iOS 26 features you actually need to know, and how to get the iPhone update

By Lloyd Coombes Updated October 29, 2025

iOS 19 is dead – long live iOS 26. Yes, Apple overhauled its naming conventions for all of its operating systems this year, bringing everything in line with a single, year number (aside from macOS which still gets a name alongside a number – hello macOS 26 Tahoe).

Released just before the iPhone 17 went on sale, iOS 26 debuts the unified ‘Liquid Glass’ design language across Apple’s platforms, while also making tweaks to Visual Intelligence, new features in Messages, Live Translation, call screening, and much more.

Here’s everything you need to know about the latest iPhone firmware, iOS 26.

While we had expected iOS 19 to follow after iOS 18 (because that’s how numbers work), Apple brought all of its platforms under the number 26.

That uniformity should make it easier to follow between iPadOS, visionOS, watchOS and more. Still, why 26 and not (20)25? It’s hard to say, but the likely answer is that many people will be using the new OS releases throughout 2026.

iOS 26 made its debut on September 15, 2025, after being revealed on June 9 at WWDC. That’s four days before the iPhone 17 lineup arrived.

Naturally, the public and developer betas arrived beforehand, and while it’d be fair to say they were pretty stable throughout the process (not always the case), Apple spent a lot of time dialing in just the right amount of transparency for Liquid Glass.

It’s a delicate balance between function and futuristic sizzle that came off as hard to read in earlier betas, but finally got better towards the end. Expect it to be tweaked more and more, though.

As for what’s next, the iOS 26.1 release candidate version is available for developers, so it’s likely coming to all compatible iPhones soon.

The headline features of this version are additional languages for Apple Intelligence, changes to Safari’s tab bar, and yet more tweaks to Liquid Glass.

Undoubtedly the most obvious change to your iPhone with iOS 26 is the arrival of Liquid Glass, which is less a feature and more a fairly radical redesign of the OS for the first time in years.

It’s the first version of something that will be updated over time, and brings more Apple platforms closer to the look and feel of visionOS (whether you want it to or not).

Liquid Glass makes itself known within apps, the home screen, and the lock screen, with the latter also getting widget functionality at the bottom of the screen.

That’s handy for having calendar appointments or a glanceable look at the weather forecast without even needing to unlock your phone, and since they’re at the bottom, they don’t get entangled with your notifications.

Much was made of Apple Intelligence last year, and while Apple’s AI offerings have got some “nice to haves”, the company is definitely more reserved than WWDC 24’s bold promises which didn’t pan out. Live Translation can translate Messages, as well as Phone and FaceTime calls, while visual intelligence lets you more quickly look up something you find in a screenshot.

Apple’s used the example of trying to find a specific lamp or a musical instrument, and in my experience it’s been relatively solid at finding things like coffee mugs. As with anything to do with AI, your mileage will undoubtedly depend on how much you’re already leaning into those tools.

Apple Intelligence models can be found in Shortcuts now, so you can link your automations to Apple’s LLM, but it’s definitely a more reserved year for Apple Intelligence. Don’t discount those Shortcuts options, though – being able to grab a recipe from a webpage and dump it into notes, then rewrite it to be more concise for when you’re cooking, is handy.

On the other hand, it’s a great year for Quality of Life features, like automatically screening potential spam message senders and unwanted calls, Hold Assist for waiting in a queue, and Polls in Messages.

Last year gave users the opportunity to catch up on unread messages relatively quickly, but now you can more easily be a part of planning discussions for social events without needing to move to something like WhatsApp.

iOS 26 also allows you to start using smart boarding passes, and customize your lock screen with granular controls over various elements, including the size of the clock.

All in all, it’s a pretty solid year for iOS, even at a stage where we’re hard-pressed to find more exciting features.

iOS 26 is compatible with iPhone 11 models and later, as well as the iPhone SE (2nd Gen) and later. Naturally, you can expect better performance for the OS on newer phones. We’ve got the full rundown of compatible models so you can compare.

iOS 26 will be running as standard on any other new iPhone models coming between now and late 2026, so expect the potential iPhone 17e (which could arrive in Spring) to run it right from the jump.

And, naturally, iPhone 17, 17 Pro, 17 Pro Max, and the iPhone Air are all capable of running iOS 26.

It’s never been easier to install iOS updates on your phone.

We’d recommend doing this over WiFi to avoid hefty data charges, and keeping your phone plugged in so you don’t run out of battery halfway through – although Apple only lets you run the update if there’s enough juice in the tank anyway.

As we mentioned, iOS 26.1 is already in developer beta, and is close to making its full debut. The last four iOS updates have received six “point revisions” each, so don’t be surprised for iOS 26 to reach 26.6 or even higher as time goes on.

iOS 26.1 is quite likely to allow a customizable Liquid Glass opacity, allowing for a ‘Clear’ or ‘Tinted’ option that give more options for not just aesthetic changes but ones that could impact readability, too.

It’s also going to add custom workouts to the iPhone’s Fitness app, letting you build the session you want in your phone’s workout app.

Many of the post-launch releases involve bug fixes and security patches. Occasionally, there are new features added, too, such as iOS 17.4 allowing for multiple app stores in the EU, as well as new emoji.

As for what’s coming next, we have some inklings – although they could well be tied to the inevitible iOS 27.

For one, Apple Wallet could hold your US passport in the near future, with a REAL ID compliant, domestic flight-ready option slated for iOS 26. Still, with some government input required, that timeline could slip.

Here’s hoping for even more customization, like tweaking the Siri animation, allowing landscape Home Screen icons, or a return to iTunes Cover Flow. No? Just me then.

For now, here’s why you should upgrade to iOS 26, and once you have, these are the things you should do first on iOS 26.