iOS 26

Apple’s next major iPhone software update is here: iOS 26 released today, but not every iPhone is compatible with the new software. Here are the iPhone models that do (and don’t) support iOS 26.

The iOS 26 Safari browser on iPhone evokes the new design system featuring Liquid Glass, with floating toolbars and buttons that shine through the web page content behind them as you scroll. But Apple has also taken the opportunity to revamp the design of the toolbar UI.

By default, iOS 26 now uses a Compact layout which hides away some of the commonly used buttons. However, there’s a way to change it back if you prefer something that looked like the iOS 18 design …

As well as a refreshed new look for system components like buttons and tabbars, the Liquid Glass redesign of iOS 26 also extends to app icons. For the first time since iOS 7, Apple has redrawn all of the system apps with new artwork. That means a whole new look is coming to your iPhone home screen when you update.

In this post, we share a side-by-side of the iOS 26 app icon and its iOS 18 counterpart, so you can decide for yourself how much of a step forward the new visual style represents.

iOS 26 is now available for iPhone users to install, and a new webpage from Apple seeks to explain why software updates are important, but also their potential impact on battery life and performance.

While this is not the day Apple will release a revamped, LLM-powered Siri, today’s updates bring multiple welcome additions to the Apple Intelligence feature set. Here are some highlights.

iOS 26 has arrived. The biggest iPhone software redesign since iOS 7 in 2013 is now available as a free update for compatible devices. In addition to a new look, iOS 26 upgrades core apps and pushes Apple Intelligence further in new ways. Here are the highlights.

Today is the day that iOS 26 finally emerges from beta and is officially launched. The headline feature is of course the Liquid Glass look, which has proved almost as controversial as the minimalist look of iOS 7 back in 2013.

Apple has made some pretty substantial changes to the look of the operating system after beta testers complained about poor legibility and confusing design elements. Even so, some developers are not at all convinced that Liquid Glass is ready to be unleashed …

One major theme of Apple’s software this year is unification, as seen in the new Liquid Glass design and more cross-platform feature parity. In the realm of improving app feature parity across platforms, there’s a great new capability in iOS 26’s Music app that had previously been exclusive to the Mac: playlist folder creation.

AirPods Pro 3 debuted this week with new heart rate monitoring features. This follows the debut of Powerbeats Pro 2, which launched in February as Apple’s first pair of earbuds with heart monitoring capabilities.

Now, Beats has confirmed that the implementation of heart rate tracking on Powerbeats Pro 2 is getting a big upgrade to mirror the functionality offered by AirPods Pro 3.

Yesterday during its iPhone 17 introduction, Apple showed off a brand new ‘Bright’ Photographic Style for users. But it turns out, iOS 26 brings the same new feature to certain iPhone 16 models too.

iOS 26 launches to all users next week, and despite months of beta testing already, Apple saved a couple surprise features for the wide launch that have become instant favorites: app icons can now auto-tint based on your iPhone’s color or its case color.

Apple has just shipped the RC versions of iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS Tahoe, and more. The major new software updates will launch to the public next week on Monday, September 15. Here are the full release notes for iOS 26, the next big iPhone update.

Apple has just released the iOS 26 RC (release candidate) for beta testers. Here’s what that means.

It’s one of the biggest days of Apple’s year, with the company’s ‘Awe dropping’ event headlined by the iPhone 17 lineup and other new hardware. On the software front, we got some good news too: iOS 26 is coming very soon.

September has officially arrived, and with the new month comes the end of summer and the beginning of a busy fall for Apple. In the weeks ahead, there are several key dates to anticipate for Apple fans, even beyond the major iPhone 17 event set for September 9.

For the first time, iOS 26 will let you record the screen of your iPhone or iPad in its full resolution, resulting in higher-quality and better-looking screen captures.

Apple has changed up the wallpaper collection on CarPlay in iOS 26 Several new options have been added. The update also removes many of the existing wallpaper options that were still hanging around from older iOS versions.

Apple Music is about to get its biggest update in years thanks to iOS 26, including upgrades to one of my favorite features—lyrics—just in time for the device that will be perfect for them.

Using digital boarding passes on the iPhone has become common practice for many of us. But after years with no changes to the feature, iOS 26 is about to upgrade Apple Wallet’s boarding passes with several handy new features.

Turns out iOS 26 development isn’t quite over yet. After only shipping eight beta versions of major iOS releases over the last several years, Apple has released the ninth developer beta version of iOS 26. We expect the redesigned version of the iPhone software to officially launch in about two weeks.

Apple’s next big iPhone update, iOS 26, will bring a Liquid Glass redesign and tons of new features. Beta testers can try out iOS 26 now, but its official release date for the public is getting very close—here’s when to expect its launch.