Introduction: Can You Feel the Change?
You press the power button, and your iPhone springs to life like never before. The colors glow a bit sharper, transparency flows across the icons, and in a split second, you realize — this isn’t just another update. It’s a transformation. iOS 26, officially released on September 15, 2025, isn’t incremental. It’s immersive.
Here are the top 5 features that are turning heads, raising expectations, and pushing what a smartphone OS can do.
Top 5 iOS 26 Features, in Order
1. Liquid Glass Design — Beauty in Motion
Apple’s new visual language, Liquid Glass, gives the interface a glass-like translucency. Icons, menus, buttons and even toolbars feel layered in a way that reacts to light and motion. It’s less flat, more alive.
This change is more than cosmetic: it’s meant to unify the design across iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV.
2. Live Translation & Apple Intelligence Enhancements
iOS 26 brings live translation in FaceTime, voice calls, Messages. Whether you’re chatting with someone in another language or scrolling through foreign text, much of it can now be understood on the fly.
“Apple Intelligence” is beefed up with models that run more efficiently on device, more languages supported, and smarter tools like Visual Intelligence and Image Playground that let you interact with screenshots, images, etc.
3. Spam Filtering + Call Screening + Hold-Assist
One of the most welcome changes: fewer annoying calls and texts. iOS 26 introduces a spam filter for messages, filters for spam FaceTime/phone calls, and better call screening. If someone calls from an unknown number, the OS can ask them to state who they are and why. You choose whether to answer.
Then there’s Hold Assist: put a call on hold and get notified automatically when the other person finally picks up. Small feature, big relief.
4. Battery & Power Smarts
Historically, battery life has been one of the biggest iPhone complaints. With iOS 26, Apple is using smarter monitoring to flag apps that consume energy abnormally, suggest background-usage reductions, and offer “adaptive power modes” that balance performance vs. efficiency.
It also reorganizes battery stats to gives you clearer insight into what’s draining your power.
5. Redesigned Photos, Camera & UI-Level Productivity Boosts
The Photos app gets reorganized into main tabs like Library and Collections for easier navigation.
Camera mode switching is smoother: Photo and Video are highlighted, other modes are accessible with swipes. Camera controls are grouped together so you don’t dive through menus mid-shot.
Also, productivity tools like smarter Shortcuts, new reminders, background action optimizations, custom chat backgrounds, polls in Messages, etc.
Reactions, Impacts & Expert Opinions
- Users are excited. Early adopters are posting screenshots of the Liquid Glass interface, impressed by its visual appeal. Many report that the live translation works well enough to carry real conversations.
- Critics aren’t silent. Some point out that the Liquid Glass effect can make certain text less legible, especially over translucent backgrounds. Also, big updates often bring bugs — battery drains, app compatibility issues — so many are advising caution, backing up before updating.
- Developers are on board. With Apple to allow easier integration of Apple Intelligence features (e.g. Visual Intelligence, Foundation Models Framework), apps will soon feel more responsive and intelligent.
What This Means for You
If you have a relatively recent iPhone (A13 Bionic or newer), you can likely upgrade to iOS 26. Those who rely heavily on calls, messaging, and travel will benefit immediately from translation, spam filtering, and better navigation. Creatives and photographers will love the new Photos/Camera tweaks plus design improvements. And for everyone, those battery efficiencies could mean one more hour of usage when you need it.
If you’re more cautious: maybe wait a week or two; let early bugs get ironed out. But even at its early stage, iOS 26 feels less like a tweak and more like a new chapter.
Conclusion
iOS 26 isn’t just another number in the version log. It’s a leap forward. From the glass-like visuals of Liquid Glass to smarter, quieter background work (battery, calls, AI), Apple has stitched together a set of features that feel both futuristic and grounded in everyday need. If you care about design, communication, privacy, or battery life — this update is for you.
Get ready to see your iPhone not just behave smarter, but feel newer.
Source: The Times of India
