iOS 26 has someplace round 200 new options and adjustments, a few of that are extra helpful than others. We have highlighted among the updates that we expect present the very best quality of life enhancements to the iPhone.
Spam Filtering
iOS 26, iPadOS 26, and macOS 26 filter out spam textual content messages, so you will not get alerts for pretend toll funds, suspicious job affords, missed deliveries, tax refunds, and different frequent scams.
Spam cellphone calls and FaceTime calls additionally will not come via, and that features spam voicemails. All the things spam or rip-off associated that your Apple units catch is filtered right into a spam filter that you just by no means have to take a look at.
Name Screening
If you get a name from an unknown quantity, Name Screening will ask the particular person for his or her identify and purpose for calling. That info is relayed to you so you may determine whether or not to select up or not.
It’s also possible to ask for extra info from a caller earlier than you ever choose up. There’s nonetheless an choice to silence calls from unknown numbers totally when you choose.
Widgets on the Lock Display screen could be positioned on the backside of the show, and are not restricted to placement slightly below the clock. It is a small change, nevertheless it’s helpful if you wish to see extra of your wallpaper.
It performs into the adjustable time dimension too, as a result of if in case you have your wallpaper set to alter often, the time and widget place can change dynamically to accommodate the art work or picture.
If you scroll in Safari, Apple Music, Apple Information, Podcasts, and extra, the tab bar will shrink right down to be smaller, so you may see extra of the content material that you are looking at.
It is particularly helpful in Safari, the place you will simply see a tiny bar with the positioning URL or search time period, with no additional controls in the best way. Tapping the tab bar or scrolling again up returns the controls. Navigation bars that collapse down are among the finest Liquid Glass adjustments, and it is the form of intuitive factor that feels prefer it ought to have at all times existed.
On-Display screen Visible Intelligence
You need to use Visible Intelligence with content material in your show, which is extra helpful than Visible Intelligence activated via the Digital camera. Simply take a screenshot and faucet it to get to the on-device Visible Intelligence controls.
You may summarize what’s in your screenshot, translate it, or have it learn aloud. It’s also possible to ask ChatGPT questions on it or seek for an merchandise on Google, Etsy, and different websites.
What Visible Intelligence does could be achieved in different methods since there’s web-based abstract and translate options and the choice to easily seek for objects with Google Photographs or open ChatGPT, nevertheless it saves time when you get used to grabbing a screenshot and tapping into Visible Intelligence.
Voicemail Summaries
Apple Intelligence can summarize your voicemails and supply transcripts so you may see what somebody needed to say with out having to take heed to a voicemail.
Copying Messages Textual content
There may be FINALLY an possibility to repeat simply a part of a textual content within the Messages app somewhat than the entire thing. In case you’ve ever wanted to repeat a cellphone quantity, deal with, URL, or one thing related from a message however could not single out precisely what you needed, you will recognize this small however helpful function.
Lengthy press on a textual content and faucet “Choose” to get drag and drop controls, then faucet on copy. It isn’t essentially the most intuitive movement, however no less than the choice exists.
Customise Snooze Period
Now you can select a nap length between 1 minute and quarter-hour when setting an alarm within the Clock app, so that you’re not restricted to a 9 minute snooze interval.
Sadly, this variation was accompanied by a design change that makes the snooze button monumental, so that you is perhaps extra liable to sleepily snoozing longer than anticipated.
Messages Reside Translation
Reside Translation is a bit area of interest when you’re not often chatting with individuals who converse one other language, nevertheless it is useful. You may activate Reside Translation for any dialog and get real-time translations for texts that are not in your language.
It really works properly, however it’s restricted to English (U.S., UK), French (France), German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese (Brazil), Spanish (Spain), and Chinese language (simplified), so there is not assist for each language you may encounter.
There are additionally Reside Translation options for Cellphone and FaceTime. FaceTime makes use of translated reside captions, and the Cellphone app makes use of an AI voice, which is a bit bit weirder than text-based translation.
Message Backgrounds
Technically not essentially the most helpful function, nevertheless it’s on the listing as a result of Apple is lastly embracing extra customization. You may select a customized background for any single particular person or group dialog, however needless to say the background is displayed for everybody.
Extra helpful Messages options embody filtering choices, assist for polls, typing indicators for group chats, and Apple Money assist for sending cash in a bunch chat.
Picture Playground and Genmoji
That is on the backside of the listing and is technically an honorable point out, however Apple did implement adjustments that make Picture Playground and Genmoji extra helpful. Two or extra emoji could be mixed to create a brand new emoji, which makes for a greater leaping off level than a clean slate if you wish to create a brand new character.
Extra importantly, emotion-themed emoji can be utilized for Genmoji and Picture Playground creations to truly add emotion. Apple’s picture technology instruments have a really exhausting time portraying even primary emotion like glad, unhappy, and mad, limiting their usefulness. It is a bit higher in iOS 26.
If you have not checked out Picture Playground in iOS 26, it could possibly be value a glance. Apple did a superb job bettering the photographs which are generated primarily based on pictures of your loved ones and buddies, plus it helps the complete ChatGPT picture technology capabilities if in case you have a paid ChatGPT plan.
Different Helpful Additions
There are different useful adjustments that did not make the listing, however deserve a point out.
- Passwords – The Passwords app reveals your password historical past, so you may see the earlier passwords that you just used for a given login.
- Battery UI – Apple now displays battery life in averages, evaluating your day by day utilization to your common utilization. You may see at a look when you’re utilizing extra battery than regular, and which apps are inflicting battery drain. It is extra useful than simply straight battery utilization statistics.
- Time to Cost – You may see how lengthy it’s going to be till your iPhone prices to full when you faucet on the show whereas it is plugged right into a charger or on a MagSafe charger.
- Photographs – In case you hated that unified iOS 18 Photographs app, you will just like the iOS 26 model higher. It has one tab for the Picture Library and one tab for Collections.
- AutoMix – Apple Music’s AutoMix function for music transitions works properly, and the beat matching is neat. It is not out there for all genres and there are some songs the place it could possibly be higher, nevertheless it’s a fantastic new possibility.
- SharePlay for the Cellphone app – You do not must be on a FaceTime name to speak whereas doing issues like watching television, taking part in a recreation, or listening to music with somebody.
- Maps Visited Locations – In case you journey lots, Visited Locations can preserve monitor of the place you’ve got been. It is good for remembering a favourite retailer or restaurant. It would not at all times log each go to and generally it is not spot on for places, nevertheless it’s nonetheless a beta function and even when imperfect, it is helpful.
- DualSense Controller Pairing – This takes a firmware replace, however you may join a DualSense controller to an iPhone or iPad simply by plugging it in with a USB-C cable.
Probably Helpful, However Disappointing
There are some options in iOS 26 which have a variety of potential, however that want enchancment.
- Pockets order monitoring – The Pockets app can in principle monitor any order you place even when it isn’t an Apple Pay buy, nevertheless it’s not nice proper now. It pulls order and cargo emails from the Mail app, so if you aren’t getting an e mail with each step of the order course of, the merchandise simply sits in an inventory within the Pockets app till you clear it out. Apple does say this function is in beta, and for good purpose.
- Preview app – The Preview app is simply form of complicated. The interface is odd as a result of it pops up the Recordsdata app and buttons for creating a brand new doc, and it would not open routinely once you do one thing like faucet a PDF within the Recordsdata app. The interface is simply too much like Recordsdata, and there is overlap with Markup, which nonetheless exists.
- Video games – Apple has tried a number of instances to make Sport Heart options extra fashionable, and the Video games app looks as if the newest try. It has multiplayer recreation assist and choices to problem buddies to beat your rating in single participant video games, nevertheless it’s actually only a copy of the Video games part of the App Retailer.
- Reminders – Reminders has a Counsel Reminders function that Apple says can do issues like pull components from a recipe in Safari. It may well, form of, nevertheless it must be higher at it. Auto-categorize additionally has the potential to be helpful, nevertheless it would not at all times get issues proper.
- Shortcuts – Shortcuts helps Apple Intelligence, and Apple Intelligence fashions could be built-in instantly into your creations, however shortcuts are nonetheless too difficult for the common person. iOS 26 hasn’t improved the shortcut creation course of.
- Maintain Help – Maintain Help holds for you so you are able to do different issues whereas ready for somebody to get on the road. It is helpful, but when the place you are calling has music with lyrics or a kind of please keep on the road voice reminders, it could journey up Maintain Help.
Wrap Up
Do you agree with our iOS 26 function rating? What do you suppose are essentially the most helpful new additions in iOS 26? Tell us within the feedback beneath.