Apple has announced the release date for iOS 26, the next major software update for iPhones: Monday, September 15th.
The biggest feature of the update is a new design language that Apple calls Liquid Glass. The new design adds a glassy sheen to many different parts of the operating system, and things like buttons and search bars have a translucency that lets some elements of what’s under them show through. Liquid Glass isn’t just limited to iOS 26: it’s also coming to iPadOS 26, macOS Tahoe 26, watchOS 26, and tvOS 26.
Over the course of its iOS 26 betas, Apple has tweaked just how glassy Liquid Glass has been. Initially, I found there were some legibility issues, especially with Control Center. With later betas, though, I felt like Apple had really dialed in the look, and I’ve gotten used to it.
In addition to Liquid Glass, iOS 26 adds features like Live Translation powered by Apple Intelligence, a new layout for the Phone app, call screening features, updates to Messages like the ability to create polls and add custom backgrounds to chats, and a new Games app.
