Apple launched iOS and iPadOS 26 for iPhone and iPad, which introduces a brand new Liquid Glass design theme and superior multitasking capabilities for iPad (see the complete characteristic record under). Apple jumped to the brand new “26” conference to convey naming consistency to all of its working methods, representing the upcoming 2026 12 months. Like several software program replace, we suggest ready till your app or accent developer has time to try it out and confirm that there aren’t any compatibility points.
Design
Liquid Glass makes interactions throughout iOS extra pleasant, refracts and displays content material in actual time, and brings much more focus to what you’re viewing in your display
Adaptive time on the Lock Display screen fluidly resizes to the accessible house in your Lock Display screen, complementing the themes of your photographs and adapting as notifications and Reside Actions seem
Spatial scenes allow you to add a brand new 3D impact to your photograph wallpapers, bringing them to life once you transfer your iPhone
App icons get a contemporary new look with Liquid Glass, and there are extra methods to customise them with up to date gentle or darkish appearances, new color-tinted icons, and a brand new clear look
Animated album artwork makes music playback extra immersive, with full-screen artist-designed animations on supported albums
Visible Intelligence
Be taught extra concerning the content material in any app by urgent the identical buttons you employ to take a screenshot
Spotlight to seek for one thing particular in your display
Bounce into Google search outcomes primarily based on the content material in your display, discover associated gadgets out of your most-used third-party apps, or ask ChatGPT about what you’re taking a look at
Reside Translation
In Messages, routinely translate incoming texts, together with group messages, and ship a response in your most popular language – it’ll be translated when it’s delivered
In FaceTime, dwell translated captions seem on display through the name
In Cellphone, audio is translated and spoken out loud in actual time, and you’ll comply with together with a transcription when the decision is on speaker
With AirPods, hear a translation hands-free when somebody close by speaks to you in a unique language
Shortcuts
Clever actions allow you to make the most of Writing Instruments, Picture Playground, and different Apple Intelligence options inside your shortcut
“Use mannequin” is a brand new motion that permits you to faucet straight into Apple Intelligence fashions to get responses that feed into the remainder of your shortcut, or use ChatGPT if you wish to faucet into its broad world data and experience
Genmoji & Picture Playground
Make Genmoji by mixing two emoji collectively, or by combining an emoji with an outline to create what you keep in mind
Select expressions on your Genmoji of individuals, making characters look glad, shocked, and extra
Private attributes like coiffure and facial hair might be modified for the Genmoji which can be impressed by folks out of your Photographs library
Extra types with ChatGPT enables you to discover extra types like Oil Portray and Anime, or you possibly can faucet Any Fashion to explain the picture and magnificence you need
Digital camera
Streamlined design makes it even simpler to entry the Picture and Video seize modes, with different modes nonetheless only a swipe away
Lens cleansing hints warn you when your lens is smudged so you possibly can seize the clearest attainable photograph (iPhone 15 and later)
New AirPods gesture enables you to take a photograph or begin recording video simply by urgent the stem on AirPods 4 and AirPods Professional 2 and later
Photographs
Separate tabs for Library and Collections gives simpler navigation, and you’ll entry Search in each view
Collections view might be personalized with three completely different format choices, and it’s simple to break down and reorder the collections
Recognition for occasions like concert events and sports activities enables you to see the small print of an occasion and entry associated content material
Cellphone
New unified format possibility brings collectively your Favorites, Recents, and Voicemails
Name Screening enables you to display incoming calls from unknown numbers, getting you the caller’s identify and motive for the decision earlier than the cellphone rings
Screened calls from unknown numbers might be positioned in a brand new space of your name record so that they’re out of your manner
Maintain Help retains your spot in line when you wait to talk to a dwell agent, and rings you to return to the decision when the dwell agent is there
Messages
Screening for unknown senders lets you keep answerable for who can attain you, and places screened messages in a brand new space of your dialog record so that they’re out of your manner
Backgrounds might be added to conversations to make them extra private, with the choice to make use of built-in backgrounds, your individual photographs, or pictures made with Picture Playground
Polls will help you discover out everybody’s availability for an upcoming dinner plan or determine on a gaggle reward
Typing indicators in teams make it simple to know precisely who’s about to chime in
CarPlay
A brand new design with Liquid Glass helps make every interplay space of the Dashboard distinct, and supplies a brand new tab bar design for simple navigation in apps
Compact design for incoming calls makes it simple to maintain your eyes on the upcoming flip in your favourite navigation app
Tapbacks in Messages offers you a easy technique to react to messages whereas driving, like with a thumbs up or a coronary heart
Pinned conversations seem on the high of Messages, making it simple to get to your most frequent conversations
Widgets stacks might be discovered to the left of the Dashboard, so you possibly can keep on high of your favourite apps at a look
Reside Actions seem routinely on the Dashboard, making it simple to maintain observe of actual time occasions on the go
Maps
Visited Locations offers you the choice to permit your iPhone to detect the locations you go to, like a restaurant or store, so you possibly can simply discover them once more within the Maps library and share them simply
Most popular routes enhance your frequent drives by studying the routes you are taking between locations you usually go to, like your commute from residence to work
Music
Lyrics Translation and Pronunciation make it easier to perceive the that means behind your favourite songs and makes it simple to sing alongside, even when you don’t know the language
AutoMix transitions one music into the subsequent like a DJ does, time stretching and beatmatching to ship a steady playback expertise
Pin songs, albums, playlists, and extra on the high of Library for fast, simple playback
Pockets
Up to date boarding passes provide you with extra entry to well timed and related details about your flights and airports, in addition to fast entry to airline app options
Order monitoring (beta) makes use of Apple Intelligence to seek out emails despatched by both retailers or supply carriers and brings your full order particulars, progress notifications, and extra into one place within the Pockets app
Installment financing choices out of your financial institution or card supplier on your credit score and debit card purchases are accessible once you pay with Apple Pay in-store on iPhone
Apple Video games
New app is the all-in-one vacation spot for gaming in your iPhone, serving to you leap again into the video games you’re keen on, uncover new favorites, and play with buddies in new methods
Problem buddies, observe scores in actual time, and see what else your folks are enjoying
Entry your complete sport library, together with new and previous downloads from the App Retailer and Apple Arcade, and launch if you end up able to play
Suggestions for brand new video games are primarily based on the video games you like to play
Defending Youngsters On-line
Communication Requests give children the power to ship requests to their dad and mom when there are new cellphone numbers they need to have the ability to talk with
Convert current accounts to Youngster Accounts simply to take full benefit of all accessible youngster security protections
Age-appropriate experiences in apps offers dad and mom the choice to allow children to share their age vary with third-party apps, to allow them to entry content material and options suited to their age group
Communication Security expands to intervene when nudity is detected on dwell FaceTime calls, and to blur out nudity in Shared Albums in Photographs
Accessibility
Accessibility Diet Labels in App Retailer product pages inform you if accessibility options like VoiceOver, Voice Management, and Captions can be found inside apps and video games earlier than you obtain them
Accessibility Reader makes textual content in any app simpler to learn by providing you with new methods to customise textual content with in depth choices for font, shade, and spacing, in addition to assist for Spoken Content material
Braille Entry helps you are taking notes, learn paperwork, entry Reside Captions, launch apps, and carry out varied different duties effortlessly along with your related braille show
Different
Preview is a brand new app on iPhone devoted to viewing and modifying PDFs, with highly effective options like AutoFill, a doc scanner, and export choices
FaceTime has a reimagined touchdown web page that options customized Contact Posters on your current callers and video messages that play as you scroll
Reminder Ideas use Apple Intelligence to determine related duties once you share an e mail, web site, word, or different textual content to the Reminders app
Native seize information the high-quality audio and video out of your iPhone whereas on any video conferencing name, letting you produce an interview or podcast with the clearest recordings
Audio enter picker in Management Heart makes it simple to decide on the appropriate microphone for every app, together with on the net
Estimated time to cost lets you know the way lengthy it would take on your iPhone to cost
Adaptive energy learns your typical battery utilization and, on increased utilization days, makes computerized changes that will help you prolong your battery life all through the day (iPhone 15 Professional and later)
Blood strain logging expertise within the Well being app can ship you reminders to measure your blood strain utilizing a third-party cuff and create a PDF report on your healthcare supplier
New Exercise tab within the Health app brings exercise monitoring, so you possibly can observe metrics like tempo and distance, and much more if in case you have a appropriate coronary heart charge monitor like AirPods Professional 3. In case you have an Apple Watch, you possibly can make the most of the bigger display whereas utilizing options like constructing a Customized Exercise
Adaptive Temperature routinely adjusts your thermostat to your most popular temperature once you’re in your manner residence, and adjusts to save lots of vitality once you go away for the day or go on trip
Customized snooze choices allow you to alter how lengthy you possibly can snooze when your alarm goes off, with choices between 1 and quarter-hour
Password Historical past supplies a timeline of adjustments you’ve made to an account in Passwords, together with a historical past of previous passwords and generated sturdy passwords
Notes enables you to import and export Markdown formatted information
iPad-specific options:
Windowing
Highly effective new windowing system permits you to fluidly resize apps and place home windows precisely the place you need
Window controls makes it simpler to shut, reduce, and make apps full display
Window tiling enables you to prepare apps facet by facet, in thirds, or in quarters so you possibly can work throughout extra apps directly
Exposé enables you to see all of your open home windows at a look
Menu bar gives easy accessibility to all of an app’s instructions, or you need to use search to rapidly discover a particular command
Recordsdata
Up to date record view with resizable columns and collapsible folders shows much more of your information and their particulars
Open with permits you to select the app you open a file in and you’ll set the default app for a file or file kind
Folders within the Dock allow you to entry your information and folders from anyplace
Audio & Video Recording
Audio enter picker in Management Heart makes it simple to decide on the appropriate microphone for every app, together with on the net
Native seize information the high-quality audio and video out of your iPad whereas on any video conferencing name, letting you produce an interview or podcast
Background duties permit for lengthy operating duties to proceed once you change apps and are displayed as Reside Actions so that you all the time know what’s operating
New Apps on iPadOS
Preview is a devoted app to view and edit PDFs that provides full assist for Apple Pencil and highly effective options like AutoFill, a doc scanner, picture modifying, and varied choices for export
Journal is an app the place you possibly can jot down your ideas, illustrate, and seize moments utilizing photographs, movies, audio recordings, locations, and extra. Journal along with your keyboard, or create entries in your individual handwriting utilizing Apple Pencil. A number of journals allow you to preserve entries for various points of your life separate, versatile layouts make entries really feel stunning and private, and a phenomenal map view makes it simple to seek out entries primarily based on their location
Apple Video games is the all-in-one vacation spot for gaming in your iPad. Entry your complete sport library, together with new and previous downloads from the App Retailer and Apple Arcade, and discover suggestions for brand new video games primarily based on ones you’re keen on. Plus, problem buddies, observe scores in actual time, and see what else your folks are enjoying
Bret is a senior vp at Sporty’s and senior flight teacher for Sporty’s Academy. Along with Bret’s educating duties, Bret leads Sporty’s video manufacturing and app improvement workforce and serves as editor of iPad Pilot Information. As an airline transport pilot, Bret is a senior captain in Sporty’s company flight division.
