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Does anyone like iOS 26 ? I do..

Qu1ckset

Qu1ckset

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Oct 7, 2013
302
282
Toronto, Canada
I personally hated a lot of the changes on iOS18 and regretted updating my 12 Mini but had to deal with it anyways as I upgraded to the 15pro , got over my dislikes with it , mainly the photos app.

I see a lot of hate here for iOS26 but I actually like it , seems snappier , like the changes to messages , phone app , photos app getting library(replaces camera roll removal from iOS18), home screen , CarPlay , and other little things.

What are your thoughts on iOS26
 
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Legibility was a huge issue for me on iOS 18. The grey on darker grey in controls made it impossible to read anything. I like iOS 26, there's actually a distinction now.
 
Macalicious2011 said:
Genuine question. What do you like about it? Name 3 new features that could entice me to upgrade.
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There’s no chance you’re not aware of the features if you’re curious. From the keynote to the YouTube videos to Cult of Mac having an article from yesterday with 70+ things listed, the info is out there.

For me, it just feels more refined and so far is a more pleasant experience. Certain things are less intrusive (like Safari tools) and I like the UI changes. I think Photos has certainly improved too.
 
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Webcat86 said:
There’s no chance you’re not aware of the features if you’re curious. From the keynote to the YouTube videos to Cult of Mac having an article from yesterday with 70+ things listed, the info is out there.

For me, it just feels more refined and so far is a more pleasant experience. Certain things are less intrusive (like Safari tools) and I like the UI changes. I think Photos has certainly improved too.
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With most OS updates there are lots of featured listed. However it's helpful to hear from end-users about how useful or impactful new features are and whether they are worth it against trade-offs.

I use the photos app alot. Any improvements to it would be great. I like the Spatial 3D photo effect. I would use it alot and the kids would love it too. However I use Safari and Notes daily. Both personally and work. Therefore I am sensetive to any big changes to them.
 
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Macalicious2011 said:
With most OS updates there are lots of featured listed. However it's helpful to hear from end-users about how useful or impactful new features are and whether they are worth it against trade-offs.

I use the photos app alot. Any improvements to it would be great. I like the Spatial 3D photo effect. I would use it alot and the kids would love it too. However I use Safari and Notes daily. Both personally and work. Therefore I am sensetive to any big changes to them.
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Then it’s a YMMV situation and you won’t know until you try it - although I do understand the risk in that if you don’t like it.

For me it’s mostly refinement across the board. Accessing all Safari tabs is one extra click, and I’ve not noticed any bugs from Notes. Although I’ve only been using 26 since last night.
 
Macalicious2011 said:
With most OS updates there are lots of featured listed. However it's helpful to hear from end-users about how useful or impactful new features are and whether they are worth it against trade-offs.

I use the photos app alot. Any improvements to it would be great. I like the Spatial 3D photo effect. I would use it alot and the kids would love it too. However I use Safari and Notes daily. Both personally and work. Therefore I am sensetive to any big changes to them.
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- Well photo app is awesome now , blends the best of both iOS17 and 18 changes imo , and welcome back camera roll!! (Called library now)

- Both Safari and Notes app which I use a lot especially the notes app , just got subtle changes , looks cleaner/ more legible, and small little UI changes for the better.

- On my 15p this 26 def feels noticeably faster/snappier going in and out of apps opening apps

- CarPlay got some nice changes , overall UI to match iPhone Liquid Glass , wallpaper/icons , incoming calls don’t take over the full screen anymore.

- Apple Music layout has been updated for the better , new Automix for track transition sounds more DJ like vs the crossfade option, and music actually sounds better on my AirPods not sure if that’s placebo or not.

Plenty of other small changes that are welcome to QOL on iOS , so many to be honest it’s hard to think of them all, my fav iOS update in a long time!

My only con which is a nitpick is when opening the FaceTime app , it’s changed to a contact card style instead of list view , wish I could revert that like you can with the phone app.
 
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It's growing on me, I do like some of the quality of life features like pinning playlists in Apple Music, cleaner Safari interface, more streamlined Phone and Messages apps hiding spam and unknown calls. And I do overall quite like the new design but it does feel like everything just a fraction of a beat slower than before (iPhone 15), hopefully optimizations will come over time. iPadOS is the real star of the show for me, having proper windowing support and the menu bar is really fantastic for me who has a keyboard attached 99.9% of the time. Looking forward to seeing what developers can do with that.
 
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So far I quite like it and iPadOS 26. It seems more legible, fast and smooth. There is a bit of learning curve and I had to ask Google to show me how to get two screens side by side on my iPad Air but overall I am happy with both.
 
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I also like it more than I thought I would after looking at videos on betas before testing it myself.
Some annoying bugs and glitches throughout the OS.
But most annoying so far is that many of the app icons seems blurry.
 
Pandyone said:
I also like it more than I thought I would after looking at videos on betas before testing it myself.
Some annoying bugs and glitches throughout the OS.
But most annoying so far is that many of the app icons seems blurry.
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Must be a glitch , I just went through all my app icons and all are crystal clear
 
I don't like it much.. I'm lovin' it! Glad to see steps in good directions, and the biggest area, of course, I'm looking forward to: an actually decent Siri update! I hope when Apple finallyl gets there, the AI is stable and helpful =)
 
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Jakimo said:
I don't like it much.. I'm lovin' it! Glad to see steps in good directions, and the biggest area, of course, I'm looking forward to: an actually decent Siri update! I hope when Apple finallyl gets there, the AI is stable and helpful =)
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Same, I’m liking it more and more. I ended up updating my iPad today as well because it’s so good on my phone - originally I’d planned to wait before doing the iPad. The Mac I might wait until 26.1 just in case, or do my MacBook first. But it really feels like this is what iOS has been supposed to be all along.

I especially like the attention to detail, like how the elements in the background will slightly distort when a “glass” layer is over the front. This is really nice when pulling down the notification bar, for example.
 
Yep, and there's a LOT of excellelnt behind-the-scenes changes and update that I'm loving.. so many, won't even bother to list them here (plenty of good YouTube videos documenting the some 400 changes or whatever out there! haha)

It's crazy how short-sighted so many in the community seem. So many despise it, and now the iPhone Air.. and both are innovative and helpful!

It's crazy that people don't understand WHY the iPhone Air is so important, and will become so loved for those that don't need the thick heavy Pro phone (which certainly has an appropriate audience). The wholesale dismissal of the 'experiment' of the iPhone Air is ludicrous.. it's an awesome phone, come Friday! =)
 
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I love the updates to iOS26 and really love iPadOS26. I know everyone seems focused on the visual but there are so many usability improvements throughout the OS and in apps. Too many to name and too many overviews available to not know what they are.
 
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I like iOS 26 overall. I'm surprised that I didn't turn on reduce transparency, considering how transparent the early betas were.

Not having Slide Over on iPadOS 26 is killing me.
 
Qu1ckset said:
- Well photo app is awesome now , blends the best of both iOS17 and 18 changes imo , and welcome back camera roll!! (Called library now)

- Both Safari and Notes app which I use a lot especially the notes app , just got subtle changes , looks cleaner/ more legible, and small little UI changes for the better.

- On my 15p this 26 def feels noticeably faster/snappier going in and out of apps opening apps

- CarPlay got some nice changes , overall UI to match iPhone Liquid Glass , wallpaper/icons , incoming calls don’t take over the full screen anymore.

- Apple Music layout has been updated for the better , new Automix for track transition sounds more DJ like vs the crossfade option, and music actually sounds better on my AirPods not sure if that’s placebo or not.

Plenty of other small changes that are welcome to QOL on iOS , so many to be honest it’s hard to think of them all, my fav iOS update in a long time!

My only con which is a nitpick is when opening the FaceTime app , it’s changed to a contact card style instead of list view , wish I could revert that like you can with the phone app.
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That's super helpful thanks. I use carplay daily. Will check out a few video.
 
People have made a big fuss about very particular edge cases. When I had installed the Public Beta I was surprised how nice it looked and how well it worked. After reading the comments online I had expected to see a mess.

Sure, they need to do some further work to refine it. But I find it very pretty and even delightful. Especially the lock screen on my iPad is often stunning. It cycles through my nature photos and combined with the "morphing" clock, it can look so good that I actually take a screenshot of it.

I'm less sure about macOS. But I will eventually get used to it. It just doesn't have the same Wow factor for me. And maybe I also like my work device a bit more restraint. But luckily, you can adjust some of the effects. I've done that already in the past to make the Mac a bit more minimalistic.
 
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Qu1ckset said:
I personally hated a lot of the changes on iOS18 and regretted updating my 12 Mini but had to deal with it anyways as I upgraded to the 15pro , got over my dislikes with it , mainly the photos app.

I see a lot of hate here for iOS26 but I actually like it , seems snappier , like the changes to messages , phone app , photos app getting library(replaces camera roll removal from iOS18), home screen , CarPlay , and other little things.

What are your thoughts on iOS26
Click to expand...
I installed the public beta of iPadOS when it first came out and had no real complaints, was stable, a couple bugs here and there that were fixed. And the UI was fine for me, I felt the complaints were quite exaggerated.
I installed the RC on my 13PM last Friday and must say I like it even more Now, it feels fresh, fluid and no issues with the UI at all. I am quite happy with it.
 
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