Complete List of iOS 26 Features & Changes

Design & Interface

• Liquid Glass UI — glass-like, fluid look for buttons, toolbars, icons and navigation.
• Animated controls — buttons, sliders, tab bars morph and animate when interacted with.
• In-place alerts — alerts expand directly from the button you pressed.
• Expanded context menus — vertical edit menu with more actions.
• Magnifier loupe — smoother, more precise text cursor magnifier.

Home Screen & Lock Screen

• Icon redesign — multi-layered icons with options for tinting or full glass transparency.
• MagSafe case tinting — icons adapt tint to match MagSafe case colour.
• Adaptive Time — lock screen clock adapts to wallpaper and notifications.
• Widget refresh — dynamic, translucent widget styles.
• Animated album art — tappable animations for music artwork.
• Spatial scenes — 3D-like depth scenes generated from 2D photos.

Camera

• Refreshed UI — simplified mode wheel prioritising Photo/Video.
• Customizable controls — drag controls onto the main screen.
• Lens cleaning hint — detects when the lens is dirty and prompts to wipe it.
• Improved panoramas — less motion blur, sharper stitching.
• AirPods integration — use AirPods as a wireless microphone or remote shutter.
• Video recording upgrades — smoother frame handling, more reliable recording.

Photos

• Library split — “Library” for browsing all photos; “Collections” for grouped sets.
• Customizable collection sizes — small, medium, or large previews.
• Event details — inline display of time, location, and metadata.
• Spatial views — convert normal photos into spatial scenes for Vision Pro.
• Improved search — natural language support and more precise results.

Safari & Web

• New tab layouts — Compact, Bottom, and Top with floating tab options.
• Enhanced fingerprinting protection — broader privacy coverage.
• Add to Home Screen as apps — web pages can run fullscreen and appear in App Switcher.
• Web Extension Packager — developers can package extensions without Mac/Xcode.

FaceTime & Phone

• Landing page redesign — tiled layout with Contact Posters, plus video message previews.
• “More” button — quick access to SharePlay, screen share, live translation, call recording.
• Unknown Callers list — manage spam or unwanted numbers.
• Call Screening — review a live transcript before answering.
• Live Reply — respond to incoming calls by voice without answering.
• SharePlay in calls — watch videos or share screens directly in phone calls.

Messages

• Conversation details redesign — photos, links, locations, and contacts organised clearly.
• Auto-translate — messages translated automatically if language differs.
• Translated captions — FaceTime captions translated in real time.
• Photo previews — progressive loading on slow connections.
• Typing indicators — now available in group chats.
• Spam detection — stronger on-device filtering of junk messages.
• Text Filters — auto-categorise promotions, transactions, personal messages.

Apple Intelligence

• Visual Intelligence — highlight text or screenshots to search, identify objects, or “Ask ChatGPT.”
• Image Playground — generate images in different styles.
• Genmoji — create entirely new emoji or mix existing ones.
• Shortcuts integration — actions for summarising, extracting PDF data, or generating content.
• Privacy safeguards — runs on device or securely in the cloud depending on request.

Translation & Accessibility

• Live translation — real-time audio translation in calls.
• AirPods translation — use AirPods as a live translator for in-person conversations.
• Accessibility Reader — systemwide reading mode for easier text consumption.
• Braille Access improvements — better support for external displays.
• Eye and head tracking — more precise navigation by movement.
• Switch typing with QuickPath — gesture typing for mobility users.
• Shared Accessibility Settings — temporarily share your preferences with another device.

Wallet & Travel

• Passport as Digital ID — U.S. passports can be stored digitally (region-limited).
• Enhanced boarding passes — live updates, richer airport details.
• Flight Live Activities — share flight status in real time with family or friends.
• Order tracking — track purchases and deliveries inside Wallet (beta).

Maps

• Preferred routes — learns your usual choices.
• Commute previews — widget shows travel time before you leave.
• Visited Places — logs your history for quick re-access.
• Natural language search — ask conversational queries like “coffee near my gym.”
• Incident reporting — expanded categories and easier reporting.
• Guide sharing — share custom maps and places more simply.

Music & Audio

• AutoMix — DJ-style transitions between tracks.
• Pinned songs — keep favourites at the top of your library.
• Lyrics translation — see song lyrics in another language.
• Pronunciation guide — for non-English lyrics.
• AirPlay upgrades — multiple people can control a shared speaker (like HomePod).

Gaming

• Game Overlay — pop-up overlay for friends, settings, events while gaming.
• Gaming Hub — central dashboard for all games and achievements.
• MetalFX updates — frame interpolation and denoising for smoother performance.
• Controller pairing — easier USB-C pairing and multi-device switching.

Productivity & Files

• Files: list view — collapsible folders, custom icons, synced across devices.
• Notes — adaptive toolbar, Markdown import/export.
• Reminders — AI-based suggestions and auto-categorisation.
• Preview app — full PDF editor with annotation, auto-fill, clipboard creation.

Security & Privacy

• Safety Check while blocking — instantly stop sharing info with someone you block.
• Centralized blocked list — one place for blocked contacts across apps.
• Stolen device protection — Face/Touch ID required for eSIM transfer if enabled.

Utilities

• Calculator — 3D graphing with adjustable axis ranges.
• Dictation — spell uncommon words by voice.
• Clock — custom snooze times and bigger snooze button.
• Battery — new Adaptive Power saving mode, redesigned battery insights UI.