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iOS 26 Features: The Ultimate Mega Guide

People hate when the UI changes. I get it. I like the change so far. I think like A LOT of changes Apple made back in the past, this one will age well. Whenever Apple makes fundamental changes to the way things look people bug out for a while. When the dust settles and a few tweaks are made people settle in and realize “hey, this may be a little better” or this is what I’m used to now, etc. I expect Apple to tweak the UI a bit. Every piece of software HAS to leave beta sooner or later in some form. Once it makes contact with more people the feedback will be more comprehensive and Apple will make tweaks.

As far as stability and function I’ve had ZERO ISSUES with 26 so far in both the RC beta and the release on my 16PM. I remember fiddling with the 18 beta early in the cycle and even going into August and it was a complete hot mess. Battery life was a stink. Apps would crash. It was really junk until they pulled it together a little later. This hasn’t been my experience with 26 so far.

My biggest complaint with 26 so far is the Safari menus. The bookmarks page is convoluted and takes too many taps to navigate to where you want to go. My other complaint was accessing reader mode. I just figured that one out with Chat GPT.

Apple Intelligence is a disappointment so far and continues to be. Siri is still bad. Apple needs to get this together one way or another. I use GPT on a daily basis. To the point where I pay for the service I use it so much. Mostly for research and figuring out how to use and fix things. I don’t use it to “write” things for me. My work involves confidential information that impacts people’s lives in a way that I can’t ethically do that. I write better reports than that thing kicks out anyway and I enjoy writing my reports even though it’s “work” so AI can sit the bench there.

I will say if you’re looking for a fun (and tasty) way to fiddle with AI either GPT or Gemini, feed your personal recipes into it and get it to tweak them for you. I’ve done this with a few of my “signature” dishes and the results have been fantastic. Everyone just loves the results when I make them. It’s a fun non threatening use of the technology. Which is here to stay much like the Internet in the 90’s. It’s changing the world. You’re not gonna stop it. And if you’re not on board you will be left behind.

Little off topic with the AI thing. My apologies.
 
The old window system was soooo much better when you could just drag an app into left or right ‘pane’ and also have a float over - now if you want a left or right its almost four or five actions - and instead of leaving that in full window mode they took it away - it was sooo intuitive.

What a mess and i was hoping that dragging a window in would rearrange if dragged to the left - but no 😭
 
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Love-hate 🍏 relationship said:
Still not sure whether I should install macOS 26
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I did. The menu bar app „Ice“ (for more menu bar items on notched displays) doesn’t work anymore, the new app viewer is a downgrade if you have many apps of which you might not know the name of, or if you have actually took the time to put apps into folders in the Launchpad, change the grid layout and such silly things, like me.
 
jaymc said:
Getting rid of launchpad was a mistake; organization of applications is a complete mess. :/
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Agreed 100%, that is the single biggest downgrade and such a stupid and detached from reality kinda move. I had everything in folders, like social, menu bar and background apps, other, apps in the dock, and only like 4 on the launchpad main page that I want to open in a pinch, without any keyboard presses or whatever. One trackpad gesture, one tap and go.
Now I have to think what the apps are called or look for them in a random and big list off ALL apps.
There was a reason why there has always been a „Other“ folder.
People that are new to Mac will hate this.
 
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SFjohn said:
Apple isn’t far behind on AI. No one offers free unlimited AI on device of anything. Apple is doing something with AI that no one has done before. Did they fail to meet their original estimates of what would be available? Yes. But what’s so shocking about that? Doing something no one else has ever done before, even Apple makes mistakes especially when Jobs was there. Remember the round mouse? I do, it was a nightmare. Apple doesn’t enter new markets 1st, it enters when the technology is ready & the UI works. & when they get it right, it’s better than anything else around! 👍🏻
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Only they fail this year around because the UI isn’t ready or their own systems. ChatGPT is the only thing that works despite their lackluster integration.
What are they doing that no one else has done? Claim they have developed a system that is completely readable by their personalized AI system which was not and still is not true?
many companies have lied about their AI, so that’s nothing new.

I see their goal, but so far, in 15 months, they didn’t deliver anything. They made up a nice concept and presented it to us as new features that are being developed, while they didn’t develop them.
They are being sued for a reason.
 
MacRumors said:


For the last several months, MacRumors has been working on a series of in-depth feature guides and how tos that walk you through the design changes and updates in Apple's new software.

iOS-26-Mega-Guide-Feature.jpg

Our ultimate guide includes all of our iOS 26 coverage, and it is a useful resource for iPhone and iPad users who haven't had a chance to test out iOS 26, or those who might want a recap on what's new. We've organized it by app or feature to make it easy to find what you're looking for.

Liquid Glass

Apple's Liquid Glass design brings a big visual change to iOS 26. Icons, apps, menu bars, navigation bars, and all other interface elements feature a Liquid Glass aesthetic. It's not just translucency that you have to deal with. There are pop out menus, collapsing navigation bars, and a much more rounded aesthetic.

Lock Screen

The Lock Screen clock has embraced Liquid Glass in a big way, and there are also new options for wallpaper and widgets.


Home Screen

A new design means a new Home Screen, and there are new features for icons, widgets, and wallpapers.

Apple Intelligence

Apple is still recovering from the Apple Intelligence Siri delay and the company didn't make a major deal about Apple Intelligence features in iOS 26, but there are quite a few additions.

Live Translation auto translates messages and calls, Visual Intelligence now works with what's on your screen, the Wallet app can track all of your purchases, and there are other small additions to be aware of.
All of the Apple Intelligence features require a device that supports Apple Intelligence, which includes the iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, all iPhone 16 models, and all iPhone 17 models.

Messages

There are a bunch of new features in the Messages app, including the option to set custom backgrounds for each chat. Be warned, other people see the background that you set. Group chats support typing indicators and other features, and you can add polls to chats.

Phone

Some of the biggest changes in iOS 26 are to the Phone app. There's a whole Call Screening feature that can screen calls from unknown numbers, and a tool that'll wait for you when you're on hold.

AirPods

With an accompanying firmware update, the AirPods Pro 2, AirPods Pro 3, and AirPods 4 support Live Translation for in-person conversations, plus there are options like pausing audio when you fall asleep and using the AirPods as a remote for the iPhone's Camera app.

Safari

Safari has an updated layout, a Liquid Glass design, tab bar changes, new privacy features, and more.

Apple Maps

The Maps app can learn your preferred route for your commute and alert you if there's anything that's going to make you late. It's also able to save your location history so you can remember your favorite locations when you travel.

Notes and Reminders

The Reminders app has some hidden Apple Intelligence features included, while the Notes app supports 3... Click here to read rest of article

Article Link: iOS 26 Features: The Ultimate Mega Guide
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I really dislike Liquid Glass. It looks curiously dated, like something from 2007. What were they thinking? Won’t be going near it for the Mac.
 
The_Auryn said:
I wish Apple would allow us to choose our own interface. For those who want liquid glass, fine. I'd love a switch where I could instantly go back to Aqua or brushed steel.
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Having tried iOS 26 for a day, I think I’d just like the option to turn Liquid Glass off, and revert to something simpler. I know you can turn on reduced transparency, but it doesn’t remove the shiny edges and other eye candy.

I was not a fan of the brushed metal era either—kind of forgot about that one!
 
I will hold off from judgement until I have seen it in person, but I have not seen a single picture or video that tempts me to upgrade. Maybe it's that I'm more resistant to change as I'm getting older, but the design is just not appealing.

There are a few features in iOS 26, most notably call screening, but I've upgraded before for features I was excited about that then only sort of worked so I'm holding off. Plus I want to see how battery life works out in the wild.
 
I just literally found out that if you’re on your home screen and you tilt your phone, you could see the glass reflection move from the light it’s neat !
 
From what I’ve seen so far of other people upgrading, I’ll be waiting for a while; especially if battery might take a hit. Liquid Glass might be my least favorite Apple design. I think Windows Aero did a better job for usability.
 
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