iOS 26 adapts icons to the colour of the iPhone case – if necessary
Technical overkill or "only Apple can do that": MagSafe cases communicate their colour with iOS 26 via NFC. For reasons.
Apple case with lanyard: MagSafe with integrated chip.
(Image: Apple)
Apple's major redesign of its operating systems does not go down well with all users, and you can no longer even downgrade your iPhone and iPad. Nevertheless, there are some functions in iOS 26 and co. that can be described as quite clever. However, some of them seem like technical overkill, as we can now see.
NFC chip contains color info
Apple has built a function into its iPhone operating system that makes it possible to color the look of the icons to match its large new range of iPhone 17, 17 Pro, and 17 Pro Max cases. Whether it also works with cases from the Beats subsidiary remained unclear at first. The implementation is carried out with the help of the small NFC chip that is found in every MagSafe product. This is usually used to pass on device information, for example, to ensure that the iPhone recognizes that it is a case or a credit card holder.
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In the case of Apple's cases, the information also includes a color code that is transmitted to iOS 26. To adjust the icon colors, first go to the settings screen for the home screen, which appears when you press and hold on the space between the icons. There you can then edit and adjust the colors from a pop-up menu. The colored icons that Apple offers in addition to the dark and transparent mode should then also show a cover symbol. If it is clicked, the icons will change color to match, as Macrumors writes.
Not for the discerning
The target group for the function is likely to be rather small, but Apple shows what is possible with a combination of hardware and software. The colored icons are still relatively easy to read compared to the transparent display (“Clear”). However, as they all have the same look, it is only possible to tell them apart if you look closely. However, it all looks visually elegant—at least at first glance.
Incidentally, Apple adjusts the colors dynamically, i.e., places a color filter over the icons. Apple's cases start at around 55 euros. The company is also selling its lanyard for the first time this year, but it can only be attached to the iPhone with a matching case. The iPhone itself does not have the necessary holes.
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