Apple has officially previewed iOS 26, marking one of the most significant updates to the iPhone experience in years. The new release introduces a stunning visual overhaul, deeper intelligence features, and meaningful upgrades to the apps people use daily. Here’s everything you need to know about what’s coming to your iPhone this fall.

iOS 26 shines with the gorgeous new design and meaningful improvements to the features users rely on every day, making iPhone even more helpful. Experiences are more expressive and personal, from the Lock Screen and Home Screen, to new capabilities across Phone and Messages that help users focus on the connections that matter most. And with powerful new Apple Intelligence capabilities integrated across the system, users can get things done easier than ever.

Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of Software Engineering

A Striking New Design: Liquid Glass and Customization

iOS 26 debuts a Liquid Glass design language, infusing every part of the system with vibrant translucency and dynamic reflections. The Home and Lock Screens are more expressive than ever, with app icons and widgets now offering a customizable “clear” look. The time on the Lock Screen adapts fluidly to your chosen wallpaper, and spatial scenes add a subtle 3D effect as you move your device.

App interfaces across the board—from Camera to Photos to Safari—have been streamlined for clarity and focus. Camera’s new layout keeps your attention on the moment, while Photos now separates Library and Collections for easier browsing. Safari’s content flows edge-to-edge, maximizing what you see without sacrificing access to key controls.

Developers can also tap into these design elements, bringing the Liquid Glass effect and dynamic components into their own apps for a more cohesive iOS experience.

Apple Intelligence: Smarter, More Helpful, and Private

Building on Apple’s privacy-first approach, Apple Intelligence in iOS 26 gets even more powerful and integrated:

• Live Translation: Instantly translates text and audio in Messages, FaceTime, and Phone—entirely on-device, so your conversations stay private.
• Visual Intelligence: Recognizes what’s on your screen, letting you search, take action, or ask ChatGPT about anything you’re viewing. It can even suggest adding events to your calendar with all the key details pre-filled.
• Genmoji & Image Playground: Mix and match emojis, Genmoji, and descriptions to create personalized images for chats and social media.
  
• Smarter Shortcuts: Intelligent actions and new shortcuts, including Writing Tools and Image Playground, help you get things done faster.
• Order Tracking: Apple Intelligence now automatically summarizes order details from your email, even for non-Apple Pay purchases.

For developers, a new Foundation Models framework opens up direct, private, and offline access to Apple’s on-device AI models at no extra cost.

Stay Connected, Stay Focused: Upgrades to Phone and Messages

The Phone app now features a unified layout for Favorites, Recents, and Voicemails. Call Screening uses AI to gather information from unknown callers, letting you decide whether to answer or ignore. Hold Assist notifies you when a live agent is available, so you’re never stuck on hold unnecessarily.

Messages introduces message screening for unknown senders, placing them in a dedicated folder until you approve or block them. Group chats get a boost with custom backgrounds, poll creation, typing indicators, and the ability to send and receive Apple Cash. Apple Intelligence can even suggest a poll when it senses a group decision is needed.

CarPlay, Apple Music, Maps, and Wallet: Smarter and More Seamless

CarPlay gets a visual refresh with compact call notifications, Tapbacks, pinned conversations, widgets, and Live Activities—plus a new CarPlay Ultra mode for a unified in-car experience.

Apple Music now includes Lyrics Translation and Pronunciation, making it easier to understand and sing along with songs in any language. AutoMix uses AI to create seamless DJ-style transitions between tracks.

Apple Maps introduces Visited Places, letting you privately track and revisit your favorite spots, all protected by end-to-end encryption. Maps also gets smarter about your daily routes, proactively offering preferred directions and real-time delay notifications.

Apple Wallet adds flexible payment options, refreshed boarding passes with Live Activities, and deeper integration with Maps and Find My for travel.

Apple Games: Your New Gaming Hub

The all-new Apple Games app brings all your games together in one place. Jump back into your favorites, discover new titles, and stay updated on the latest events and updates across Apple Arcade and beyond.

Enhanced Accessibility, Parental Controls, and Privacy

iOS 26 expands accessibility with features like Accessibility Reader, Braille Access, and updates to Live Listen and Personal Voice. Parents gain more control over Child Accounts, communication limits, and content approvals, ensuring safer digital experiences for kids.

Safari now offers advanced fingerprinting protection by default, keeping your browsing habits private.

Availability and Supported Devices

iOS 26 is available for developer testing now, with a public beta coming next month. The official rollout is expected this fall for iPhone 11 and later. Apple Intelligence features require iPhone 16 models, iPhone 15 Pro/Pro Max, and select iPad and Mac devices with M1 or later chips. English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese (Brazil), Spanish, Japanese, Korean, and Simplified Chinese are supported at launch, with more languages coming by year’s end.