrades that make daily use feel smoother and more efficient. From features like Hold Assist that takes your place in the queue when on hold to Call Screening, filtering out unknown and spam, everything helps. Not to mention the fact that the Shortcuts app is now a mini AI assistant that can perform menial tasks like generating images with automation.

CarPlay Ultra opens a world where your iPhone controls car features. All these are displayed through a sleek liquid‑glass interface. However, their availability is limited to select models like the current Aston Martins. Even in non‑Ultra cars, a new feature lets videos stream to your dashboard via AirPlay. Plus, smaller UI tweaks like compact call banners and live widgets help keep your journey distraction-free.

Lastly, multitasking gets friendlier as picture‑in‑picture lets videos and FaceTime calls stay visible in a floating window while you navigate the phone. Together, these changes show that iOS 26's new features aren’t just about looks. They are designed to help you get more done at a faster rate.

6. Updated Set of APIs for Developers

The company has expanded its developer toolkit significantly in iOS 26. Creators can now fully embrace the new Liquid Glass design thanks to updated APIs. These simplify implementing the glossy, responsive visual elements seen throughout the system. Developers also gain access to on-device AI capabilities, like Live Translation and Visual Intelligence. For that, Apple has released a Foundation Models framework that lets apps perform AI actions on the phone.

Meanwhile, Xcode 16 introduces smarter tools for writing and debugging code. These include Swift Assist, predictive code completion, improved diagnostics, and faster previews. New SwiftUI capabilities allow deeper customization of animations, gestures, and AppKit/UIKit interoperability. On top of all that, updated system APIs empower enhanced multitasking and richer media handling. All this makes it easier than ever to build powerful, polished apps across Apple’s ecosystem.

Part 2. Anticipated Availability & Compatibility of iOS Features with iPhone Models

Moving from features to practicality, it's crucial to know when you can get your hands on this latest addition to the iOS firmware repository. An important part of that is knowing when iOS 26 will arrive and which iPhones support its full range of updates. So let’s dive into the availability timeline and hardware compatibility to know when you can use iOS 26 features:

1. Release Schedule

• Developer beta launched immediately after WWDC on June 9, 2025.
• Public beta is expected in July 2025.
• The final public release is likely on September 16, 2025, shortly after the iPhone 17 series launch.

2. iPhone Compatibility

iOS 26 works with all iOS devices using the A13 Chip or newer without a hitch. That means the support includes the iPhone 11/12/13/14/15/16 series and iPhone SE (second generation and newer).

However, Apple is dropping support for three A12-based models: iPhone XS, XS Max, and XR. These will stay on iOS 18 and receive only the new security updates.

3. Apple Intelligence & Advanced Features

Some AI-driven tools like Live Translation, Genmoji, and image-related AI actions require an iOS device with an A17 Pro chip or newer. That limits them to iPhone 15 Pro/Pro Max, all iPhone 16 models, and the future iPhone 17 series. Older models that can install iOS 26 will still gain major updates like the Liquid Glass UI and multitasking enhancements.

Conclusion

In summary, Apple brings a refreshing blend of bold visuals and powerful intelligence with the upcoming iOS 26. From the glossy Liquid Glass interface to deep on-device AI that keeps your data private, a lot is offered in the firmware upgrade. While many of these enhancements elevate your iPhone experience, it’s equally important to approach such a major system shift with care.

Before you hit that update button to get iOS 26 features, make sure your data is safe. For that, Wondershare Dr.Fone helps you create secure backups without hassle. It is recommended to give you peace of mind in case anything goes wrong during or after the upgrade.

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