It’s official: iOS 26 is arriving instead of iOS 19 this year, with Apple unveiling the upcoming iPhone-based software update at WWDC 2025.
It’s not just the name that’s changing, though. Along with the new moniker, the operating system has a whole new look that’s distinctly different from iOS 18.
Below, we’ve rounded up five of the biggest new features coming to your iPhone in iOS 26 – from updates to core iPhone apps to a major aesthetic overhaul.
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1. A major visual redesign
The headline feature of iOS 26 is its Liquid Glass design. Apple has ditched much of the design language of iOS 18 and replaced it with something akin to visionOS on the Apple Vision Pro, complete with translucent, glass-like widgets and rounder corners on icons and menus.
This new look isn’t limited to iOS – a version of it is also being applied to macOS and other Apple interfaces, ensuring a more unified experience across Apple’s product ecosystems and easier switching between them.
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Apple says Liquid Glass will “bring greater focus to content and deliver a new level of vitality across controls, navigation, app icons, widgets, and more” in iOS 26, so here’s hoping it’s not simply a visual upgrade.
2. A new Phone app
In iOS 26, Apple is overhauling the Phone app for the first time in years.
The new version of the app features a unified layout that puts Favorites, Recents, and Voicemails into one view, while a new Call Screening tool can gather information from a caller, helping you decide whether or not to accept the call.
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On the topic of communication, Messages is getting some major upgrades, too. Specifically, you’ll soon be able to screen messages from unknown senders, create custom backgrounds, and add WhatsApp-style polls.
Lastly, iMessage group chats in iOS 26 will feature typing indicators, and you’ll be able to request, send, and receive Apple Cash directly within these chats.
3. Maps, Wallet, and Music upgrades
As well as those aforementioned updates to iMessage and the Phone app, Apple is also updating various other core iPhone apps in iOS 26.
In Apple Maps, for instance, you’ll be able to view a list of Visited Places to help you remember where you’ve been, and your iPhone can use AI to better understand your usual daily route, and advise you if it’s subject to delays.
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In Apple Wallet, iOS 26 introduces the option to pay in installments when you make in-store purchases using Apple Pay, and boarding passes will offer the ability to see and share Live Activities for real-time flight updates.
For Apple Music users, iOS 26 also introduces Lyrics Translation to help you better appreciate your favorite songs, while a new Lyrics Pronunciation feature will teach you how to pronounce those Bad Bunny phrases you think you’ve got a handle on, but most definitely don’t.
4. Apple Intelligence improvements
Apple is still playing catch-up when it comes to AI, but the company did announce a slew of Apple Intelligence-related upgrades at WWDC 2025 that should go some way to closing the gap between itself and the competition.
Live Translation, for instance, is finally coming to Messages, FaceTime, and the Phone app, helping you communicate across languages by translating both text and audio on the fly. This is a feature that the best Samsung phones and best Pixel phones have had for a while, so we’re glad to see it coming to the best iPhones soon.
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Visual Intelligence, Apple’s take on Google Lens, is also getting an upgrade in iOS 26. You’ll soon be able to search and take action on anything you’re viewing in any app, with ChatGPT on hand to answer questions about that content.
Other minor upgrades are coming to Genmoji, Image Playground, and Shortcuts, and Apple has also launched a new Foundation Models framework, which opens up access for any app to tap directly into your iPhone’s on-device AI model. Hopefully, this means more apps will be able to take advantage of Apple Intelligence soon.
5. A dedicated gaming hub
There’s not much in the way of truly new apps in iOS 26, but one that is included is a new gaming hub, Apple Games, which replaces Game Center as an all-in-one area in which to find games, play them, and track achievements and leaderboards.
This feels in tune with Apple’s push to simplify iOS, as you no longer have to bounce between multiple services to perform all of these gaming-related tasks. The same app will also come to Macs, which is again in keeping with Apple’s desire to better unify its available ecosystems.
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axel.metz@futurenet.com (Axel Metz)
