iOS 26 Features Explained: Liquid Glass, Messages, Camera & More

iOS 26: A New Era of Consistency

• 🚀 Apple has unveiled iOS 26 at WWDC 2025, marking a significant shift in its software naming convention and design philosophy.
• 💡 The overarching theme for this year's WWDC is consistency, aiming for a unified user experience across all Apple devices.
• ✨ iOS 26 introduces a new "liquid glass" design, characterized by a clean, transparent look that reduces distractions and unifies the interface across iPhone, watchOS, tvOS, macOS, and CarPlay.

Enhancements to Core Apps

• 💬 The Messages app now supports polls within group chats, with Apple Intelligence capable of suggesting polls based on conversation context.
• ✉️ Custom backgrounds for chats and improved spam detection for unknown numbers are also new features in Messages.
• 📞 The Phone app receives a modern update with a scrollable layout for recent calls, favorites, and voicemails, alongside Google Pixel-like call screening for unknown numbers.
• 🔇 A new hold assist feature in the Phone app can mute hold music while keeping calls connected until a live agent is available.

Streamlined Camera and New Apps

• 📸 The Camera app has been overhauled for simplicity, featuring a streamlined design with two main controls (video/camera) and easy access to modes and settings.
• 🎮 A dedicated Games app is introduced as a portal for Apple Arcade and third-party games, aiming to reduce friction for gamers.
• 📄 The Preview app, previously exclusive to Mac, is now available on iPhone for reading, editing, and annotating PDFs.

Key Features and Availability

• 🧠 Visual Intelligence is a new capability allowing users to search on-screen content.
• ⌚ The lock screen time display dynamically adapts to the chosen background image.
• 🎧 AirPods can now be used as a camera remote.
• 🗓️ iOS 26 is set to launch this fall, with a developer beta available now and a public beta in July.
• 📱 An iPhone 11 or newer is required to run iOS 26.