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IOS 26
2025 mobile operating system made by Apple From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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iOS 26[3] is the nineteenth and the next major release of Apple's iOS operating system for the iPhone. It was announced on June 9, 2025, at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC),[4] and it is expected to be released in mid-September 2025.
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It is the direct successor to iOS 18; its version number was brought forward to 26 due to a newly-announced policy of unified version numbers for Apple operating systems, which are now based on the year that follows their release (similarly to vehicle model years).[5][6]
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Features
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 | This section may contain an excessive amount of intricate detail that may only interest a particular audience. (August 2025) |
System features
User interface
iOS 26 introduces a unified design language, known as Liquid Glass, across all Apple platforms. Influenced by visionOS, the design replaces the flat design language introduced in iOS 7 to utilize rounded, translucent elements with the "optical qualities of glass" (including refraction), which react to motion, content, and inputs. It resembles skeuomorphism from iOS 6 and earlier, most notable in the Camera app's new icon (which resembles the icon from iOS 6 and earlier).[original research] Multiple apps, including Camera and Safari, have redesigned user interfaces to reflect the new design language.[7][8]
Home screen and lock screen
Widgets on the lock screen can now be placed at the bottom of the screen. The height of the time shown on the lock screen is dynamic, and it can increase or decrease depending on the objects recognized in the background—whether they are at the bottom or top, or even based on the stack of notifications growing from below.
In addition to the Dark, Light, and Tinted themes, iOS 26 adds a "Clear" theme that changes the Home Screen to use icons that use the glass-like effects introduced with Liquid Glass.
When customizing the lock screen, the user can apply a 3D effect to a Home Screen wallpaper, making subjects appear to pop out of the screen as the user moves the phone.
Battery
- A new energy-saving feature called Adaptive mode was introduced for periods of higher device usage. It makes minor adjustments, such as reducing screen brightness and slowing down processes, without blocking background activities like the traditional low power mode does.
- The estimated time to full charge is now displayed on the Lock Screen and in Settings.
- In the Settings app, daily battery consumption is color-coded: orange for higher usage and blue for lower or typical usage. Each app shows whether it sent more notifications, ran in the background longer, or consumed more battery than usual.
Accessibility
- Reader Mode is a system-level reading mode designed to assist users with blindness, low vision, or other reading impairments, making text easier to read.
- Braille Access turns the user's phone into a full braille note-taking tool, eliminating the need for external devices. It supports braille input (via screen or braille display), Nemeth code for calculations, reading braille files, and app navigation. It also provides real-time conversation transcripts on the braille display.[9]
- Head Tracking allows the user to control the pointer on the screen by tracking head movements and perform to customized actions based on facial movements and expressions (e.g., raise eyebrows, open mouth, smile, stick out tongue, eye blink, etc.).
- A new audio equalizer with two modes, "Comfort" and "Focus", for automatic frequency adjustment has been added in the Accessibility settings under Audio and Visual Effects.
Apple Intelligence
iOS 26 introduces new Apple Intelligence features; Apple Intelligence models were made more efficient and support additional languages.[10] It will support live translation of voice and text conversations using on-device models, and Genmoji can now be invoked to merge existing emojis together rather than needing to use a prompt.[11][8] Visual Intelligence and Image Playground also features additional ChatGPT integration.[11]
The foundation model framework allows Apple Intelligence features to be integrated into third-party apps; Apple stated that a Swift app can implement the framework with as little as three lines of code.[10]
After taking a screenshot, a full-screen preview appears. Users can search for information on the circled area and ask questions using ChatGPT. This functions like Visual Intelligence but is based on screenshots instead of photos.
Voice Dictation
Users can now spell out a word when dictating, which is helpful for complex or unrecognized words.
Always-On Display (AOD)
Wallpaper Blur for AOD is a setting that lets the user apply a blur effect to the AOD's wallpaper image.
Wi-Fi
- Wi-Fi Aware: introduced support for the new Wi-Fi standard[definition needed] that allows a device to discover other nearby devices and communicate with them securely without using an internet connection or access point.
- Captive Assist: when the user accesses a public Wi-Fi network on an Apple device by filling out a web form, the form information is automatically shared with the other Apple devices, making it easier to connect to the same network.
Keyboard
When the user presses an emoji key, the description of that emoji appears below in the search box (e.g., grinning face).
Screenshots and screen recordings
The General section of the Settings app has a new section for configuring screenshots.
- Full-screen previews: a screenshot-capture mode that keeps the captured screen in full-screen view instead of minimizing it to an icon in the screen's bottom-left corner.
- HDR captures: it is now possible to capture HDR screenshots and screen recordings.
eSIM transfer with Android
iOS 26 allows the user to directly transfer an eSIM between an iPhone and an Android phone without having to request a QR code from the mobile carrier.
App features
Phone
- Call Screening automatically answers calls from unknown numbers to determine if they are from a real person or spam. It asks the caller to identify themselves and state the reason for the call. If the call is deemed legitimate, it is passed through, and the phone rings.
- Hold Assist lets users put a call on hold and notify the caller when they are ready to resume the conversation.
- Tap Recents to Call is a setting that, when disabled, prevents accidental calls by tapping a name or number in the user's call history.
- Live Translations in Calls allows real-time translation of the caller's voice, converting it into the desired language during the call.
- The Phone app provides haptic feedback, vibrating when the call is answered on the other end.
- From the Recent Calls page, it is possible to create a reminder to re-call recently called numbers in one hour, tonight, tomorrow, or later.
Messages
The Messages app now supports custom backgrounds, polls, and the user indicator for typing in group chats. The user can also select and copy part of a message instead of the entire message.
- Spam messages from unknown senders are automatically recognized and moved to a separate list.
- Users can activate translation in real time to ensure that everything written in one language is sent as a message written in another.
Music
- The user can pin favorite songs or albums at the top of the library.
- Translation and pronunciation of live lyrics allows users to understand the lyrics of the songs in other languages and to sing (i.e., pronounce) them even if the user person does not know the language.
- AutoMix switches from one song to another using Time Stretching and Beat Matching techniques for a more continuous mix.
- Users can create folders in which to put playlists.
- Live Radio Widget is a widget for the Home screen that allows direct access to 6 radio stations.
- Fullscreen artwork: the album cover of the playing song extends to full screen on the Lock Screen.
Photos
- The changes to the Photos app in iOS 18 have been reverted. In its place is a new layout with a command bar at the bottom that allows the user to switch to the Library, Collections, and Search quickly.
- It is possible to apply a 3D effect to a photo to make it appear that the represented subjects come out of the screen when the phone moves. This is the same VisionOS technology that has been brought to the iPhone.
Camera
The Camera interface is simpler, with two main buttons, "Photo" and "Video", initially visible and placed at the bottom. An expandable and scrollable command bar reveals other shooting modes. Menus are also more intuitive: to access controls like flash, timer, and photo format, the user only needs to tap the grid-shaped button at the top of the toolbar, without needing a swipe gesture.
- Lens Cleaning Hints is a setting that displays a suggestion when the camera lens should be cleaned to improve image quality.
- The items in the side menu can now be reordered, allowing the preferred control to be placed in the first position.
Notes
The Notes app can record and transcribe calls into notes, while Markdown is added as an export option.[12]
Reminders
A Reminders control can be added to the Control Center, allowing users to quickly create a reminder directly from there.
Maps
- Preferred Routes automatically learns the routes the user takes every day, such as those between home, school, and work, and notifies them in advance of any delays without needing to be checked manually.
- The user can save the favorite places they visit, such as bars or parks, to find them immediately.
Safari
- A third "Compact" (floating) style has been added for tab management alongside the existing "Tab Bar" (bottom) and "Single Tab" (top) styles.
- There is added support for HDR images and SVG icons.[13]
Files
- The user can now color folders and assign custom icons for easier identification.
- File Types per App: from the File app, the user can quickly assign the default app needed to open a given file type.
- The user can directly use audio files (e.g., MP3, M4A, etc.) as ringtones by selecting the file, tapping Share, and choosing "Use as Ringtone".
Clock
The "Snooze" duration can be adjusted from 1 to 15 minutes. The buttons to stop or snooze the alarm are displayed in a large size for easier access when waking up.
Calculator
Equations in 3 variables and 3D graphs are supported in Math Notes.
Passwords
- Password History allows users to view previous passwords and password change dates.
- Export Passwords allows users to securely export passwords, passkeys, and verification codes to other password manager apps.
Journal
The user can create several distinct Journals, rather than just one.
Podcasts
Enhance Dialogue: a new option that enhances podcast episode audio by emphasizing speakers' voices and reducing background noise and music. It is located in the menu that appears to adjust the podcast playback speed.
Home
Home supports only the redesigned Apple Home architecture introduced in iOS 16, ending support for the legacy architecture.[14]
Games
A new Games app provides an interface for games from the App Store and Apple Arcade, as well as Game Center social features.[8][15]
Apple Wallet
The Apple Wallet app adds additional functions for boarding passes, including the ability to display interior maps of the respective airport and real-time flight information as a Live Activity. Users in the United States will also be able to add their digital passport to Wallet.[16][17]
Shortcuts
AI Actions enable the user to create commands leveraging AI capabilities. These commands begin with an action that selects an AI model or "engine," such as Cloud (Private Cloud Compute), On-Device, or ChatGPT.
Security and privacy
Wired accessories permission
In the privacy and security settings, a new permission allows or denies the use of accessories connected to the phone via cable when the phone is locked. The options the user can choose are: always ask, ask for new accessories, allow automatically when the phone is unlocked, and always allow.
Blocked contacts
A new section is available in the privacy and security settings that collects all blocked contacts across various apps, such as all unknown phone numbers automatically classified as spam.
Recovery Assistant
Recovery Assistant is a feature that allows the iPhone to automatically attempt to recover if the device fails to start up successfully.[18]
Quantum-secure TLS
TLS 1.3 in iOS 26 uses a key exchange based on Quantum Security, and it is enabled by default since it has already been adopted by the leading service providers.[19]
Wallpaper
In iOS 26 Beta 3, Apple introduced new styles for the default iOS 26 wallpaper, including Shadow, Sky, Halo, and Dusk. A new dynamic wallpaper was added in the first public beta.
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Supported devices
iOS 26 requires a device with an Apple A13 Bionic processor or newer, thus dropping support for the iPhone XS, XS Max, and XR, and officially ending support for iPhones with dedicated 3D Touch hardware, as iPhone 11 and later models were not equipped with 3D Touch sensors.[20][21] Apple Intelligence features require an Apple A17 Pro processor or newer.[22][23]
The iPhone 11 Pro is the only supported iPhone with a 5.8-inch display, while the iPhone 11 Pro Max is the only supported iPhone with a 6.5-inch display.
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Release history
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The first beta of iOS 26 was released on June 9, 2025, for developers, with a revised build of the first beta being released on June 13 for the iPhone 15 series and the iPhone 16 series. The first public beta was released on July 24, later than previous years.
See also
References
External links
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