Ios 26: What To Know About The Free Iphone Software Update Ahead Of The Apple Event Today

It's almost time: The Apple iPhone 17 event starts coming astatine 1PM ET — that's conscionable hours away. If you want to travel along, you tin watch nan iPhone 17 motorboat live and travel Engadget's Apple arena liveblog. In summation to nan iPhone 17 lineup — including nan ultra-thin iPhone 17 Air — we're besides expecting to spot caller Apple Watch models, arsenic good arsenic a caller AirPods Pro.

Assuming Apple sticks to tradition, we should beryllium capable to instal iOS 26 astir a week aliases truthful aft nan showcase. But you don't person to hold to trial retired nan caller features, since you tin download and install nan recently released nationalist beta 6 aliases iOS 26 developer beta 9. (See our preview of nan iOS 26 nationalist beta release for much info.) The first point you'll announcement is simply a caller clear creation connection Apple dubs Liquid Glass. The translucent look tin beryllium recovered wrong apps arsenic good arsenic your fastener and location screens. The overhaul is 1 of respective large changes coming to iOS, macOS, iPadOS and nan remainder of Apple's package suite

After overpromising connected AI plans past year, Apple kept its iOS roadmap focused much connected basal value of life improvements pinch iOS 26. There are aggregate useful additions coming to nan Phone and Messages apps, for instance: Apple execs outlined nan expertise to weed retired spam texts aliases chartless senders and an action to clasp your spot connected a telephone telephone erstwhile you've been waiting for a typical to prime up.

It seems for illustration further caller improvements are popping up (or astatine slightest hinted at) pinch each beta, specified arsenic an AirPods unrecorded translator feature and a caller bouncy animation connected nan passcode surface and successful nan Control Center. Some of those changes person already migrated into nan abstracted nationalist beta. Most newer iPhone models are eligible to download iOS 26 (both nan betas and last version). We've rounded up a afloat database of caller features coming this autumn below.

What is iOS 26?

The existent iPhone operating strategy is iOS 18, which Apple is still actively updating — type 18.6.1 was released past month, for example, to restore Apple Watch humor oxygen monitoring functionality for definite users successful nan US. More recently, Apple released iOS 18.6.2 to reside a vulnerability related to image processing. Apple has officially stopped signing iOS 18.6, MacRumors reports, which intends it tin nary longer beryllium installed connected your iPhone owed to a "server-side package verification check." That's beautiful normal erstwhile newer versions are disposable to download.

But don't expect to ever spot an iOS 19. Instead, Apple is skipping its naming normal up to iOS 26. (Apple is besides expected to merchandise iOS 18.7 astatine nan aforesaid time, per MacRumors, to reside information issues.) The institution has decided to statement up its iOS type numbers pinch a year-based system, akin to car exemplary years. So while iOS and its related operating systems will beryllium released successful precocious 2025, they're each designated "26" to bespeak nan twelvemonth ahead.

What is Liquid Glass design?

Let's beryllium honest. Out of everything announced astatine WWDC this year, nan new Liquid Glass design was nan prima of nan show. The iPhone's location and fastener screens person looked beautiful overmuch nan aforesaid twelvemonth aft twelvemonth — nan past breathtaking point (in my opinion) was nan action to adhd your ain artistic to your location surface by customizing your apps and widgets. So seeing nan location and fastener screens' caller facelift is refreshing.

So what precisely is Liquid Glass? Apple calls it a "new translucent material" since, well, nan apps and widgets are clear. However, nan surface tin still accommodate to acheronian and ray modes, depending connected surroundings. You'll besides announcement buttons pinch a caller floating creation successful respective apps, for illustration Phone and Maps. They're designed to beryllium little distracting than nan existent buttons, but are still easy to see. While nan creation overhaul has proven to beryllium arguable since its announcement, immoderate — including Engadget's Devindra Hardawar — for illustration nan caller direction, moreover if it's somewhat reminiscent of Microsoft's translucent Windows Vista Aero designs from astir 20 years ago.

That said, arsenic of nan merchandise of nan iOS 26 beta 2, Apple has already incorporated immoderate personification feedback into nan design, dialing backmost nan transparency successful astatine slightest immoderate places. And while it will proceed to evolve, Apple users won't beryllium capable to flight it: The institution says Liquid Glass was designed to make each of its platforms much cohesive. Here's a look astatine really nan translucent artistic will look pinch the caller macOS Tahoe 26 connected your desktop.

What are nan caller and notable features of iOS 26?

iOS 26 has a laundry database of caller features. Among nan astir worthwhile:

Phone app redesign: You'll yet beryllium capable to scroll done contacts, caller calls and voicemail messages each connected 1 screen. It besides comes pinch a caller characteristic called Hold Assist that'll notify you erstwhile an supplier comes to nan telephone truthful you tin debar nan elevator euphony and proceed connected pinch different tasks.

Live Translation successful Phone, FaceTime and Messages: iOS 26 is bringing nan expertise to person a speech via telephone telephone aliases matter connection pinch personification who speaks different language. Live Translation will construe your speech successful existent time, which results successful immoderate stop-and-go interactions successful nan examples Apple shared during its presentation.

Polls successful group chats: Tired of sorting done what seems for illustration hundreds of messages successful your group chat? You and your friends will soon beryllium capable to create polls successful group messages for deciding things for illustration which brunch spot you're eating astatine aliases whose car you're taking connected a roadworthy trip.

Filtering chartless senders successful Messages: If you haven't received spam texts astir unpaid tolls aliases different citations, you're lucky. For those of america who have, those annoying messages will soon beryllium filtered distant successful a abstracted folder.

Visual Intelligence: Similar to a reverse Google image search, this caller characteristic will let you to hunt for thing that's connected your iPhone screen. For instance, if you spot a brace of shoes personification is wearing successful an Instagram photo, you tin screenshot it and usage Visual Intelligence to find those shoes (or akin ones) online.

Photos tabs are back: For anyone who's been disappointment pinch past year's changes to nan Photos app, you'll beryllium happy to cognize that your tabs are coming back. Library and Collections will person their ain abstracted spaces truthful you don't person to scroll to infinity to find what you're looking for.

Camera app updates: Navigating nan Camera app should beryllium simpler successful iOS 26, arsenic each nan buttons and menus are successful convenient spots — little swiping, much photograph taking. Plus, there's a caller characteristic that tells you if your lens needs to beryllium cleaned.

FaceTime "Communication Safety" feature: A newer summation to iOS 26 appears to beryllium nan FaceTime "Communication Safety" feature that pauses communications if and erstwhile nudity is detected. The characteristic appears to beryllium a kid information characteristic that uses on-device detection, frankincense obviating immoderate cloud-based privateness issues.

New fastener surface options: The iPhone fastener surface gets much customizable successful iOS 26, pinch a cooler clock, 3D wallpaper effects, much widgets and amended attraction mode options.

New siren setting: You'll nary longer beryllium stuck pinch nan 9-minute snooze mounting successful your alarms. Instead, you'll person nan action to alteration your snooze clip from 1 to 15 minutes.

Screenshots look different: You'll announcement respective caller features erstwhile you return a screenshot, including "highlight to search," nan action to hunt your image connected Google and ChatGPT is location for immoderate questions you person astir nan image.

New changes coming to iPadOS 26

Your iPad isn't getting near down erstwhile it comes to large updates. Here's what's coming this fall.

Multitasking and existent windowing: When you download nan newest update, you'll beryllium capable to person aggregate apps moving connected your surface astatine nan aforesaid time. Once you unfastened an app, it'll look connected your surface arsenic normal but you'll beryllium capable to resize and move it crossed your surface to make room for different apps. This characteristic is optional truthful you tin move it disconnected if you don't for illustration it.

Visual update: Along pinch nan different caller OSes, iPadOS 26 is coming pinch nan Liquid Glass aesthetic. This caller look will look connected nan fastener and location screens, arsenic good arsenic nan drop-down menus.

New paper bar: When you swipe down connected your screen, nan caller paper barroom will look pinch options for illustration File, Edit, Windows and more. There's besides a hunt action if you're looking for thing specific.

There's much beyond that, truthful beryllium judge to cheque retired our first impressions of iPadOS 26.

What astir AirPods?

AirPods are besides getting updated pinch iOS 26. Here are immoderate of nan much notable functions.

Enhanced audio recording: Apple calls this "studio-quality" audio recording, and pinch it, you'll announcement much clarity while successful noisy environments.

Camera distant control: Using this, you tin return a photograph aliases commencement and extremity video signaling pinch conscionable 1 property connected your AirPods. When taking photos, you'll get a three-second countdown earlier your iPhone aliases iPad snaps nan picture.

Live translator feature: While not officially announced aliases confirmed, it appears that nan long-rumored unrecorded translator for AirPods could beryllium coming pinch iOS 26. The grounds comes from a strategy plus spotted successful nan successful iOS 26 beta showing a motion that's triggered by pressing some earbud stems astatine nan aforesaid time. The photograph besides shows words successful respective different languages.

Heart complaint monitoring (rumored for now): Bloomberg's Mark Gurman believes Apple will present caller AirPods Pro earbuds this year, which could person bosom complaint monitoring. It would activity pinch Apple's Health app and different fittingness apps that way bosom rates.

Will Siri get an update?

Siri is successful a holding pattern. Apple has antecedently specified that its smarter sound adjunct — first promised astatine WWDC 2024 — is delayed until immoderate constituent "in nan coming year," truthful you shouldn't expect immoderate awesome changes successful nan existent betas. But location are reports that Apple is aiming to springiness Siri a bigger encephalon transplant by basing it connected third-party artificial intelligence models for illustration OpenAI's ChatGPT aliases Anthropic's Claude, which could make 2026 a pivotal year. The institution is besides reportedly moving connected a "stripped-down" AI chatbot to rival ChatGPT.

Which iPhones will beryllium capable to upgrade to iOS 26?

A fewer iPhone models that tally nan existent type of iOS — iPhone XR, XS and XS Max — won't beryllium compatible pinch nan latest upgrade. But immoderate iPhones from 2019 aliases later will beryllium eligible for iOS 26:

• iPhone SE (second procreation aliases later)

• iPhone 11

• iPhone 11 Pro

• iPhone 11 Pro Max

• iPhone 12

• iPhone 12 mini

• iPhone 12 Pro

• iPhone 12 Pro Max

• iPhone 13

• iPhone 13 mini

• iPhone 13 Pro

• iPhone 13 Pro Max

• iPhone 14

• iPhone 14 Plus

• iPhone 14 Pro

• iPhone 14 Pro Max

• iPhone 15

• iPhone 15 Plus

• iPhone 15 Pro

• iPhone 15 Pro Max

• iPhone 16

• iPhone 16 Plus

• iPhone 16 Pro

• iPhone 16 Pro Max

• iPhone 16e

Not listed present are nan 4 presumed iPhone 17 models that are each but definite to beryllium announced and released successful September.

How to instal iOS 26 beta

The iOS 26 nationalist beta is now disposable to download via nan Apple Beta Software Program. If you're not already a member, you'll request to motion up to effort retired each nan latest features. Just sojourn beta.apple.com and motion up pinch your telephone number aliases email address. It's free.

Once you're in, you tin instal it by going to Settings > General > Software Update and selecting iOS 26 nationalist beta.

A connection of caution: Don't motion up pinch your main iPhone unless you're OK pinch immoderate risks that hap pinch utilizing an OS that isn't finalized.

When will nan last type of iOS 26 beryllium released?

iOS 26 will beryllium released to nan nationalist this fall. It usually comes successful September, wrong a week of nan Apple iPhone event. Last year, it rolled retired to iPhone users connected September 16 — precisely 1 week aft nan iPhone 16 lineup was announced. Since nan iPhone 17 arena falls connected September 9 this year, it's imaginable nan downloads will deed our phones connected September 16.

If you're much willing successful nan Apple Intelligence features coming, here's everything Apple revealed for iOS, macOS and more during WWDC. Also, cheque retired really iOS 26 screenshots could beryllium an intriguing preview of Apple's delayed Siri rework.

Update, September 9: Noted nan iPhone arena is starting soon.

Update, September 8: Noted nan iPhone 17 arena is tomorrow.

Update, September 4: Added specifications astir really screenshots are different successful iOS 26.

Update, September 3: Noted Apple is expected to merchandise iOS 18.7 alongside iOS 26.

Update, September 2: Added much caller features coming pinch iOS 26.

Update, August 29: Added caller conception astir Siri and a nexus to what's caller pinch nan iOS 26 Camera app.

Update, August 27: Added nan charismatic iPhone 17 arena date, arsenic good arsenic nan imaginable iOS 26 release.

Update, August 25: Added a rumor astir caller AirPods Pro having bosom complaint monitoring.

Update, August 22: Noted that Apple has officially stopped signing iOS 18.6.

Update, August 20: Noted that iOS 26 nationalist beta 4 and iOS 18.6.2 are now disposable to download.

Update, August 18: Added specifications astir a imaginable iOS 18.6 update.

Update, August 15: Added to nexus to what to expect astatine nan Apple iPhone arena and specifications astir what's disposable successful nan iOS 26 screenshots editor.

Update, August 13: Added caller AirPods item spotted successful nan iOS 26 beta.

Update, August 11: Noted that iOS 26 developer beta has deed beta 6.

Update, August 8: Added caller features coming pinch iPadOS 26 and AirPods.

Update, August 6: Noted nan merchandise of iOS 26 beta 5 and nan caller bouncy characteristic connected passcode surface and Control Center.

Update, August 4: Noted that Apple is reportedly moving connected a ChatGPT rival.

Update, August 1: Added quote from Tim Cook astir iOS 26.

Update, July 31: Noted that iOS 18.6 is now available.

Update, July 24: Noted nan iOS 26 nationalist beta is now available.

Update, July 3: Noted caller FaceTime characteristic recovered successful nan developer beta.

Update, June 30: Noted ongoing iOS 18 releases, and reports that Apple is considering further outer LLMs for Siri.

Update, June 25: Noted changes added successful iOS 26 beta 2.