Close enough. Welcome back, Windows Vista.
Yesterday, Apple launched its annual WWDC event. While there were no new devices launched, it did announce new iOS and Mac versions, something the rumor mill has been going on and on for quite a while now. One of these rumors is that Apple will skip iOS 19 and advance towards iOS 26 instead. This rumor turned out to be true as now, Apple has used year numbering instead of version numbers for their future iOS releases. Makes it more unified and less confusing.
The newly released versions are iOS 26, iPadOS 26, and MacOS 26 “Tahoe”. The main outstanding feature of the series is the new design language called “Liquid Glass”. If you had a Windows Vista or Windows 7 PC, then the concept will sound very familiar to you. For this article, we will take a look at iOS26 only. MacOS Tahoe deserves its own article.
Liquid Glass Design:
For years, Apple has stuck to flat iconography, something many other companies have turned to as well including Microsoft and Google with Windows and Android respectively. Now, as part of iOS’ major overhaul since iOS 7, Apple is introducing Liquid Glass. This design turns the icons transparent with a reflection that mimics real glass and perfectly complements whatever wallpaper you have. If you’re not a fan of this design, you can always go back to flat.
By the way, the design is not limited to just icons. The lock screen clock, buttons in certain apps like Photos, and even Safari, are also given the Liquid Glass treatment. It’s like Windows Aero if it never left. Does it bring back the memories of using Windows 7?
In addition, Apple has updated its API guidelines so that 3rd-party developers can integrate their apps well to the new design.
Messages and Phone Apps Get Personalized Effects!
The Photos and Messages app got new visual and security updates in iOS 26. The messages app can now have custom backgrounds either coming from the phone’s sample wallpapers, through AI generation, or through your albums. This is something many other apps like Whatsapp has had in years. What’s more, you can now create a new emoji through Apple Intelligence simply by merging two existing emoji into one, kinda like the one the Google search has. Not only that, Apple Intelligence comes with ChatGPT integrated so you can generate your own. More on Apple Intelligence later.
You can now screen calls and messages and Apple Intelligence can determine whether the message is a scam or not. Say goodbye to those scummy e-casino messages, or so-called “Human Resources” from Shopee or Lazada.
APPLE INTELLIGENCE: BASICALLY BASIC (and more)
In the big 25, tech events are not tech events without mentioning AI at least once. It feels off now. And Apple has been delaying its AI for a while since the iPhone 15 launched due to some difficulties implementing it. The new and improved version is here with more basic features, but the big ones introduced, such as ChatGPT for Siri, are still not available.
For instance, the new Playground feature allows you to create emojis and Genmojis through a prompt or by mixing two existing emoji into one. Live translate is now baked into Messages, FaceTime, and the Phone app, also powered by ChatGPT. Finally, Apple reinvents Google Assistant by allowing their AI to identify objects provided by your screenshot or through a photo. You can even use a supported app like Google to search for these items akin to dropping an image into Google search.
Apple Intelligence can also identify emails with orders and tracking in them, so you won’t miss that Cash-on-Delivery you ordered from Shopee, Lazada, Grab, or Foodpanda.
Finally, Apple Intelligence can now provide suggestions to your shortcuts tab. These include dedicated actions like Writing Tools and Image Playground.
COMPACT CAR(PLAY):
The new compact view on CarPlay, if your vehicle supports it, allows you to view iOS apps on your car much more safely and easily, without it being too distracting. Remember the days when you could be penalized for that? You still can but with so many screens in cars, it’s like they’re encouraging driving while using your phone.
Pinned conversations are also now a feature into CarPlay.
SING-ALONG WITH ME:
Sing your heart out because now Apple Music includes Live Translate and Lyrics Pronunciation. This allows you to sing those lively KPOP and JPOP tunes all while keeping in rhythm. AutoMix also identifies part of the music to seamlessly transition from one song to the next, and this can feel satisfying.
If you’re practicing writing scripts like Hangul or Hiragana, but still want to seeing your favorite anime OP, your iPhone can now do that for you… Well, not exactly “now” but when the update is live.
YOU’VE BEEN HERE:
On Apple Maps, the new Visited Places feature compiles all your recently visited places, as the name straightforwardly tells. If you’re worried if someone can track you through this, Apple said that this feature is end-to-end encrypted so you and only you can see which places you’ve visited most recently. Not even Apple has access to your places, or so we know.
You can also turn this feature off if privacy is a major concern for you.
OTHER FEATURES:
- Apple Games (not to be confused with Game Center) – is an all-in-one gaming social platform that helps players go back to games they love in an instant and be notified about upcoming updates for their favorite titles. The app is also compatible with Apple Arcade, Apple’s gaming subscription service.
- Parental Controls are now expanded because parents needed Apple to babysit their child for them instead of, you know, not giving them a phone in the first place. Apple can now parent your child with new features like communication limits, communication safety, and parental approvals to download or install certain apps. Big question. Why do you let your kids use your iPhone in the first place?
AVAILABILITY and COMPATIBILITY
In a nutshell, any iPhone manufactured in 2019 and recent are compatible with iOS 26. If you’re still holding on to your iPhone X or XS, then it might be high time to replace them. Or keep it for a while because apps still support these older iPhone models.
As per any iOS launch, iOS 26 will most likely debut before the iPhone 17 series launches which is usually mid-September. We’ll keep an eye out for the new iPhone 17 series. What Apple fans are eager to see this time is its apparently new design after Apple has used the old one for 6 years now.