iOS 26 — All New Features
What's new in the latest iPhone software
Redesigned Control Center
The Control Center has been completely rebuilt with resizable widgets, multiple pages, and the ability to add any third-party control. Swipe down from the top-right corner, then long-press to customize your layout.
Liquid Glass Design Language
iOS 26 introduces a new translucent "Liquid Glass" design across the entire system. Menus, notifications, and the tab bar all feature a new frosted glass aesthetic that adapts to your wallpaper.
Enhanced Lock Screen
New interactive widgets on the Lock Screen let you control music, check your Activity rings, and view live sports scores without unlocking your phone. Live Activities have been expanded to support more apps.
Messages Overhaul
Schedule messages to send later, format text with bold/italic/underline, use new Tapback reactions with any emoji, and enjoy RCS support for improved texting with Android users.
Photos App Reimagined
The Photos app has a unified view combining your library, memories, and albums. AI-powered search lets you find photos by describing what's in them. Clean Up tool removes unwanted objects from photos.
Safari with AI Summaries
Safari can now generate AI-powered summaries of web articles, highlight key information, and offer a distraction-free reading mode. The Reader view has been enhanced with customizable fonts.
iOS 26 requires iPhone 12 or later. Check Settings → General → About to confirm your model before updating.
20 Battery Saving Tips
Maximize your iPhone battery life
Enable Low Power Mode at 30%
Settings → Battery → Low Power Mode. Reduces background tasks and extends battery by up to 3 hours.
Reduce Screen Brightness
Display is the #1 battery drain. Use Auto-Brightness or keep below 50%. Enable True Tone for comfortable viewing.
Turn Off Background App Refresh
Settings → General → Background App Refresh. Disable for apps you don't need updating in the background.
Disable Unnecessary Location Services
Settings → Privacy → Location Services. Set most apps to "While Using" instead of "Always".
Use Wi-Fi Instead of Cellular
Wi-Fi uses significantly less power than 5G/LTE. Connect to Wi-Fi whenever possible.
Disable Push Email
Settings → Mail → Accounts → Fetch New Data. Switch from Push to Fetch every 15-30 minutes or Manual.
Enable Optimized Battery Charging
Settings → Battery → Battery Health → Optimized Charging. Reduces battery aging by learning your routine.
Turn Off Always-On Display
On iPhone 14 Pro+: Settings → Display → Always On Display. Disabling saves ~15% daily battery.
Reduce Motion & Animations
Settings → Accessibility → Motion → Reduce Motion. Uses less GPU power for transitions.
Use Dark Mode on OLED
OLED screens turn off pixels for true black. Dark Mode saves up to 30% battery on iPhone X and later.
Battery drain after updating is normal. iOS re-indexes Spotlight, Photos, and Siri data. Wait 24-48 hours before troubleshooting.
Apple Intelligence Guide
AI-powered features on your iPhone
Writing Tools — Everywhere
Select any text → tap Writing Tools. Proofread grammar, rewrite in different tones (Professional, Friendly, Concise), summarize long emails, or create lists from paragraphs. Works in Mail, Notes, Messages, and every text field.
Siri with ChatGPT Integration
Siri now understands context, remembers previous requests, and can tap into ChatGPT for complex questions. Ask follow-up questions naturally. Type to Siri by double-tapping the bottom of the screen.
Image Playground & Genmoji
Create custom images and emoji directly on your device. Describe what you want, choose a style (Sketch, Illustration, Animation), and Apple Intelligence generates it. Create Genmoji of friends using their photos.
Smart Notification Summary
AI summarizes stacked notifications so you see the key points at a glance. Priority notifications from important contacts and time-sensitive messages surface automatically.
Photo Cleanup & Memory Movies
Remove unwanted objects from photos with Clean Up. Search your gallery with natural language ("show me photos of dad at the beach last summer"). AI creates Memory Movies from descriptions.
Apple Intelligence requires iPhone 15 Pro or later (A17 Pro chip or newer). Enable in Settings → Apple Intelligence & Siri. Processing happens on-device — your data stays private.
Customization
Make your iPhone truly yours
Custom Lock Screen
Long-press Lock Screen → Customize. Add widgets, change fonts, apply photo filters, and link Lock Screens to Focus modes.
Home Screen Tinting
Long-press → Edit → Customize. Tint all app icons with a custom color, resize icons, or apply Dark Mode icons.
Focus Filters
Focus modes can filter which tabs appear in Safari, which calendars show, and which Mail accounts are visible during specific activities.
Action Button
On iPhone 15 Pro+: Settings → Action Button. Assign Camera, Flashlight, Voice Memo, Translate, Shortcut, or any accessibility feature.
Security & Privacy
Keep your data safe
Passkeys — Replace Passwords
Passkeys use Face ID/Touch ID instead of passwords. Phishing-proof, synced across devices via iCloud Keychain. When a site supports Passkeys, iPhone will offer to create one automatically.
Stolen Device Protection
When away from familiar locations, sensitive actions require biometric authentication and a time delay. Enable in Settings → Face ID → Stolen Device Protection.
Hide My Email
Generate unique email addresses that forward to your real email. Perfect for sign-ups and newsletters. Included with iCloud+. Settings → Apple ID → iCloud → Hide My Email.
Lockdown Mode
For users facing extreme threats. Blocks most message attachments, disables complex web technologies, and restricts connections. Settings → Privacy & Security → Lockdown Mode.