Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference – better known as WWDC – is the yearly event where Apple announces all the new features coming to its devices later in the year. For iPhone, that software is iOS and while logic would have predicted I’d be talking about iOS 19 here, Apple has renamed all its software to make it more consistent from iPhone through to Mac. 

As such, the next version of iOS software is called iOS 26, matching the year it will be most prevalent, whilst also trying to simplify software numbers across all devices. It joins iPadOS 26, watchOS 26 and macOS 26 Tahoe, as well as visionOS 26. 

These are the main features coming to iPhone in the “fall” and the iPhone models that will be compatible. 

What new features will iOS 26 bring to iPhone?

A new, more transparent design

In what is the most significant design change to iPhone’s software since iOS 7, the new iOS software will feature what Apple is calling Liquid Glass, said to be a “new translucent material that reflects and refracts its surroundings, bringing greater focus to content, and delivering a new level of vitality across controls, navigation, app icons, widgets, and more”.

Apple iOS 26

IMAGE CREDIT: THE DISCONNEKT

It takes a leaf out of Vision Pro’s book with a more translucent approach to controls, toolbars, and navigation within apps, by placing a functional layer over content. Icons and menus have also been redesigned with a rounder look, fitting in with the rounded edges of your iPhone better.

The new design will apply to the Lock Screen, Home Screen, Control Centre, as well as a number of native Apple apps, and there will also be a new ‘Clear Look’ joining the Light, Dark, Automatic and Tinted customisation options for your Home Screen.

Clock

Apple didn’t mention this one during the WWDC25 keynote, but iOS 26 will allow you to set a snooze duration between 1 and 15 minutes and that’s exciting stuff.

AirPods Camera Remote

If you have a pair of AirPods with the H2 chip – which is the AirPods Pro 2 or AirPods 4 – then iOS 26 will mean you can press and hold them to start recording video in the Camera app.

Camera

Speaking of the Camera app, this is getting a more intuitive design for iOS 26. It will focus on the two main capture modes – Photo and Video – at the bottom of the app.

Apple iOS 26

IMAGE CREDIT: THE DISCONNEKT

A swipe of your finger left or right will then reveal more capture options like Portrait and Spatial. An additional tap on either Photo or Video shows extra camera features for that format.

Photos

The Photos app was redesigned for iOS 18, but there are some more changes coming with iOS 26. There will be separate tabs for Library and Collections views in the new software, while navigation buttons like search and select sit above the content displayed.

Safari 

Safari is being updated to offer a more immersive experience with iOS 26. Web pages will be edge-to-edge on your iPhone, allowing you to see more of the content, and the tab bar has been redesigned to float above the webpage so you can still access frequently used actions like refresh.

Apple iOS 26

IMAGE CREDIT: THE DISCONNEKT

FaceTime

For FaceTime on iOS 26, controls will float on the bottom right of the app and there is a new FaceTime landing page showing all your favourite contacts in a more engaging view. Video messages will play as you scroll too. 

Phone

The Phone app is getting a unified layout in iOS 26 with favourites, recents and voicemails placed on one screen. Favourites stay front and centre, while recents and voicemails will appear in a list below them.

Apple Intelligence will also summarise voicemails in the new software. Elsewhere in the Phone app on iOS 26, there’s Call Screening that will determine if a call from unknown number is legitimate, while Hold Assist will keep your phone in line when you’re stuck on hold and ring you when it’s time to get back on the call.

Messages

Apple’s Messages app got features like Send Later in iOS 18, and with iOS 26, Apple is adding support for polls in group chats – like WhatsApp offers – though Apple Intelligence will get involved and suggest a poll if it thinks it might be useful.

Apple iOS 26

IMAGE CREDIT: THE DISCONNEKT

You’ll also be able to choose customised backgrounds for specific conversations – another feature WhatsApp offers, while messages sent in another language will be automatically translated.

Elsewhere in Messages, you will be able to request, send and receive Apple Cash from group chats and typing indicators are being added too.

Apple Music 

Apple Music will benefit from the iOS 26 redesign, but there are new features coming to the music streaming app too. You will get Lyrics Translation to help understand the meanings of lyrics in songs, as well as AutoMix that will allow you seamlessly go from one track to the next like a DJ.

Something called Music Pins is also being added to Apple Music that will help you get to the music you like faster and easier by allowing you to ‘pin’ artists, for example.

Maps

For Maps, your iPhone will learn your preferred routes for things like the school run. If you then use the Maps widget, you can check your commute before you leave, even if you haven’t asked for directions.

Visited Places is also being added to Maps, where you will be able to have your iPhone detect when you’ve been somewhere so you can check back and see what a great restaurant you went to on a trip and share it. Visited Places can be deleted with a swipe and they are protected with end-to-end encryption.

Apple iOS 26

IMAGE CREDIT: THE DISCONNEKT

Visual Intelligence 

With iOS 26, Apple is extending Visual Intelligence to your iPhone screen. It will work automatically with any app, giving you a Visual Intelligence button in the bottom right of your screen when you take a screenshot. From here, you will be able to do things like search for something on your screen, add an event if you have screenshotted a date and ask questions.

Translation 

For iOS 26, live translation will be able to translate on the fly across Messages, FaceTime and the Phone app. Within Messages, it will automatically translate texts for you as they come in and translate as you type. For FaceTime, live captions will appear on screen if you are translation to someone who is speaking a different language. For Phone, the translation will happen in real time and it will work even if you call someone who doesn’t have an iPhone.

Gaming

There will be a new Gaming app with iOS 26 where you will see games recommendations tailored to you, along with an Apple Arcade tab and a Library tab with all the games you’ve ever downloaded from App Store. The Games app will enable you to play together with friends and there will be Challenges for a new way to compete with friends.

Shortcuts

The Shortcuts app is being accelerated with Apple Intelligence for iOS 26, with intelligent actions enabling you to summarise text, create images and use Apple Intelligence to provide responses that feed into your shortcut. It’s a pretty complicated app as it is so if Apple Intelligence can help simplify things to make it easier to create commands, then I’m all for it. 

Apple iOS 26

IMAGE CREDIT: THE DISCONNEKT

When will iOS 26 come out?

Apple has said the final build of iOS 26 will be available “this fall” but hasn’t yet specified a date. Usually the software availability is fully revealed when the new iPhones are announced so we expect to know a little more in September. 

If last year is anything to go by, we could see iOS 26 arrive on 15 September. That’s only if Apple sticks to a similar release schedule for its new iPhones, however, so pencil this date in for now. If you want to try iOS 26 before, the public beta will be available in July.

Which iPhones will be compatible with iOS 26?

The following iPhones will support iOS 26, but keep in mind that the Apple Intelligence features will only be available on devices supporting Apple Intelligence, which is the iPhone 15 Pro models and iPhone 16 series.