What's New in iOS — Episode 1: iOS 26 in 7 Minutes

What's in this episode

1. Liquid Glass — Apple's first major visual redesign since iOS 7: translucent menus, depth-layered app icons, disappearing tab bars
2. Hold Assist — your iPhone waits on hold for you and alerts you when a real person picks up
3. Call Screening — unknown callers state their name and reason before the phone rings
4. Messages upgrades — custom chat backgrounds, polls, per-person typing indicators in group chats, partial text selection
5. AutoMix in Apple Music — intelligent tempo and key-matched song transitions, like a built-in DJ
6. Photos redesign — Library/Collections split back to two separate tabs; new Spatial Scene 3D effect for 2D photos
7. Visual Intelligence — now reads what's on your screen, not just the camera; finds products, adds events to Calendar, powered by ChatGPT
8. iOS 26.6 Beta 1 — Maps Blastdoor security sandbox and a max blocked-contacts alert (cap: 20,000)

Sources

• iOS 26: Everything We Know — MacRumors
• New in iOS 26.6 beta 1: Apple Maps & Contacts changes — AppleInsider
• These 5 iOS 26 Features Make It Feel Like I Just Bought a New iPhone — PCMag