iOS 26 — Everything new: Liquid Glass, Live Translation, Hold Assist & more
Apple has released iOS 26 (available Sept 15, 2025), bringing a major visual overhaul and several useful features across iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Watch.
Key highlights
- Liquid Glass: A new translucent design language that refreshes the lock/home screens and many apps with a clear, floating look.
- Phone & Messages: Spam/unknown-sender filtering, Hold Assist (lets you hang up and be notified when an agent answers), polls in group chats, and improved voicemail/recents layout.
- Live Translation: Real-time translation in Phone, FaceTime and Messages using Apple Intelligence.
- Visual Intelligence: Search anything on-screen (like finding shoes from a photo) using on-device visual search.
- Photos & Camera: Tabs return to Photos; Camera app reorganized for simpler access and will warn if the lens needs cleaning.
- AirPods: Studio-quality recording, camera remote control, live translation on compatible models, and the new AirPods Pro 3 include heart-rate monitoring.
- Siri & AI: Major Siri revamp has been delayed; Apple is exploring third-party LLMs but no major Siri changes are in this release.
Compatible iPhones
Most iPhones from 2019 onward are supported (iPhone SE 2nd gen and newer, iPhone 11 and later, all iPhone 12–17 models, iPhone Air, etc.).
Get it
Official Apple announcement and overview: Apple Newsroom — iOS 26
iOS 26 release notes: Apple Support — iOS 26 release notes
If you’re looking for the new AirPods Pro 3 on Amazon: Search AirPods Pro 3 on Amazon (affiliate)
Want more?
Which iOS 26 feature are you most excited to try? Reply below — I’ll share tips and first impressions based on the most-requested features.
Note: This post omits third-party review links; it references official Apple pages and purchase options where available.