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Top features that will make your iPhone feel snazzy and special as the first iOS 26 public beta powers up

At the heart of iOS 26 is a design overhaul that makes the entire user interface translucent

The full version of iOS 26 will be available later this fall Pictures: Mathures Paul

Mathures Paul
Published 31.07.25, 11:02 AM

Among the most awaited tech events of the year is not only the release of a new iPhone series, but also what is arriving with the next version of iOS. The first public beta of iOS 26 is out, and the upgrades are substantial. Here are some of our favourites.

Liquid thoughts

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At the heart of iOS 26 is a design overhaul that makes the entire user interface translucent. Apple calls it Liquid Glass design that is being implemented through the operating system. It also brings the feel of the OS closer to that of Apple Vision Pro spatial computing headset.

Real glass allows light and colour to shine through. Similarly, the new language design has an effect on whatever you see in the interface.

Where the design language succeeds is in the battery department because it doesn’t drain the battery more than usual, yet the level of detail is exceptionally high. Liquid Glass makes iOS 26 the biggest overhaul from Apple in many years. Apple didn’t play around with the functions in the operating system because that would make it difficult for longtime users. Perhaps that will happen over time.

What’s in a name?

At the moment, we are using iOS 18, but the next version is iOS 26, coming in fall. Most features of a new operating system are rolled out over the months and well into the next year. So, Apple has decided to name the operating system iOS 26. At the same time, there will be parity in the naming structure of all Apple operating systems, so macOS 26, iPadOS 26, watchOS 26 and tvOS 26.

Simplified, electrified

Over the years, the Camera app on iPhones has become complicated. Menus used to hide behind icons, and users find it difficult to find new features. Apple has simplified the Camera interface.

Now, when you open the app, there are essentially two icons — videos and photos. Only when you start swiping left or right, more menus pop up.

In the upper right, there are small icons for common features, like flash or night mode, depending on the circumstances. Tapping those toggles the feature.

With the optical qualities of glass and a sense of fluidity, Liquid Glass brings an expressive new design to your Lock Screen, Home Screen, Control Centre, apps and more

Also, Flash, Live, Timer, Exposure, Styles and Aspect have been neatly arranged inside a box with easy-to-understand icons.

In the upper-left corner, you’ll see an indication of your current capture settings. In photo mode, it’ll be HEIC or RAW with an indication of the maximum megapixel count. In video mode, it will show the resolution and frame rate.

Locking in on ideas

The Lock Screen looks gorgeous with two new changes. The time widget can be adjusted to appear larger when your wallpaper offers more space. Plus, there is an option to enable a 2D to 3D spatial photo effect that adds depth to wallpaper images. The size of the clock and its look depend on the font that you choose.

Spatial Scene will probably be one of the biggest features of iOS 26. It uses depth information to separate the subject from the background. The Spatial Scene wallpaper will feature a little bit of motion when you move your iPhone.

Messages are special

This is where you contact people you care about. It is now possible to have customisable backgrounds. There are options like sky, water, and aurora, or you can choose a colour. You can also select photos or generate a background with Image Playground.

The app has an option for polls, which can be particularly helpful during a holiday when coming to a unanimous decision can be difficult.

Cleaning up messages is the categories for Spam messages and Unknown Senders. There’s a new Filter box at the top right of the Messages app, and Unknown Senders go in one category, while Spam goes in another.

Finally, there is Live Translation for messages that aren’t in your language; you will get automatically translated results if you turn on Apple Intelligence.

More calls please

The Phone app has been revamped completely. After all, it’s the ‘phone’ part of ‘iPhone’.

New features coming with iOS 26: (Left to right) More lock-screen customisations, Apple Music in lock-screen mode, and Spatial Scene feature being used.

Two new features deserve a mention. First, call screening makes callers from unknown numbers identify themselves and explain why they’re calling. That information appears on the iPhone screen, allowing you to decide whether to take the call. The second feature is Hold Assist. It monitors the phone line when you’re put on hold. There are times when you are put on hold for 10 minutes. While you finish other work, the iPhone will keep track of someone taking the call on the other end.

There’s more: Live Translation. When chatting with someone who speaks another language, there is an option to turn on Live Translation to have the call automatically translated for each person on the line. It is an Apple Intelligence feature and requires an iPhone 15 Pro or later.

Visualise this

Apple’s Visual Intelligence tool is about more than just telling you what’s in front of the camera. Screenshots now open a full-screen preview where you can ChatGPT about what’s in the images and then search Google for items that are in the image. If it’s an event, it can be added to the Calendar app.

Shortcuts power

The Shortcuts app now has Apple Intelligence in its veins. For example, you can use actions to create images, summarise text, or “tap directly into Apple Intelligence models to provide responses that feed into your shortcut”.

Battery check

We all want a deep dive into battery health. You can have a more in-depth look at how iPhone usage impacts battery life, and how much battery apps are draining. Further, there is an Adaptive Power mode that detects when iPhone usage is higher than normal and makes small performance adjustments to extend battery life. And the most helpful addition: On the Lock Screen and in the Battery section, you can now see how long it will take your iPhone to charge up to full when it’s plugged into the wall socket.

Genmoji and Image Playground

A demand from teenagers has been the ability to combine two or more emoji to create a new character. It’s now possible. Also, you can combine existing emoji with text-based descriptions to tweak them. In the Image Playground app, there is support for ChatGPT image generation capabilities.

Apple Maps feels personal

Your iPhone is your companion every day, and it can automatically zero in on your regular travel patterns, like the drive from home to office. The Maps widget gives you a snapshot of your usual route. In case there is a delay, you’ll get a commute notification with an alternate path, even if you haven’t started a route in Maps. Also, your iPhone can recognise places you go to, such as restaurants or stores. These spots are saved to your Maps places library.

This and that

There are quite a few small updates that may go a long way in your everyday life. For example, you can set custom ringtones in iOS 26 without using GarageBand. Second, there is a new variation of the Reflection ringtone called ‘Alt 1’.

Here’s a helpful one: You can set a custom snooze duration of one to 15 minutes, instead of the default nine-minute snooze time.

Now there is a way to prevent audio from automatically moving over to newly connected devices like Bluetooth speakers or car speakers when you’re already listening to music through headphones.

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