iOS 26: Glass design and new functions for the iPhone system
Apple gives its operating systems a new coat of paint – as glassy as it is pastel. New functions are also on the way, including for Apple Intelligence.
The new Liquid Glass interface of iOS 26.
(Image: Apple)
New version number, new design: Apple presented iOS 26 at the WWDC developer conference on Monday. The successor to iOS 18 features a fresh design with transparent and animated elements reminiscent of glass. Apple calls the new design language "Liquid Glass". It will not only be used on the iPhone, but also on all other Apple devices and operating systems. Together with the now uniform version number this ensures greater consistency, as announced by Apple's Head of Software Craig Federighi.
New design – also for CarPlay
The new design of iOS 26 extends across all areas of the operating system – from the home screen to the lock screen and CarPlay in the car. In the future, the iPhone lock screen will support spatial wallpapers, which the system will automatically create from your own photos. Animated album covers will also bring more movement to the lock screen when playing music. CarPlay and CarPlay Ultra also support widgets and the display of live activities with iOS 26 and are designed to display calls smaller so that they no longer obscure the navigation, for example.
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One of the major new features of iOS 26 is a revised camera app, which is intended to simplify access to core functions. Apple has also improved the Photos app, which was completely redesigned last year and now has a separate view for the media library and collections or albums. The Phone app has also been redesigned, combining the call list, favorites and voicemails. For iMessage and the Messages app, Apple promises better, local spam detection as well as additions for group chats, including polls, background images and – long overdue – typing indicators.
(Image:Â Apple)
There is also a new Games app that brings together games and elements of Apple's Game Center network in one place. Apple promises higher quality audio recordings for AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4 with noise cancellation. The manufacturer had already revealed improvements to the operating aids in May.
Small improvements to Apple Intelligence
New AI functions from Apple Intelligence are being introduced in several areas of the operating systems, including live translations of text messages and (video) calls. Apple's previously subterranean image generation "Image Playground" will receive optional support from ChatGPT to generate better AI images in the future.
"Visual intelligence" is also being expanded: In iOS 26, users can capture any content via screenshot and then search for it, for example with Google Image Search; ChatGPT can also be consulted. Other apps can also offer their services here, Apple emphasized and showed the integration of Pinterest and Etsy as examples. For the first time, developers will have access to the local Apple Intelligence Foundation model to implement their AI functions. Apple is expected to provide specific details later in the evening.
Apple Intelligence is intended to simplify automation with shortcuts and recognize delivery information in emails so that orders can be tracked via Apple Wallet.
Apple's software boss gallantly ignored the Siri debacle, but the functions promised last year are still to come, he emphasized. Siri should then be able to collect contextual information from the user and carry out actions across multiple apps. The company will provide more information on this in the course of the coming year.
Which iPhones will run iOS 26
iOS 26 will be released as a free update in the fall, Apple announced. The new version is usually released in September. A first beta will be available for developers to test from Monday. The minimum requirement for installing iOS 26 is an iPhone 11. For iPhone XR, iPhone XS and XS Max, this ends with iOS 18. As before, all Apple Intelligence functions only run on iPhone 15 Pro (Max) and the iPhone 16 series.
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