iOS 26: All the Little Changes

[MacRumors]

There are a long list of new features in iOS 26, some of which Apple highlighted at today's keynote event, and some of which were quietly added. We've rounded up some of the smaller changes but still useful changes that have been introduced in the update.

• Home bar - The Home bar that's meant to remind you that you can swipe up to get to the Home Screen has been removed from apps, for the most part. When you open an app, it shows briefly, but then it disappears.
• Satellite Weather - In iOS 26, you can get Weather updates over a satellite connection when you don't have a cellular or Wi-Fi signal available. This doesn't appear to be live in the beta yet, but it seems to be coming.
• Alarms - You can customize the snooze length for your alarms.
• Camera - If your camera lens is dirty, your iPhone can detect it and suggest that you clean it.
• Dictation - When you're dictating something using the Dictation feature, you can now spell a word or a name if needed.
• Messages - You can now select partial text in a text message bubble, rather than having to select the whole thing.
• Group Texts - There are typing indicators in group chats, plus there's an add a contact button if there's someone in the group text that you don't know.
• Messages Filtering - If you have the Screen Unknown Senders option turned on, there are new filtering options. You can allow Time Sensitive alerts, Personal messages from businesses or organizations, Transactions like order receipts, or Promotions. There are toggles for each category.
• Blocked Contacts - You can see a list of people that you've blocked in the Privacy and Security section of the Settings app.
• AutoFill Payments - You can now see and manage your AutoFill cards in the Wallet app. There are options for adding a new payment, or changing details like expiration date for an existing payment method.
• Reminders - There's a Reminders Control Center button.
• Notes - You can export a note into a Markdown file.
• Apple Music - Apple Music has an option to create playlist folders.
• Files - In the Files app, when you select Browse, you'll now see a list of folders with an option to tap it to expand nested folders. Before, you had to tap into the folder entirely to see what was in it.
• Late Night Mode - Under Sounds and Haptics in Settings, Apple added a "Late Night Mode."
• Microphone Selection - In Sounds and Haptics, you can select a microphone if you have a Bluetooth mic connected.
• Battery - Your iPhone will tell you if you're using more battery than normal at any given point in the day, and it flags apps that are using more power. You can also see time to charge in the Battery section of the Settings app and on the Lock Screen.
• Stage Manager - This is technically iPadOS 26, but older iPads can now use Stage Manager.
• Turn Off Transparency - Hate the new glass look? There is an option to turn it off in Accessibility settings with the Reduce Transparency option.
• Background Sounds - There are many more Background Sounds options like airplane, rain on roof, quiet night, fire, and more.

As of right now, only developers have access to an early version of iOS 26, but Apple is planning to provide a public beta in July. iOS 26 will see a public launch in September alongside new iPhones.

Found something new that we didn't include here? Let us know in the comments below.

Article Link: iOS 26: All the Little Changes

 

[ipedro]

People crying about the floating address bar in Safari two iOS's ago are going to be very sad to see that it's come back 😅

The iOS 15 address bar that so many complained about that it got pulled and the new iOS 26 address bar:

I liked it back then and like it even more now.

 

[newtestleper]

You've linked to an article on Night Mode when mentioning Late-Night Mode.

 

[OJK]

• Microphone Selection - In Sounds and Haptics, you can select a microphone if you have a Bluetooth mic connected.

That’s what I am most excited about. Hopefully it will come to older phones like my 13 mini too and iOS26 will run well on those devices.

 

[turbineseaplane]

Thoughts from Dev land

 

[awshucks]

People crying about the floating address bar in Safari two iOS's ago are going to be very sad to see that it's come back 😅

The iOS 15 address bar that so many complained about that it got pulled and the new iOS 26 address bar:


I liked it back then and like it even more now.

I do wish Apple would get rid of the back and refresh button. We could just pull from the top to refresh and swipe from left to go back.

 

[ipedro]

I do wish Apple would get rid of the back and refresh button. We could just pull from the top to refresh and swipe from left to go back.

Completely agree. Refresh has become far less necessary than when it was introduced at the beginning of the internet. Websites update dynamically with modern HTML and javascript that refreshing isn't required. If there's trouble with the site, pull to refresh or tap the address and reload it.

I'm glad however that the (...) has become its own button. That is used frequently. I haven't downloaded it yet but I think I saw that the address bar expands to the full width when entering an address and the back button only appears if there's history on the that tab.

 

[iceqube33]

I do wish Apple would get rid of the back and refresh button. We could just pull from the top to refresh and swipe from left to go back.

No. You can’t skip back a few pages directly if there is no back button.

The refresh button is helpful when a page hangs and the pull action does nothing.

 

[tgwaste]

Messages Filtering is the best thing. Finally!

 

[Devnul0]

Reduce Transparency reveals, at least in 18.5, how bad some of the UI aspects are. Check out a photo album with that turned on. The photos in the album have gaps between them and there’s a background photo for some inane reason and without the translucent effect it’s almost unusable due to the background photo showing through all the gaps.

 

[DaPizzaMan]

You've linked to an article on Night Mode when mentioning Late-Night Mode.

Seems like they "fixed it" by removing the link, but I'm still confused as to what Late-Night Mode is.

Edit: According to RenoHadreas on Reddit:

It compresses the dynamic range, making loud sounds quieter and quiet sounds louder. Overall it allows you to listen at a lower volume and still hear everything fine

Source:

https://www.reddit.com/r/iOSBeta/comments/1l7eyv7/comment/mwxgn5v

 

[tgwaste]

I do wish Apple would get rid of the back and refresh button. We could just pull from the top to refresh and swipe from left to go back.

The Refresh Button is the one thing in the past I shall never let go of!

 

[Skimac]

The look is pretty good it runs pretty smooth on iPhone 15 pro max but let see how well it works managing ram which have been a issue for me apps constantly restarting

 

[bobbyjack]

• Home bar - The Home bar that's meant to remind you that you can swipe up to get to the Home Screen has been removed from apps, for the most part. When you open an app, it shows briefly, but then it disappears.

Apple was once intuitive and user-friendly before iOS. Now it’s confusing. New users and elderly people will struggle to return to the home page and get stuck in apps.

There are no indications that notifications require swiping from the top left, Control Center from the top right, going back by swiping up, last app by tapping tiny top-left text, or undo by shaking the phone. The watch is worse, forcing clicks everywhere with thousands of possible combinations, you have to guess how to navigate. It may be simple for Apple superfans, but not everyone is a technophile. The system needs a full overhaul, it’s cluttered, overcomplicated, a mess

 

[JonathanX64]

• Stage Manager - This is technically iPadOS 26, but older iPads can now use Stage Manager.

It's already a thing, but older iPads do not support Stage Manager with external screens: https://support.apple.com/en-us/105075

Has it changed? Very unlikely tbh

 

[escargot3]

I do wish Apple would get rid of the back and refresh button. We could just pull from the top to refresh and swipe from left to go back.

The swipe from the left doesn’t work on iPad if you are using stage manager. Also the back button on iPhone has added functionality. E.g you can hold on it and get a list of pages to jump back to.

 

[carswell]

Glad to hear transparency is optional. Not saying I won't give it a try but in apps that already use the feature, I find it sometimes interferes with legibility, especially when I'm in dark mode (my default). So it's great we'll have the option to turn it off if, as I suspect the case may be, it turns out to be another example of form over function.

 

[jeremyw013]

People crying about the floating address bar in Safari two iOS's ago are going to be very sad to see that it's come back 😅

The iOS 15 address bar that so many complained about that it got pulled and the new iOS 26 address bar:
View attachment 2518030View attachment 2518031

I liked it back then and like it even more now.

because i already know people will complain about this: IT CAN BE CHANGED.

 

[ilpap]

The look is pretty good it runs pretty smooth on iPhone 15 pro max but let see how well it works managing ram which have been a issue for me apps constantly restarting

Interesting. Mine is sluggish on the 15PMX, and I was wondering if I am being pushed towards the 17 😂
Will try a clean install then.

 

[xpxp2002]

It's already a thing, but older iPads do not support Stage Manager with external screens: https://support.apple.com/en-us/105075

Has it changed? Very unlikely tbh

Based on the way the new multitasking functionality was presented, it sounds like even older iPads will get Stage Manager for the first time, like the iPad Air 4th gen.

 

[rumourmonger]

Messages - You can now select partial text in a text message bubble, rather than having to select the whole thing.

Finally! But how? how could have they achieved this? This is insane engineering! Top notch nuclear science level thing right there!

 

[Skimac]

Interesting. Mine is sluggish on the 15PMX, and I was wondering if I am being pushed towards the 17 😂
Will try a clean install then.

I recently just experienced a few restarts but it’s the usual after an update takes time for it to saddle in. I have experienced a little bit of a lag my self but so far there is just the visual aspects I would trade that in for more functionality. This update is mainly for the the 16 and more for the 17 it might take awhile and few resets for it to work properly but i will be using my iPad for now on considering it actually getting new features that are actually useful unlike image playground and the other stuff that don’t really increase productivity. But overall ios26 just looks good.

 

[purplefox]

because i already know people will complain about this: IT CAN BE CHANGED.

The bottom one takes way too much space, almost half the screen.

 

[TMRJIJ]

Apple was once intuitive and user-friendly before iOS. Now it’s confusing. New users and elderly people will struggle to return to the home page and get stuck in apps.

There are no indications that notifications require swiping from the top left, Control Center from the top right, going back by swiping up, last app by tapping tiny top-left text, or undo by shaking the phone. The watch is worse, forcing clicks everywhere with thousands of possible combinations, you have to guess how to navigate. It may be simple for Apple superfans, but not everyone is a technophile. The system needs a full overhaul, it’s cluttered, overcomplicated, a mess

By new users, you mean people who have never used a smart device before? Because most of these gestures have been around almost a decade and are similar to Android.
My 72-year-old grandmother knows how to close an app and see her notifications on a government-issued Android phone.

 

[Eorlas]

• Home bar - The Home bar that's meant to remind you that you can swipe up to get to the Home Screen has been removed from apps, for the most part. When you open an app, it shows briefly, but then it disappears.

ahhhh just go awaaaaayyyyyyyy