iOS 26: These features will be available later
Not all the iOS 26 features announced by Apple in the summer are available yet. The company still has work to do in at least four areas.
New features in iOS 26: Not everything is available yet.
(Image: Apple)
It often happens that Apple makes grandiose claims when presenting its new operating systems in the summer: the company announces innovations that are not immediately available with the first release, but will take several more months to develop. This can usually be recognized by a footnote – or Apple announces it as soon as it is announced. This is also the case with iOS 26: a good handful of expected features are not yet available in the release version that was published on Monday.
RCS: Better communication with Android
Since iOS 18, Apple's Messages app has been able to use Rich Communication Services (RCS) for the first time. This enables iMessage-like communication with Android devices – Google has been trying for years to get Apple to participate. However, important features are still missing, which will only be added to devices – including the iPhone, iPad, and Mac – once RCS Universal Profile 3.0 is adopted.
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These include, in particular, end-to-end encryption, so that even mobile phone providers can no longer view messages. Furthermore, "real" Tapback support (reactions with emojis) is planned, plus in-line replies, the ability to withdraw messages, and subsequent editing. Apple has not yet announced a specific timetable for – It is to be hoped that RCS Universal Profile 3.0 will come to devices by the end of the year via an iOS 26 update.
New Siri, satellite weather, ID card
Context-sensitive Siri, which has already been announced for iOS 18 and can also read the screen and interact with apps, has also not yet been launched. According to Apple, they are working hard on this internally, but the company's AI department seems to be losing staff on a weekly basis. We expect the better Siri to be released by spring 2026, but it is unlikely to be truly LLM (dialog)-based.
Also missing is the ability to get weather data to the device via satellite. Corresponding beta code has already been discovered, but the feature itself is not yet available. It could take a few more iOS 26 releases. Apple also plans to introduce digital ID cards – initially in the United States. There are delays here, while driving licences can already be integrated into the Wallet. It will probably take a few more releases here as well, partly because the manufacturer has to clarify this with the US authorities. The hope is that, for example, you will only need an iPhone to identify yourself at the airport ("Real ID").
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