Apple launched the general public beta for iOS 26 as we speak. Nonetheless, you most likely should not set up it with out a plan.
The newest version of iOS brings about an enormous new design language, new high quality of life options, new AI methods, and extra. There’s lots to dig into, and this text will not cowl each single new factor you possibly can attempt on iOS 26. However as soon as you have put in the general public beta, listed here are among the greatest new options to take a look at.
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The 5 greatest new options to attempt within the iOS 26 beta
Once more, this isn’t a full, complete record of each single change in iOS 26, as a result of there are a lot. Let’s keep on with the largest and greatest for now.
Liquid Glass
Credit score: Apple
Credit score: Apple
Launched at WWDC earlier this 12 months, Liquid Glass is an all-encompassing time period for Apple’s new design language being launched with iOS 26.
As its title suggests, Liquid Glass adjustments the look of all of your app icons and different UI parts so that they resemble, effectively, liquid and glass. If you drag one thing round along with your finger, it will animate properly in a liquid-like trend, and every thing has a glassy, considerably clear texture to it. There is not far more to say about this, apart from that it’s best to set up the iOS 26 public beta and see it for your self.
iOS 26 will even can help you personalize the looks of widgets, so if you happen to do not love the “all clear” model, you possibly can tone down Liquid Glass to your liking.
Adjustments to the Telephone app
Credit score: Apple
One massive factor Apple did with iOS 26 is completely redesign a number of core on a regular basis apps, like Telephone, Messages, and Pictures. Let’s begin with the Telephone app.
For starters, issues like Recents, Voicemails, and Favorites all now stay collectively on one display screen somewhat than in separate tabs. There’s additionally a brand new name screening function which is able to reply any telephone name for you and ask the caller who they’re and why they’re calling. If the reply is passable, you possibly can decide up the telephone. If not, you possibly can inform them to take a hike and get on along with your day.
Maintain Help will even free you from the burden of listening to terrible maintain music on customer support calls. You may put the telephone down and watch for a notification to pop up, which tells you when a human is on the opposite finish. That sounds beautiful.
Mashable Gentle Velocity
New Messages options
Credit score: Apple
Messages, the house for all of your texts and group chats, has additionally gotten some new toys to play with.
Certainly one of my favorites is the flexibility to make polls in group chats, which is nominally a function for deciding the place to get dinner, however will actually be a function that is used to settle extremely arcane, nonsensical inside-joke arguments amongst pal teams. Group chats have additionally gotten the much-needed potential to see who’s typing, plus a brand new function that lets customers set customized backgrounds for his or her chats.
Group chats are about to get so, so foolish.
Pictures app overhaul
Credit score: Apple
One of many extra hotly anticipated iOS 26 adjustments will undoubtedly be the overhaul that the at present not-especially-good Pictures app is getting.
There are solely two tabs on the underside now, Library and Collections. Certainly one of them (presumably) exhibits you all of the stuff in your telephone, whereas the opposite exhibits every thing you have put into folders. That sounds a lot cleaner and fewer complicated than the present catastrophe of a Pictures app interface. This looks like a small factor, however contemplating how dangerous Pictures has gotten with latest updates, I am actually trying ahead to it.
Stay translation
Credit score: Apple
The brand new iOS introduces a collection of recent Apple Intelligence-powered options, similar to information summaries and shortcut actions that might theoretically make advanced duties an automatic breeze. Nonetheless, considered one of them stands out above the remaining, a minimum of to me.
Particularly, Stay Translation has gotten an enormous energy enhance. It now works within the Messages app, which is cool, however what’s even cooler is that it now interfaces with telephone calls and FaceTime calls. Now you can, in concept, have a dialog with somebody over the telephone with out talking the identical language as them in iOS 26. Apparently, it will even work if the opposite particular person does not have an iPhone, which is kinda nuts.
There’s a lot extra to iOS 26 that we’ll be over the subsequent couple of months, however for now, these options are lots to chew on.
Honorable point out: New Genmoji creation instruments, with a lift from ChatGPT
Credit score: Apple
If you wish to benefit from the brand new Apple Intelligence options coming with iOS 26, you will want a comparatively new iPhone. Particularly, iPhone 16 fashions, iPhone 15 Professional, and iPhone 15 Professional Max gadgets (with Apple Intelligence activated).
In iOS 26, you will get new instruments for creating customized Genmoji utilizing ChatGPT. In line with Apple, “Genmoji and Picture Playground present customers with much more alternatives for self-expression, together with mixing their favourite emoji, Genmoji, and descriptions collectively to create brand-new pictures.”
We have coated the brand new Picture Playground and Genmoji instruments beforehand, however we’ve not tried them out but.
