Forget the incremental upgrades. iOS 26 is a visual earthquake. Apple just detonated a design revolution at WWDC 2025, the biggest aesthetic shift since iOS 7 shed its digital skin. Think less AI, morewow. While Siri’s taking a backseat, prepare for a cascade of subtle refinements that elevate the entire iOS experience. This isn’t just an update; it’s a rebirth.
Two weeks diving deep into iOS 26’s developer beta, and one thing’s clear: Apple’s betting big on “Liquid Glass.” But is it a stroke of genius or just a shiny distraction? Here’s the unfiltered verdict on the future of iPhone.
Dare to peek behind the curtain at Apple’s future? iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS 26, and watchOS 26 public betas are here, offering a sneak peek into tomorrow’s tech landscape. But tread carefully, intrepid explorer! This beta realm might be paved with the unexpected – occasional glitches and app hiccups are part of the adventure. Before you boldly go, create a fortress of data security with a full backup. Need a map? Our guide will lead you through installing Apple’s public betas safely. Embrace the cutting edge, but remember: proceed with caution and a well-prepared safety net.
Liquid Glass changes everything
iOS 26: Liquid Glass is Here. Finally, Apple’s design language matches its marketing. Imagine layers of shimmering glass, ethereally floating one above the other. That’s iOS 26. The interface isn’t just responsive; it’s alive. Menus ripple and coalesce around your touch, like mercury obeying your command. Buttons aren’t static; they morph and divide, birthing new options with fluid, captivating animations. It’s an experience that redefines interaction.
iOS unveils its mesmerizing Liquid Glass design. Prepare to be captivated by a reimagined home and lock screen, where a towering, translucent clock font dramatically emerges from your cherished photos. A subtle 3D effect breathes life into your images, gifting iPhone users a taste of the immersive spatial magic found in Vision Pro.
iOS 26’s initial beta was a visual rollercoaster, and not in a good way. Picture trying to read through a window smeared with Vaseline – that’s how those overlapping, transparent icons and notifications felt. Thankfully, Apple’s been busy mopping up the mess in later releases, adding opacity to those previously ethereal elements. Buried within the Accessibility settings is a toggle to further tame the transparency, but what we really crave is a slider. Give us granular control, Apple! Let us decide exactly how “liquidy” we want our “glass.” The payoff? A design harmony across your Apple ecosystem – a visual symphony that finally resonates from your Mac to your Watch.
Remember stretching your thumb to the breaking point to reach the search bar at the top of your iPhone? Especially on Pro and Plus models, it felt like a digital yoga exercise gone wrong. Well, those days are over. iOS has finally delivered the search bar to the promised land – the bottom of the screen. I spotted it first in Settings, but now it’s everywhere: Music, Podcasts, Photos… basically any corner of your iPhone where you might be hunting for something specific. For those of us with larger iPhones, this isn’t just a tweak, it’s a revolution in usability.
Visual Intelligence
Screenshot (Apple)
Imagine snapping a screenshot on your iPhone. Now, envision that screenshot instantly becoming interactive. That’s the power Apple Intelligence unlocks with iOS 26. Previously exclusive to your camera, Visual Intelligence now breathes life into every captured moment. Forget static images; with a simple press of the power and volume up buttons, your screenshot transforms into a gateway of contextual actions, intelligently suggested based on the image’s content. It’s not just a screenshot; it’s a smart shot.
Cherlynn Low unearthed a gem: Apple’s Visual Intelligence. Imagine screenshotting a concert ticket and,bam, it’s instantly in your calendar – no app switching, no tedious manual entry. Visual Intelligence pulls data straight from your screen. Beyond appointments, it’s a digital naturalist, identifying plants, cuisines, and car models with ease. Crowded screenshot? Circle your focal point, and Apple Intelligence zeroes in. While Android users have enjoyed similar features via Gemini for ages, iPhone users finally get their bite of the visual intelligence apple. Third-party integration is nascent, typical for a beta, but the potential? Huge.
Visual Intelligence MIA? Don’t panic! That sneaky pencil icon – the markup button – is your key. Tap it. Unleash the smarts hiding within your screenshots. I almost cried foul, thinking the beta robbed me, but no, it was just playing hide-and-seek behind the markup menu.
Apple Intelligence: Solid, but Still Waiting for “Wow”
Apple Intelligence hums along reliably, yet the promised symphony hasn’t quite begun. Siri’s much-anticipated metamorphosis remains just over the horizon. However, iOS 26 appears to be subtly flexing its AI muscles, notably boosting the performance of on-device machine learning tasks. Voice memos and notes, often a source of frustration in early builds, now zip along with impressive speed and, crucially, demonstrate a newfound acuity for diverse accents that previously tripped them up.
Apple Intelligence’s writing tools have become my secret weapon, effortlessly summarizing everything from drawn-out meetings to dense PDFs. Remember the iOS 18 days? Ten-minute voice notes were a digital Everest, their tangled content defying AI comprehension. But those struggles are ancient history. With iOS 26, even the most verbose conference calls are distilled into concise, digestible summaries.
Van life vlogger, bald or running for Congress?
(Image by Mat Smith for Engadget)
The latest update unleashes a curious duality in Genmoji and Image Playground. Forget what you knew about Image Playground – it’s now turbocharged with ChatGPT, churning out images with surprising finesse. Confession: it languished, untouched, on my home screen since the iOS 18 beta. But these upgrades? They’ve yanked it back into the spotlight. Suddenly, generating AI art – the kind that blurs the line between digital creation and photographic reality – feels genuinely compelling.
ChatGPT’s “any style” feature is a tempting Pandora’s Box. Want to frolic in a puddle rendered with Ghibli’s whimsical charm? Specify the style, and watch the AI pirouette dangerously close to mimicry, potentially conjuring an uncanny, frivolous echo of yourself.
Apple tinkered with Genmoji, promising deeper customization. But the AI spat out an avatar that looked less like me and more like a chrome-domed villain in a B-movie. Last year’s Genmoji, with their charmingly retro 2010 vibe, somehow captured the essence of my friends and family. These new ones? Overly detailed, unsettlingly elaborate, and just plain wrong. They’ve crowned me with premature baldness, a follicular insult I will not stand for. A direct attack, Apple? Perhaps. But rest assured, my hair and I are ready for war.
“Cherlynn, for instance, found the initial Genmoji eerily distorted. Instead of a digital doppelganger, she often received an avatar with a drastically different complexion or even hinting at another ethnicity – a far cry from her submitted photo.”
But the real magic lies in the Genmoji’s newfound expressiveness. Imagine tweaking a digital face on the fly – adding a mischievous glint with a sly expression, or transforming it with a pair of cool shades or a quirky mustache. These simple appearance customizations unlock a whole new level of personalized communication.
A Camera app redesign for everyone
Apple’s camera app is back to basics, ditching the bells and whistles. Forget the clutter – it’s a streamlined experience, focusing solely on photo and video, at least for now.
Unleash hidden camera controls with a simple swipe up from the bottom – flash, timer, exposure, and styles await. Or, tap the discreet six-dot icon nestled in the upper right corner, revealing the same options with a sleek “Liquid Glass” animation as the Photo pill elegantly expands. Want more control? Long-press any icon to dive into advanced shooting modes, effortlessly adjusting frame rates and resolutions.
The beauty of this lies in its accessibility. It empowers everyday smartphone photographers without sacrificing the advanced controls that enthusiasts crave. While this update isn’t revolutionary, it’s evolutionary. Apple should definitely steal a few pages from Adobe’s Project Indigo – that’s where the truly innovative ideas are brewing.
Unleash your inner filmmaker with a stealthy AirPods hack! Got the latest AirPods with the H2 chip? Press andholdthat stem. Boom. Instant video recording. Candid moments, unexpected adventures – capture it all, incognito.
Apple Music tries to DJ
Apple Music’s Liquid Glass design gets a sonic sibling: AutoMix. Think crossfade, but on warp drive. This isn’t just a gentle transition; it’s a DJ in your pocket, seamlessly weaving tracks together by tweaking tempos and teasing in basslines. It’s not perfect; sometimes it stumbles, or simply opts out. But when it works, it’s pure audio bliss. Beyond the mix, iOS 26 lets you finally tackle that backlog of shared playlists and albums by pinning them for later. Consider it your “to-listen” list, finally within reach.
Messages get a little more fun
Image by Mat Smith for Engadget
Apple’s weaponizing Messages with fun, and my first target is Cherlynn Low. Think WhatsApp, but with a mischievous twist: custom chat backgrounds. My mission? Unearth Cherlynn’s most mortifying photo and plaster it across our message thread. The best part? She’s rocking the iOS 26 beta, meaning my masterpiece of digital embarrassment is guaranteed to grace her eyeballs. Game on.
Apple’s Live Translate: Breaking Down Language Barriers (with a Few Stumbles)
Imagine effortlessly conversing with anyone, anywhere, right from your iPhone. Apple’s Live Translate is making that dream a reality, bridging language gaps in Messages, calls, and FaceTime.
However, prepare for a slight tech tango. Activating this feature requires a language pack download – think of it as prepping your digital interpreter. And here’s where it gets a little quirky: language support isn’t universal. Mandarin and Japanese magically translate texts, but leave FaceTime conversations lost in translation.
Plus, your system language dictates your translation superpowers. English or Spanish device? You’re limited to English or Spanish translations. Polyglots craving Japanese-to-German translations, get ready to dive into your settings and temporarily switch your device’s language to German.
Live Translate is powerful, but its current limitations make it feel more like a beta feature. Still, the potential to connect globally is undeniably exciting, even if it needs a little more polish.
iOS 26’s translation skills won’t replace your phrasebook just yet, but dabbling in German and Spanish felt surprisingly smooth. Forget complex negotiations; think deciphering menus or asking simple directions. It’s a handy pocket companion for language learners and casual travelers, even if you wouldn’t trust it with your life… or your hotel reservation.
The new spam filter offers a glimmer of hope in the endless war against junk texts, banishing unwanted messages to their digital dungeon. While it’s not a silver bullet – TikTok marketing gurus and network providers still slip through the net – it’s a welcome addition to the arsenal. Fingers crossed Apple keeps sharpening its anti-spam sword.
Silence the Spam: Reclaim Your Inbox. Finally, escape the endless barrage of unwanted texts. Mute notifications from mystery numbers in Messages and say goodbye to spammy intrusions. Don’t worry, crucial alerts from your favorite delivery apps and ride services will still break through, ensuring you never miss that vital update. Enjoy peace of mind and a cleaner notification feed.
New apps arehit-or-miss
But hold on, not every experiment in the beta lab is a success. Remember Liquid Glass? Initially, it was less “innovative UI” and more “transparent train wreck.” Then there’s the Games App. Is it just me, or does it feel… pointless? A weird hybrid of the App Store’s Games tab and a lonely collection of your already-installed titles. It doesn’t streamline the browsing experience, and it certainly hasn’t introduced me to my next gaming obsession. What problem is this even solving?
For a casual gamer like Cherlynn, the revamped Games app sparks a tantalizing question: will it become a haven for addictive puzzle games and relaxing farming sims? Beyond solo play, the prospect of challenging friends on iOS hints at a compelling social dimension. However, with limited contact access and gaming history on her beta device, the app’s true potential remains veiled, its recommendations and features currently just a tantalizing glimpse of what’s to come.
Two new apps are gatecrashing your home screen: Games and Preview. Thankfully, both can be evicted with a quick uninstall. Preview, the Mac veteran, offers a simple portal to your digital life – think menus, ticket stubs, and those pesky QR codes. In the beta, it even snatched documents from my Files app. Navigation is mirrored across both, though Preview wisely restricts itself to viewable files, preventing any digital identity crises.
AirPods, upgraded
iPhone lovers, rejoice! iOS 26 is bringing some serious love to your AirPods. Remember endlessly checking if they’refinallycharged? Say goodbye to that anxiety! iOS 26 introduces a long-awaited feature: a notification when your AirPods hit 100%. Apple Watch users have been basking in this glory since iOS 14. It’s about time the rest of us got the memo!
Apple’s new AirPods are whispering promises of studio-quality recordings, fueled by computational audio magic. Are they delivering? There’s definitely a sonic step up. The latest AirPods 4 and AirPods Pro 2 are reportedly recording at a crisper 48 kHz double the previous rate.
This sample rate boost, which rolled out last year, is app-dependent. So, is itactually“studio quality?” Not quite, but it’s a clear upgrade. The real magic shines in noisy environments. The algorithm is now a noise-canceling ninja, preserving audio fidelity instead of mangling it during background noise reduction. Think clearer calls and less sonic mush, even when life gets loud.
iOS 26 brings a clever power-saving trick to your AirPods: sleep detection. Imagine drifting off on that transatlantic flight – your AirPods sense the stillness and gracefully power down, saving precious battery life for when you truly need it. No more waking up to dead buds mid-journey!
Wrap-up
Forget AI gimmicks. iOS 26 is all about a gorgeous glow-up. Apple’s prioritizing a design revolution – think “Liquid Glass.” It’s a radical visual shift for your iPhone, but not in a “wait, what?” kind of way. Apple’s listened toyou, smoothing out the edges to create a fluid, seamless experience. Imagine the home screen, Control Center, and notifications melting together in perfect harmony. It’s a symphony of consistency, finally.
While the latest update polishes the user experience with thoughtful additions like enhanced Messages and Visual Intelligence, one question echoes: Where’s the Siri upgrade? After a year of promises surrounding advanced AI interactions, Apple’s digital assistant still lags behind the competition, leaving users waiting for Siri to truly smarten up.
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