iOS 26 Ushers in “Liquid Glass” Design and AI-Powered Features
Apple’s iOSโค 26 โฃintroducesโฃ a notable visual overhaul with a new “Liquid Glass” design, alongside a suite of AI-driven features focusedโ on enhancing interaction and usability. This marks โฃthe largest design change to iOS since iOS 7 over a decade โago, drawing inspiration from visionOS and aiming forโ a unified aesthetic across Apple’s product line.
The new interface features floating, reflective controls that blend with theโค background. apple acknowledges potential user โconcerns regarding the transparency effects and provides an option to reduce them through Accessibility settings.
A coreโ component of iOS 26 is Apple โIntelligence, bringing features like Live Translation to phone calls, FaceTime sessions, and messages,โค all โขprocessed directly on the device. The Phone appโ gains a “wait queueโฃ aid” to notify users โwhen โa live representative is available, alongside improved spam call and message โfiltering.Group chatsโค now support the creation of polls.
Further enhancements include a simplified Photo app,carplay support forโค live activities,and a dedicated apple โGames app โfor game discovery.โฃ The Password app now records theโ history of passwords used. A new โคfeature allows users toโฃ utilize screenshots as search queries, sending images โคdirectly to Google or analyzing them via chat. the Alarm app offers customizable snooze times ranging from one toโข fifteen minutes.
The “Liquid Glass” design has elicited mixed reactions. While โคsome praise its modern aesthetic, others express โฃconcerns about readability, particularly on older iPhone models, and describe the animations as inconsistent. Apple’s inclusion of aโ transparencyโค reductionโ option demonstrates responsivenessโ to user feedback.
iOS 26 โwill be compatible with iPhone 11 and newer models. This marks the first time older devices will be dropped from support; specifically, the iPhone XR, XS, and XS Max (equipped with the A12 chip) will not receive the update. Apple is also adopting a year-based versioning โsystem, naming the update iOS 26 for 2025.
Resources Available:
*โ โ iPhone Lexicon: A free lexicon explainingโ 53 iPhone terms, including pronunciation guides, isโ available for iOSโ beginners: https://www.info.computerwissen-online.com/apple/iphone/lexikon/?af=KOOP_CW_AG_DNV_YES_IPHONE-LEXIKON_X-CWAHN-BGPID_637320
* iPhone Starter Package: A free PDF guide assists newโฃ iPhone users with โsetup,โข gestures, appโ installation, andโ data transfer from Android or older iPhones: https://www.info.computerwissen-online.com/apple/iphone/iphone-starterpaket/?af=KOOP_CW_AG_DNV_YES_IPHONE-STARTERPAKET_X-CWAHN-BGPID_637320
The long-term impact of the “Liquid Glass” design will become โฃclearer as developers integrate the new elements into โฃtheir applications. The coming weeks will determine whether this bold visual shift will become a defining characteristic of Apple’s ecosystem.