IOS 26

iOS 26
iOS 26 running on the iPhone Air
DeveloperApple
Written inC, C++, Objective-C, Swift, Assembly language
OS familyiOS
Working stateCurrent
Source modelClosed with open-source components
General
availability		September 15, 2025; 13 months ago (2025-09-15)
Marketing targetiPhones
Available in42 languages
List of languages
English (Australia, UK, U.S.), Chinese (Simplified, Traditional, Traditional – Hong Kong), French (Canada, France), German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Lithuanian, Spanish (Latin America, Spain), Arabic, Bulgarian, Catalan, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Indonesian, Kazakh, Malay, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese (Brazil, Portugal), Romanian, Russian, Slovak, Swedish, Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian, Vietnamese
Update methodSoftware Update
Kernel typeHybrid (XNU)
Default
user interface		iPhone 17
LicenseProprietary software with open-source components
Preceded byiOS 18
Succeeded byiOS 27
Official websitewww.apple.com/os/ios/
Support status
Articles in the series
iPadOS 26 (derivative for iPad)

iOS 26 is the nineteenth version of iOS, developed by Apple Inc. It was announced on June 9, 2025, at the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference. Apple renamed the OS name to iOS 26 to match system years. It was released on September 15, 2025.

Features and changes

Systems features and changes

Design

iOS 26 has a new design called "Liquid Glass", which changes everything from the lock screen to apps after over 13 years, when iOS 7 was redesigned with a flat style.

Apple intelligence

New Apple Intelligence features includes live translation, visual intelligence, Genmoji and Image Playground.

Battery

It has an adaptive power mode and battery settings got a new design. It has a charging time that tells users how long it is fully charged.

Home screen and lock screen

Since iOS 18 was announced, it has 'dark', 'light' and 'tinted' icon in home screen. It has a 'clear' icon in home screen that looks like a glass design with Liquid Glass. Users can resize time in lock screen.

eSim management

It has a eSim transfer with Android that directly to transfer between iPhone and an Android device without needing a QR code from the mobile carriers.

Ringtones

iOS 26 has many new other reflections ringtones including the "Buoyant", "Dreamer", "Pond", "Pop", "Reflected" and "Surge". Not just reflection ringtones, but they also has a one ringtone called "Little Bird".

Apps features and changes

Users can create or vote polls in iMessage. The photo app was redesigned in iOS 18 but users say they do not like it, Apple redesigned the photo app with the navigation bar again and the camera app was redesigned too. It has a games app that access to all the games currently installed on the devices.

Recovery Assistant

Apple added new feature that automatically attempt to recover if devices does not boot up successfully.

Supported devices

iPhone XR, iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max will not be supported due to old hardware. Apple Intelligence only works on Apple A17 Pro chips and later. Here is a list of supported devices:

Version history

The first developer beta of iOS 26 has been released on 9 June 2025 and the first developer beta of iOS 26 only available on iPhone 15 series and iPhone 16 series has been released again on 13 June 2025. The second developer beta of iOS 26 has been released on 23 June 2025. The third developer beta of iOS 26 has been released on 7 July 2025.

Version history

iOS 26 release history
Version Build Release date Notes
Old version, not maintained: 26.0 23A330 N/a Preinstalled on iPhones 17, 17 Pro, 17 Pro Max and Air
23A341 September 15, 2025 Developer release notes
Release notes
Security content
23A345 September 18, 2025 iPhone 17 Pro models only
Old version, not maintained: 26.0.1 23A355 September 29, 2025 Release notes

Security content

Old version, not maintained: 26.1 23B85 November 3, 2025 Developer release notes

Release notes
Security content

Old version, not maintained: 26.2 23C55 December 12, 2025 Developer release notes

Release notes
Security content

Old version, not maintained: 26.2.1 23C71 January 26, 2026 Support for AirTag 2

Release notes

Old version, not maintained: 26.3 23D127 February 11, 2026 Developer release notes

Security content

23D8128 N/a Preinstalled on iPhone 17e
Old version, not maintained: 26.3.1 23D8133 March 4, 2026
Old version, not maintained: 26.3.1 (a) 23D771330a March 17, 2026 Background Security Improvement

Security content

Old version, not maintained: 26.4 23E246 March 24, 2026 Developer release notes

Security content

Old version, not maintained: 26.4.1 23E254 April 8, 2026
Old version, not maintained: 26.4.2 23E261 April 22, 2026
Old version, not maintained: 26.5 23F77 May 11, 2026 Developer release notes
Old version, not maintained: 26.5.2 23F84 June 29, 2026
Old version, not maintained: 26.6 23G71 July 27, 2026 Developer release notes
Latest version: 26.6.1 23G83 August 17, 2026
Legend:
Old version
Latest version
Latest preview version

References

  1. ↑ "iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus - Technical Specifications". Apple. Retrieved 2025-03-01.
  2. ↑ Ermenkova, Tsveta (2025-06-09). "iOS 26: a closer look at the fresh redesign". PhoneArena. Retrieved 2025-06-09.
  3. ↑ Phelan, David. "iOS 26 Release Date: Exactly When The New iPhone Software Will Launch". Forbes. Retrieved 2025-06-09.
  4. ↑ Peters, Jay (2025-06-09). "Apple announces iOS 26 with Liquid Glass redesign". The Verge. Retrieved 2025-06-09.
  5. ↑ "iOS 26 NOT iOS 19: Apple is renaming iOS, iPadOS macOS, and other operating systems; here's the BIG why". The Times of India. 2025-06-10. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 2025-06-12.
  6. ↑ Powel, James. "iOS 26 launch date announced. See when Apple's latest update is available". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2025-09-23.
  7. ↑ Mickle, Tripp; Chen, Brian X. (2025-06-09). "Apple Introduces 'Liquid Glass' Design and iOS 26 at WWDC 2025". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2025-06-10.
  8. ↑ Silberling, Amanda (2025-06-09). "Apple's iOS 26 will redesign Lock Screen, Home Screen, and native iOS apps". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2025-06-09.
  9. ↑ "Apple's new Liquid Glass design is its biggest visual update in years". Engadget. 2025-06-09. Retrieved 2025-06-09.
  10. ↑ "iOS 26 adds ChatGPT styles for Image Playground and Genmoji". AppleInsider. 2025-06-11. Retrieved 2025-06-13.
  11. ↑ "Apple brings smarter battery insights and Adaptive Power Mode to iPhones with iOS 26". The Times of India. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 2025-06-12.
  12. ↑ "iOS 26 iPhone battery overhaul: Trends and Adaptive Power". AppleInsider. 2025-06-10. Retrieved 2025-06-12.
  13. ↑ "iOS 26 Features Battery Settings Overhaul". MacRumors. 2025-06-09. Retrieved 2025-06-12.
  14. ↑ Roth, Emma (2025-06-09). "iOS 26's new 'adaptive power' mode dials back performance to save battery". The Verge. Retrieved 2025-06-12.
  15. ↑ "iOS 26 Lets You Know How Long It'll Take Your Battery to Charge". MacRumors. 2025-06-09. Retrieved 2025-06-12.
  16. ↑ "iOS 26 Adds All-New 'Clear Look' Option Alongside Light and Dark Mode". MacRumors. 2025-06-09. Retrieved 2025-06-29.
  17. ↑ "iOS 26 Adds Support for Transferring an eSIM to and From Android". MacRumors. 2025-06-13. Retrieved 2025-06-29.
  18. ↑ Clover, Juli (2025-08-11). "iOS 26 Gets More New Ringtones". MacRumors. Retrieved 2025-11-26.
  19. ↑ bio, See full (15 August 2025). "Your iPhone Gets These New Ringtones in iOS 26". CNET. Retrieved 2025-11-26.
  20. ↑ Malik, Aisha (2025-06-09). "Apple is bringing polls to Messages". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2025-06-09.
  21. ↑ "Revamped Camera and Photos app priortize speed and convenience in iOS 26". AppleInsider. 2025-06-09. Retrieved 2025-06-13.
  22. ↑ "Introducing the Apple Games app: A personalized home for games". Apple Newsroom. Retrieved 2025-06-13.
  23. ↑ Philip Michaels (2025-06-13). "iOS 26 Games: What to expect from Apple's first dedicated gaming app". Tom's Guide. Retrieved 2025-06-13.
  24. ↑ "iOS 26 Allows You to Restore Any iPhone Without a Mac or PC". MacRumors. 2025-06-23. Retrieved 2025-06-29.
  25. ↑ "iOS 26 Recovery Assistant will help users quickly restore a crashed iPhone". AppleInsider. 2025-06-23. Retrieved 2025-06-29.
  26. ↑ James Rogerson (2025-06-09). "iOS 26 compatibility – does your iPhone support it? Here's the full list of supported devices". TechRadar. Retrieved 2025-06-09.
  27. ↑ Phelan, David. "iOS 26 New iPhone Release: Apple Delivers Unprecedented Update". Forbes. Retrieved 2025-06-19.
  28. ↑ "Apple slips out a quiet iOS 26 beta 1 update with a new build". AppleInsider. 2025-06-13. Retrieved 2025-06-19.
  29. ↑ "Apple Seeds Second Developer Betas of iOS 26 and iPadOS 26". MacRumors. 2025-06-23. Retrieved 2025-06-23.
  30. ↑ "Apple releases iOS 26 Beta 3: New features, how to download and other things to know". The Times of India. 2025-07-08. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 2025-07-10.
  31. ↑ Adorno, José (2025-07-07). "iOS 26 beta 3 now available ahead of public beta launch". BGR. Retrieved 2025-07-07.
  32. ↑ Rossignol, Joe (17 August 2026). "Apple Releases iOS 26.6.1, macOS 26.6.2, and More". MacRumors. Retrieved 17 August 2026.

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