What's new in iOS 26 just released?

iOS 26 is considered one of the biggest upgrades Apple has ever released. This version brings many changes to the interface and features for the iPhone.

Liquid Glass design language

On iOS 26, Apple introduced the all-new Liquid Glass design language for the first time. This design is also applied synchronously across all software platforms developed by the company.

Apple says the Liquid Glass design language is inspired by its visionOS operating system. The system interface and app icons are refreshed with a more transparent, eye-catching design.

iOS 26 vừa phát hành có gì mới? - 1 — iOS 26 features a completely new Liquid Glass design language (Photo: Apple).

The company also introduced a series of changes inside the interface of the Camera, Photos, Safari, Phone, FaceTime, etc. The lock screen and home screen also offer new display options. Apple said the Liquid Glass design language will be applied for many years to come.

“This is our biggest design update ever. For the first time, we're introducing a common design across our platforms.

The new design adds glass-like elements throughout the iOS interface, including the dock and lock screen,” said Alan Dye, Apple’s vice president of user interface design.

Improving AI applications and services

In addition to the new design, iOS 26 also brings a series of improvements within each application. The Camera application has been redesigned with a more minimalist and intuitive interface.

The Phone app gets a call filtering feature that can help answer calls or put them on hold when the user is busy. Meanwhile, the Messages app gets a custom wallpaper feature, allows for polls, and more.

iOS 26 vừa phát hành có gì mới? - 2 — The Live Translation feature is capable of translating conversations in real time (Photo: Apple).

The company says Apple Intelligence has been integrated into more places to help users communicate across multiple languages, create more personal images, and use more useful shortcuts.

For the Genmoji feature, Apple will allow users to combine two emojis to create a new emoji, instead of just using text descriptions as before.

Live Translation is a feature that can translate conversations in real time. It can be used in text chats or phone calls, FaceTime.

In addition, Apple also introduced a series of new improvements within its services such as Apple Music, Apple Maps and Apple Wallet.

Gaming and Visual Intelligence Applications

Apple is developing an app that's entirely focused on helping users play games. Inside the Games app, users can access the entire library of games they've downloaded from the App Store.

Meanwhile, the "Play Together" tab will show what your friends are playing. Users can also see the leaderboard of challenges between their friends.

iOS 26 vừa phát hành có gì mới? - 3 — Apple is developing an app that is entirely focused on helping users play games (Photo: Apple).

For the Visual Intelligence feature, Apple will allow users to use artificial intelligence to learn about what is displayed on the iPhone screen.

For example, when you see a jacket on social media, you can take a screenshot and use Visual Intelligence to search for information about the jacket on Google. You can also take a screenshot of an event and use Visual Intelligence to add that information to your calendar.

Apple says iOS 26 and other operating system versions will be officially released this fall. The update will most likely be delivered alongside the iPhone 17 generation, which is expected to launch in September.