Apple has dropped iOS 26 out there, and the poster feature is Liquid Glass, a complete visual refresh that introduces translucent surfaces in stacked layers all throughout its interface. The update also brings Apple’s software numbering into step with the larger family of platforms, and the year that it will likely pop up for most users.
iOS 26 can be downloaded for iPhone 11, iPhone SE (2nd gen) and later models. You can get it by visiting Settings > General > Software Update.
Liquid Glass: all show with practical knobs
Liquid Glass rethinks buttons, panels, and menus as semi-transparent “materials” that reflect content underneath, much like Apple’s spatial interfaces. With it comes some depth and a sense of hierarchy, especially with system apps — but also a struggle to make type visually pop without compromising legibility.
Throughout the public beta process, Apple has tweak contrast and blur time and again to address readability against various wallpapers (also contend with a bright environment). If you’d rather have more boldness but less translucency, Reduce Transparency and Increase Contrast are still powerful safety valves in Accessibility settings. Developers are also encouraged by Apple’s Human Interface Guidelines to ensure ample backdrop blur and avoid edge-case conflicts with super-busy imagery.
A smarter Phone and a more capable Messages
The Phone app uses a unified view: Favorites displayed as cards at the top, recents and voicemail below. A filter button you can jump into for each section and a switch back to the classic layout if this new approach isn’t for you.
Call Screening will now prompt anyone who is not in your contacts to say who they are and why they want to talk, without your phone even ringing, so you can pick up at any time. Holding Assist, which listens while you’re on hold and pings you when a human is back, is useful for customer service purgatory. According to reports of the number of nuisance calls by organizations such as the FCC, over time these tools could cut down on disruptions quite a bit.
Messages updates add functionality: chat wallpapers, better group typing information, polls, richer link previews and more text selection. Apple says SMS filtering is better, too, with messages from unknown senders plopped into a side folder for less clamor.
Apps updated: Games, Preview, Music and creativity
The new Games app brings the library, challenges and achievements, and friend activities into one place so that you get smarter recommendations. It’s a tidier way to keep track of what you play and what trends among your friends.
Preview lands on iPhone, at long last enabling the familiar PDF markup, annotation and signing you previously enjoyed on iOS only as a detour through third-party apps. This is a big time-saver for anyone filling out forms on the go.
Apple Music gains Automix, for slur-free transitions between tracks, as well as lyrics translation and pronunciation—handy when browsing across languages. You can also pin your favorite tracks and playlists for easier access.
Genmoji gains the ability to combine two emoji based on a text input prompt, and Image Playground gets more detailed controls such as hair and facial hair attributes and new styles. The result is speedier, more personal visuals without jumping to a full-blown editor.
Ease everyday tasks with Maps, Camera and Photos
Apple Maps now includes preferred routes for your commutes, and it alerts you when there are traffic incidents that will slow down your usual route and provides alternatives. A new places library helps you see and revisit locations you’ve saved.
CameraThe Camera app really takes to Liquid Glass with a clean layout that prominently features Photo and Video; swipe over to jump into other modes. The top right gives you one-tap toggles for flash and Night mode, while filters, styles, exposure and a timer appear with an upward swipe. If you missed the old Photos design, there are your familiar tabs again.
Gentle-touch AI with useful translation and visual aids
This is deliberately light on headline AI features relative to the last year. The star feature is system-level translation inside Messages, FaceTime and Phone that will initially be available in English (US, UK), French (France), German and Portuguese (Brazil) and Spanish (Spain).
Instant translation offered on AirPods such as AirPods Pro 3 and AirPods Pro 2, or even now up to the AirPods 4 can make a quick conversation not so much of a gamble. Visual intelligence can parse what’s on screen – press Power + Volume Down to invoke suggestions like adding events to Calendar or asking questions about what’s are visible on the screen. Apple’s new Highlight feature does what the well-circled “circle to search” concept did for quick lookups.
One nit: since it uses the same button combination as screenshots, there’s an extra step when you actually want to capture the screen. This can feel frictionish for power users at first.
Availability, installation tips, and early outlook
It works with iPhone 11, iPhone SE (2nd gen), and later devices. Before you start the update, back up your device, connect it to power (or make sure its battery is at least 50 percent full) and free up some of your storage. You can install the update by going to Settings > General > Software Update.
Historically, Mixpanel estimates that past major iOS releases have ramped up significant adoption within weeks, and iOS 26 has the sort of external change that will tend to drive faster upgrades. So expect Apple to continue the process of evolving Liquid Glass in favor of contrast and accessibility, and for developers to continue emphasizing depth and motion while respecting the legibility recommendations that usability experts like Nielsen Norman Group long ago called for.
To most users, iOS 26 seems both new and familiar — a fresh coat of glass with utility improvements in accessibility, calling, communication and everyday applications. The design might take a moment to grow on you, but the essentials are well considered, and the knobs are there if you need them.