- Apple has launched iOS 26 on its range of iPhones
- Not everyone is happy with the changes iOS 26 brings
- Luckily, you don’t have to update your iPhone just yet
The wait is over as iOS 26 is now officially available, with its Liquid Glass redesign and fistfuls of other changes. It’s probably the most significant iOS update in many years, and the difference is night and day compared to iOS 18.
But while Apple might be celebrating, not everyone who has installed iOS 26 is happy with the new look and feel. In fact, there have been plenty of complaints from Apple users about what has happened to their devices.
Notably, even Apple has chimed in on the topic, issuing a warning that upgrading to a new version of the operating system can negatively impact your device’s battery life and performance.
This has been common knowledge among some iOS users for years – the new operating system needs to index your files, download assets, and more, after all. It’s worth bearing in mind that this is usually a temporary problem, and battery life and performance should return to normal after a while. But it can nonetheless be frustrating when you experience it.
On a similar theme, the size of iOS 26 itself has caused some dismay – with the update demanding anywhere between 6GB-12GB of space before you can install it, depending on your model. This is down to a combination of new visual assets, security patches and feature updates, but you naturally get some of that back once the temporary update package has been installed.
Elsewhere, some users have voiced their displeasure with Apple’s Liquid Glass design, especially when it comes to text legibility. This is something that Apple seems to be keenly aware of, as it tweaked Liquid Glass several times while iOS 26 was in beta. Still, it appears that not everyone is happy with the end result, although Apple will likely continue to make adjustments as time goes on.
Should you upgrade?
If you’re uncertain about upgrading to iOS 26, there’s no need to rush. Apple’s iOS 18 operating system will continue to get security updates for the time being, so your device is not at risk at the moment. If you don’t like iOS 26, Apple is not forcing you to install it.
Your mileage can also vary depending on which model you have and its current condition. For example, some iPhone 11 owners have reported on Reddit that performance is “smooth and fast”, while others with the same model claim that “performance is terrible”.
That said, iOS 26 comes with a lot of useful new features, including Call Screening that blocks spam calls, Live Translation for when you need a quick way to translate messages and voices, improvements to apps like Maps, Wallet and Music, and more. These new features are not available in iOS 18.
While the Liquid Glass design in iOS 26 seems to be a pain point, it can be adjusted, while its transparency effects can be greatly reduced by opening the Settings app and going to Accessibility > Display & Text Size > Reduce Transparency. And as has been mentioned, any negative impacts on battery life and performance are likely to be temporary and should be smoothed out over time.
Still, iOS 26 won’t be for everyone, and you can stick with iOS 18 if that’s what you prefer. Just be aware that you’ll have to update eventually, as Apple doesn’t provide security patches forever.
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alexblake.techradar@gmail.com (Alex Blake)
