The following model of iPhone software program is iOS 26 — and no, that is not a typo. Apple introduced the brand new title and new Liquid Glass take a look at WWDC 2025 earlier this week. The replace to iOS 26 comes with lots of options and enhancements that I’ve needed for a while, together with name screening.
Final yr, we bought Apple Intelligence, and the yr earlier than that, the corporate unveiled the Vision Pro. This yr, Apple renamed all of its software program and made it look extra unified. It may not sound as large a deal as earlier WWDCs, however should you hoped Apple would discuss more about software and less about AI, then this was your yr. As an alternative of getting iOS 19, Apple launched iOS 26. Usually, a brand new model of iOS comes out within the fall, however it will possibly obtain smaller updates by means of the next spring and summer season. So iOS 26 is a reference to the truth that it would get minor updates by means of 2026.
The largest replace wasn’t the iOS title change. It was Liquid Glass, a design overhaul that provides transparency and is aimed toward decreasing distraction. Nonetheless, some folks’s immediate response was less than favorable to the brand new look. I’m fascinated by what I noticed with Liquid Glass and sit up for testing it as a part of the iOS 26 beta model. However Liquid Glass did not get me as hyped as among the different options Apple included in iOS 26, just like the Digital camera app redesign.
The theme at this yr’s WWDC is consistency — consistency by way of the general expertise an Apple gadget proprietor has. iOS 26 is a good instance of this as a result of it brings a complicated and modern really feel to the iPhone’s software program.
Take a look at my iOS 26 video above, by which I stroll you thru all the large options within the new iOS and present you a few smaller ones (some would possibly discover them mundane) that I am enthusiastic about.
iOS 26 will launch this fall and is on the market now as a developer beta. The general public beta model will likely be accessible in July. You want an iPhone 11 or newer to make use of iOS 26. If you wish to give it a spin earlier than it is launched, I like to recommend ready for the general public beta model and even then not operating it in your principal iPhone.
