However, like every major Apple software release, iOS 26 also comes with a number of minor new improvements and upgrades, both documented and undocumented. We've gone through Apple's docs and took the iOS 26 dev beta for a spin, and we're back with a list of not-so-obvious iOS 26 features you're gonna love.

As you may recall, iOS 18 brought a new way to customize your phone's home screen including app tinting. This feature allowed you to change the color of your app icons — at least in theory. In practice, the finished result made it look like you poured sauce all over your apps.

Apple released the iOS 26 beta on Monday, shortly after the main WWDC 2025 keynote. I installed it right away, and I can say it’s

The rumor was true: iOS 26 introduces an option to view full-screen animated album art on the iPhone's Lock Screen for certain Apple Music

Apple's 2026 operating systems will be unified and see a major visual upgrade called the Liquid Glass design language.

“Apple’s new glassy UI (user interface) design literally hurts my eyes to look at,” vented a third. “The notifications are a literal eyesore. It’s the definition of form over function. This OS update is going to be the worst thing Apple has done since iOS 7. No joke.”

Apple introduced a new, compact design for Safari in iOS 26 that serves as the default layout, but there are two other design options available

iPhone owners shared their disdain with a new feature in Apple's iOS 26 dubbed "Liquid Glass, which adds transparency to menus and toolbars. Per The Associated Press, the translucent design allows icons and open panes to refract and reflect whatever's behind it.