Liquid Glass, New Photos App and All the Other iOS 26 Features Coming to Your iPhone

Liquid Glass, New Photos App and All the Other iOS 26 Features Coming to Your iPhone

The iPhone is about to undergo a significant transformation with iOS 26, bringing a fresh look and enhanced features that promise to revolutionize your iOS experience. Let's dive into the most exciting updates coming to your iPhone this fall.

Transparent New Liquid Glass Design

After more than a decade of flat design, Apple is introducing a groundbreaking new interface called Liquid Glass. This design philosophy extends across all Apple platforms, bringing a cohesive and modern look to the entire ecosystem.

The new interface introduces an innovative "All Clear" mode alongside Light and Dark modes, rendering app icons in clear glass without color. Lock screens now feature enhanced 3D effects using spatial scenes, powered by machine learning to add depth to your background photos.

Dynamic and Adaptable Lock Screen

The "liquid" aspect of Liquid Glass refers to controls that can dynamically morph and adapt to content. Time numerals on the lock screen can stretch and shrink to accommodate images and notifications, creating a fluid and responsive user experience. The dock and widgets now appear as rounded, glassy panels that float above your background.

Reimagined Camera and Photos Apps

The Camera app receives a dramatic simplification, focusing on essential controls. The new interface offers just two primary modes - Video and Camera - with additional settings accessible through intuitive swipe gestures.

The Photos app has been completely redesigned with a new Liquid Glass menu at the bottom, making navigation more intuitive and enjoyable.

Enhanced Communication Features

Phone App Revamp

The Phone app gets a unified layout optimized for modern iPhone screens. New features include:

• Call Screening for unknown numbers
• Hold Assist that mutes hold music but maintains connection
• Automatic agent detection

Messages Updates

The Messages app introduces:

• Dynamic Liquid Glass backgrounds
• Group polls functionality
• Enhanced spam detection
• Unknown number screening

Safari and FaceTime Improvements

Safari now features a floating tab bar that shrinks as you scroll, maximizing screen space for content. FaceTime adopts a minimal design with controls that gracefully fade during calls, putting focus on faces rather than interface elements.

Music and Gaming Evolution

The Music app gains powerful new features:

• Lyrics translation and pronunciation
• AutoMix for DJ-style song transitions
• Pinnable favorite artists and albums

A dedicated Games app arrives as a new portal to Apple Arcade and other games, streamlining access to your gaming library.

Intelligence-Powered Features

Apple Intelligence brings several enhancements:

• Live translation in calls and messages
• Emoji combinations
• Enhanced Visual Intelligence for screen content
• Improved image generation in Image Playground

Device Compatibility

iOS 26 will be compatible with the following iPhone models:

Latest Models (iPhone 16 Series)

• iPhone 16e
• iPhone 16
• iPhone 16 Plus
• iPhone 16 Pro
• iPhone 16 Pro Max

iPhone 15 Series

• iPhone 15
• iPhone 15 Plus
• iPhone 15 Pro
• iPhone 15 Pro Max

iPhone 14 Series

• iPhone 14
• iPhone 14 Plus
• iPhone 14 Pro
• iPhone 14 Pro Max

iPhone 13 Series

• iPhone 13
• iPhone 13 mini
• iPhone 13 Pro
• iPhone 13 Pro Max

iPhone 12 Series

• iPhone 12
• iPhone 12 mini
• iPhone 12 Pro
• iPhone 12 Pro Max

iPhone 11 Series

• iPhone 11
• iPhone 11 Pro
• iPhone 11 Pro Max

Special Edition

• iPhone SE (2nd generation)
• iPhone SE (3rd generation)

The update is expected to release alongside the iPhone 17 lineup in fall 2025, with developer betas available now and public betas coming in July.

Final Thoughts

iOS 26 represents one of the most significant visual and functional updates to the iPhone's operating system in recent years. The introduction of Liquid Glass design, combined with intelligent features and app improvements, shows Apple's commitment to evolving the iPhone experience while maintaining its signature ease of use.