According to Apple, the Liquid Glass aesthetic is “a transparent material that reflects and refracts the surrounding environment, making content more prominent while breathing new life into app icons, widgets, navigation, and control elements.”

What’s new in iOS 26

The update introduces key features such as Call Screening and Hold Assist in the Phone app. Call Screening automatically handles unknown callers without disturbing the user. When a caller provides their name and reason, the phone will ring, allowing the user to decide whether to answer.

Hold Assist, on the other hand, automatically stays on the line with customer service and alerts the user when an operator is available.

Messages also receives a significant upgrade, including chat backgrounds, group poll voting, Apple Cash integration within group conversations, real-time typing indicators, and spam filtering for unknown senders.

Apple Intelligence now brings real-time translation directly into Messages, FaceTime, and Phone apps, supporting both text and voice translation through on-device AI.

Visual recognition capabilities have also been expanded. Users can now interact with or look up information directly from content displayed on their screen.

Supported devices

iOS 26 is compatible with all iPhones from the iPhone 11 series onward, covering models released since 2019. The full list includes iPhone 17 series, iPhone Air, iPhone 16 series, iPhone 15 series, iPhone 14 series, iPhone SE (2022), iPhone 13 series, iPhone 12 series, and iPhone 11 series.

However, advanced AI features powered by Apple Intelligence are only supported on iPhone 15 Pro and newer, as well as the iPhone 16 and 17 series.

How to install iOS 26

Before upgrading, Apple recommends users:

Back up their iPhone data to iCloud or another cloud service
Ensure 3 to 5 GB of free storage space
Connect to a stable Wi-Fi network
Charge the phone to at least 50%
Steps to update to iOS 26:

Open Settings on your iPhone
Go to General → Software Update
The iPhone will automatically check for updates
Tap "Download and Install" and agree to the terms to begin
The download and installation process typically takes 30 to 60 minutes, depending on network speed and device model.

Du Lam