It has been a few days since iOS 26 developer beta was released, and new features are being discovered all the time. The public in general will soon get access to the next iOS version, but what we have here are some of the features to look forward to.
In the coming days, some features are expected to be added and a few existing ones will be modified. Users want more AI models (beyond ChatGPT) to be added to Apple Intelligence, so we need to wait and watch if the company decides to do the same.
Lock Screen
The time display is now completely dynamic as we scroll through notifications. Whenever one scrolls down, the time will be displayed in a larger font size. You can customise this however you want, just by holding down on the lock screen. Tapping on customise, you’ll find a little arrow in the corner. You can push and pull this arrow to customise. The widgets, too, can be placed differently. Instead of being on top, it can be at the bottom.
Apple Music and Podcast
There are a lot of new features in Apple Music, which merit a separate article. One feature that needs to be mentioned here involves having album art inside the lock screen. There is beautiful animation from different album art. There are a number of variations involved because the output depends on the album cover.
Some of the other features are AutoMix, which transitions the previous track into the new one, while matching the beats. There is also the ability to pin favourite albums/playlists/singles to the top.
In Apple Podcast, you can enhance dialogues in podcasts that have inferior quality audio. The playback speed can also be adjusted with a few taps.
Liquid Glass
Apple has redesigned the entire operating system to give it a glassy feel across the entire user interface. The UI is now fully transparent, and it takes into consideration theories around refraction of light.
The icons for all the Apple apps have been redesigned, giving them a very different feel from what you could see on iOS 18. Even the “tinted” option in customisation has been updated to take into account the Liquid Glass philosophy. All third-party icons are changing to follow the new look.
We are not done. There are two new options within the customisation menu — Edit Wallpaper and Edit Pages (which is now a dedicated button).
iMessage
(Left to right) New ChatGPT integration in Image Playground, the new Apple Games app, and polls within iMessage
Visually, messages look different. You can add wallpapers inside iMessage chats. So the background of a specific chat can be different. It works for group messages as well as individual messages. Even Image Playground can be used to generate a custom wallpaper for iMessage chats. You can generate vertical images that can be used within iMessage chat wallpaper selection.
Group chats on iMessage let you see when somebody is typing. There is also the option to add polls, which can be particularly helpful during vacation with friends and family members. Visiting a restaurant? What should it be — steaks/sizzler, biryani-kebab or Thai grub?
FaceTime
There are a number of upgrades to a technology that has been around for a long time (see the feature become a part of the plot in the new film, Main Actor Nahi Hoon). You can translate, which comes with a couple of options — live captions and live translate. You can choose the language you want to translate to and from. The translations appear on top of the screen. So now you can conduct a chat with that friend you met in Singapore without human intervention. Besides translation features, there is a lot of redesign involved within FaceTime.
Phone app
All your favourite contacts are now shown at the top of the UI. There is also Liquid Glass design involved in every aspect of the design. More importantly, there has been a fair bit of simplification. There are fewer things you need to be bothered about — Calls, Contact, Keypad and Search. There is even a feature like Hold Assist, which puts your call on hold and alerts you when somebody is picking up. It helps when you call customer service where it takes minutes before a call is answered.
Call Screening helps with screening incoming calls. It will transcribe unknown calls and then you can decide whether to take it. It could be helpful if you are in a meeting. For example, someone is calling you for the servicing of the car. The iPhone will ask the person what the call is about. The person, in this case, says he is reminding about the car service that is due. If you are in the middle of a meeting, you can decide to call back later. Disclaimer: We will soon try out the feature.
There is an option to switch back to the old design; it helps those who have become used to the old interface.
Preview app
It has been an app on the Mac forever. Now it is coming to iPhone and iPad. Preview is a good way to open PDFs and other files. When you tap on, say, a PDF, there will be a bunch of options, like making up a document to highlight something or autofill forms, including signatures. It is also a great way to scan documents with iPhone.
Apple Games
This is the new home of gaming on iPhones. All the games that are on your iPhone are now inside one app. It is also compatible with Game Centre, so you can see how your friends are doing, and it also recommends different games. There is also access to everything you get in Apple Arcade. The app helps you play games with friends, which is something all gamers want.
Photos app
The app was redesigned last year but Apple has made some important changes. It is broadly divided into two tabs — Library and Collection. The former will be all the photos and videos that you have on your phone, while Collection is what you have been clicking away and sharing; it is your personal space. It is more customisable than last year.
Spatial Scenes
There is an icon for Spatial Scenes. Tap on it and a standard photo is converted into a 3D Spatial Scene. The technology is incredible and you can feel depth in photos. Spatial Scenes can now be set as wallpapers.
Apple Intelligence
There are a bunch of things that are coming in. For example, now if you screenshot, there is the ability to ask, for example, ChatGPT to get more information around what’s on the screen.
There are improvements coming to Genmoji as Apple offers suggestions to play around with. For example, you can use emoji for inspiration, like a shivering emoji with a scarf, to get something new. If you choose a person as an emoji, the appearance of that person can be updated.
Inside Image Playground, there are more styles to choose from, including one involving ChatGPT. It takes advantage of the power of ChatGPT visuals. Only issue: It takes longer to create an image with ChatGPT but the output is quite good.
Camera app
The Camera app has been getting complicated over the years because new features kept getting added. Apple has simplified the way you can access everything within the app. The main view is Video and Photo. Only when you start swiping, the other options begin to appear. Changing recording modes, for instance, will present all the options. It makes it easy to change format to ProRes Log or ProRes HDR. With a single tap the resolution can be changed. The same thing goes for photos.
There is also a Lens Dirty detection. Since we keep putting our phones down on greasy and dirty surfaces, dust particles gather. The iPhone can detect if there are particles on the lens, and notify you to clean up before taking photos or videos.
Apple Maps
Apple Maps can give AI-suggested routes by digging into one’s travel history. For example, we visit the office every day. Maps can suggest an easier route to the location to avoid traffic. There is also a timeline of visited places.
There are some more interesting updates, like real-time flight updates using Live Activities and Dynamic Island, and also terminal maps inside the Wallet app instead of going into Apple Maps. But we are yet to test these features.
Battery settings
When you are charging your iPhone, there is now an estimate of the time it will take to complete charging or reach 80 per cent. If you are using a power bank, it will take longer than when a wall socket is used. In Power Mode is a brand new toggle called Adaptive Power. iPhone can make small adjustments to enhance battery life, like lowering screen brightness when required. If you are going on a trip, Adaptive Power may help.