Apple has announced iOS 26, the next version of its iPhone operating system, as part of its suite of announcements at its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC). It features a complete redesign with Apple’s new “Liquid Glass” design language along with updates to apps across the platform.
The announcement also marks a change in how Apple signifies its major updates to iOS. Under the previous marketing scheme, this year’s major release would have been iOS 19 — the direct follow-up to iOS 18. But now, Apple’s big iOS updates will be numbered based on the year following their introduction, a little bit like car-makers do with new car releases.
A bunch of elements of the operating system are getting a major facelift as a result of the redesign. The time on your lockscreen can stretch to fill more of the screen. The Camera app has a more streamlined layout – many controls are now hidden to make the experience feel cleaner. In Safari, webpages are edge-to-edge, and the tab bar floats over your content.
Apple is adding some improvements to the phone app, including a call screening feature that can answer calls on your behalf and sit on calls on your behalf while you’re on hold.
The Messages app is getting a bunch of updates, too, like customized backgrounds. Apple will offer backgrounds, but you can also add your own photos or images generated by Image Playground. You’ll be able to create polls – and Apple Intelligence can suggest adding a poll if the feature detects that might be helpful. And group chats are getting typing indicators.
To make new emoji, Apple will let you merge two emoji with Genmoji instead of just using a text description. And Image Playground is getting a new feature that lets you make images with the help of OpenAI’s ChatGPT.
Apple is also adding Live Translation, powered by Apple Intelligence, that can translate conversations in real time. It runs using models that are all on-device. The translations can happen in text threads or on phone or FaceTime calls, for example. Developers will be able to add Live Translations to their apps with an API, too.
Apple Music is getting lyrics translation and lyrics pronunciation. A new feature called AutoMix can transition songs from one to another like a DJ. You’ll also be able to pin your favorite artists and playlists to the top of the app.
Apple Maps will be able to learn and offer your preferred routes, and it can send you a notification if there’s delays or traffic on that route. You’ll also be able to check back on your visited places, if you want to more easily share them with your friends.
Starting this fall, in Apple Wallet, you’ll be able to create a digital ID. Boarding passes are getting a refresh and will let you access indoor maps of the airport. Apple Pay will be able to use Apple Intelligence to track your orders made outside of Apple Pay.
Apple is making an entirely games-focused app, the Games app. You’ll be able to access your whole library of App Store games you’ve downloaded and see the Apple Arcade library. The Play Together tab shows what your friends are playing, and you can see leaderboards of challenges between your friends.
Apple will also let you use Visual Intelligence to learn more about what’s on your iPhone’s screen. In a demo during the keynote, Apple showed an example of seeing a jacket in a photo in a social media app, and by taking a screenshot, the person could use Visual Intelligence to search for that jacket using Google. You can also take a screenshot of an event and use Visual Intelligence to help add it to your calendar. Visual Intelligence will also let you ask ChatGPT about something you see on your screen.
This is Apple’s second major iOS update following the introduction of the company’s Apple Intelligence AI features. iOS 18 received some basic AI features like tools to improve writing, Genmoji for custom emoji, and integration with ChatGPT. But some big promised upgrades to Siri, like the ability to take action based on what it could see on your phone, were delayed ahead of their expected launch.
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