iPhone

What’s New in iOS 26: Exciting Features Never Seen Before in iOS

September 10, 2025September 10, 2025 adminiOS 26, iOS 26 Features, iOS 26 for iPhone 17, iOS 26 Release, What's new in iOS 26

Apple unveiled iOS 26 on June 9, 2025, at its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC). Released on September 15, 2025, this update brings a fresh look and powerful features to iPhones, especially for the iPhone 17 series. iOS 26 introduces a stunning “Liquid Glass” design and smart tools powered by Apple Intelligence.

Many features are completely new, never seen in previous iOS versions. This article explains these exciting additions in simple words, perfect for readers in India, Pakistan, and beyond.

Liquid Glass Design: A Brand-New Look

iOS 26 introduces Liquid Glass, a unique design that makes your iPhone look sleek and modern. Menus, apps, and widgets appear see-through, like glass, with smooth animations. The lock screen, home screen, and Control Center reflect light and move dynamically when you tilt your phone.

This is the first time iOS has used such a translucent, 3D-style design since iOS 7’s flat look. It’s inspired by visionOS for Apple Vision Pro, making all Apple devices feel connected. You can pick light, dark, or clear themes, with new color-tinted or transparent icons for a fresh vibe.

Adaptive Time on Lock Screen

The lock screen’s clock now adapts dynamically to your wallpaper. It resizes to avoid covering the main subject, like a person’s face, and adjusts when notifications appear. Tilting your iPhone adds a 3D effect to photos, making them pop out. This spatial scenes feature is new to iOS, giving a lively, interactive lock screen experience never offered before.

Live Translation for Calls and Messages

iOS 26 brings Live Translation to Phone, Messages, and FaceTime. It translates text and speech in real-time during conversations. For example, if you’re texting someone who speaks another language, iOS 26 translates your messages instantly. On calls, it speaks translations aloud, and FaceTime shows live captions.

This is a first for iOS, making cross-language chats easy. Supported languages include English, Spanish, French, German, and more, with Danish, Dutch, and others coming by late 2025.

Visual Intelligence with Screenshots

Visual Intelligence now works with screenshots, a feature never seen in iOS before. Take a screenshot, and iOS 26 lets you search for objects in it, like shoes or a landmark, using Google or ChatGPT. Tap the Highlight to Search button to find specific items, or ask ChatGPT questions about the image. It can identify art, books, sculptures, and natural landmarks, expanding beyond animals and plants. This makes your iPhone a powerful search tool right from your screen.

Call Screening and Hold Assist

For the first time, iOS 26 offers Call Screening to fight spam calls. When an unknown number calls, your iPhone answers, asks the caller’s name and purpose, and shows you a text summary. You decide whether to pick up. Hold Assist is another new feature: it mutes hold music during calls and alerts you when a customer service agent is ready. These tools reduce distractions and make phone calls smarter, a first for iOS.

Apple Games App

iOS 26 introduces the Apple Games app, a new hub for all your games. It shows your game library, including App Store and Apple Arcade titles, and lets you track scores, challenge friends, and see what they’re playing. A Challenges tab adds leaderboards for single-player games, a feature iOS never had before. The app supports mobile controllers for easy navigation, making gaming more fun and organized.

Enhanced Apple Wallet Features

The Apple Wallet gets new tricks in iOS 26. Order Tracking (beta) uses Apple Intelligence to pull order details from emails, showing progress in one place without needing merchants to join Apple’s system. Boarding passes now show airport maps, track bags with Find My, and share real-time flight updates via Live Activities.

You can also add a U.S. passport for domestic flights (U.S. only), a first for iOS. These features make travel and shopping smoother than ever.

Genmoji and Image Playground Upgrades

iOS 26 enhances Genmoji and Image Playground with new creative options. You can mix two emojis or combine an emoji with text to create unique characters, like a smiling dog. Image Playground now supports ChatGPT styles (Anime, Oil Painting, Watercolor) for AI-generated images, a first for iOS. You can tweak facial expressions or hairstyles for personalized Genmoji, making messaging and creativity more fun.

Smarter Shortcuts with AI

The Shortcuts app now uses Apple Intelligence for intelligent actions, a new feature. You can create shortcuts to summarize text, generate images, or tap into AI models like ChatGPT. For example, a shortcut could pull data from an email and create a task. This level of AI integration in Shortcuts is a first, making automation easier and more powerful.

Drafts Folder in Messages

iOS 26 adds a Drafts folder in Messages, a feature never offered before. If you start typing a text but don’t send it, it saves in the Drafts folder for easy access later. You can also create polls in chats and use AI-generated backgrounds, adding fun and organization to messaging.

Adaptive Power Mode

A new Adaptive Power Mode saves battery by adjusting screen brightness and slowing processes during heavy use, without stopping background tasks like Low Power Mode does. It learns your habits to optimize power, a first for iOS. The Settings app now shows a weekly battery usage view with color-coded data (orange for high use, blue for normal), another new addition.

Braille Access for Accessibility

iOS 26 introduces Braille Access, turning your iPhone into a full braille note-taking tool. It supports braille input, Nemeth code for math, and real-time conversation transcripts on a braille display. This is the first time iOS offers such deep braille support, making it easier for visually impaired users to navigate and communicate.

Wi-Fi Aware and Captive Assist

Wi-Fi Aware lets your iPhone find and connect to nearby devices securely without internet, a new feature for iOS. Captive Assist auto-fills Wi-Fi login forms across your Apple devices, making public Wi-Fi easier to use. These are firsts for iOS, improving connectivity on the go.

Other New Features

Custom Snooze Options: Set alarm snooze times from 1 to 15 minutes, unlike the fixed 9-minute snooze in past iOS versions.
Password History: Track past passwords and changes in the Passwords app, a new security feature.
Photos App Tabs: Library and Collections tabs return, making photo navigation easier, a fix users wanted.
Camera App Redesign: Simplified layout with less swiping for modes, a first for iOS.
CarPlay Upgrades: New wallpapers, Tapbacks in Messages, and compact call notifications, all new to iOS.

Compatibility and Availability

iOS 26 works on iPhones from 2019 or later (iPhone 11, SE 2nd Gen, and newer). Older models like iPhone XR and XS miss out. Some Apple Intelligence features need an iPhone 15 Pro or later. The update is free and available via Settings > General > Software Update.

Why iOS 26 Stands Out

iOS 26 brings features Apple has never offered before, like Liquid Glass design, Live Translation, Visual Intelligence for screenshots, and the Apple Games app. These make your iPhone smarter, prettier, and more fun. For users in India and Pakistan, tools like Live Translation and Call Screening are especially helpful for daily communication. Update your iPhone to iOS 26 to enjoy these exciting changes!