(Credit: PCMag Composite; Apple)
Apple held back on futuristic announcements at this year's Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC), drawing criticism from AI insiders (including me), but the small tweaks it debuted for iOS look like they'll be a pleasure to use on a daily basis.
The formal iOS 26 update arrives this fall, but Apple just dropped the beta version. It's usually a solid preview of the final version, and ideal for testing out the tech. Here's how to check it out, and the five iPhone features I'm most excited to try.
1. Group Text Polls to Save Us From the Slog
Group chats often create a million message notifications. One study found that 42% of people say managing them feels like a part-time job, especially when the group needs to make a choice.
With the new polling feature inside Messages, you can create a quick survey that others can respond to without needing all that back and forth. That would've been a great feature for a bachelorette trip I was on recently, where we voted on what restaurant to order dinner from in a much more cumbersome way. One person would send individual texts with each option, which everyone else would vote on by "liking" their favorite. A formal group chat poll function would've been much cleaner and easier.
You can also now settle up the bill with Apple Pay right in the group chat. At that bachelorette, we used Splitwise, which it sounds like iOS 26 could replace, saving time and mental energy.
2. Liquid Glass Is Elegant, If Slightly Underwhelming
Apple's "Liquid Glass" UI overhaul wasn't as dramatic as I expected, but it's a welcome upgrade. Because let's face it: iPhones are eye candy and status symbols. It's important for Apple to keep them looking elegant and fresh, and the redesign accomplishes that to some degree.
New translucent buttons and dynamic menus make the interface look more fluid. Apple mentioned in the keynote that the new UI could influence future app development, which I would've liked to hear more about. I also expected the redesign to radically change the way the devices looked, making iOS 18 feel old in an instant. It didn't go that far, but I think there's room for Apple to keep pushing the design over the next year and get it there.
3. Spam Is Ruining iPhones: Enter 'Call Screening,' Unknown Message Folder
(Credit: Emily Forlini/PCMag)Constant pings from unknown numbers, spammers, and AI impersonators are ruining the smartphone experience, and in iOS 26, Apple is rightly trying to get a handle on the situation with new tools for screening callers and filtering out unwanted texts.
Call Screening builds on the Live Voicemail feature introduced in iOS 17. It will "answer" a call for you, see who's calling and what they want, and then ring your phone with the details and give you the option to pick up or send to voicemail. I worry it might be a little restrictive, especially in the scenario where someone you know happens to be calling from an unknown number, so we'll have to see how it plays out over time. (Google and Samsung already offer a similar feature, CNET points out.)
For texts, Apple introduced a feature that keeps messages from unknown senders "silenced until a user accepts them." They'll appear in a dedicated folder so they don't clutter up your texts; access them on the top-right corner above your texts. Better check it if you've exchanged numbers with someone, so it doesn't get lost!
4. Live Translation Tears Down Language Barriers
This one impressed me most from a technical perspective. A new Live Translation feature works in real time during phone and video calls. You can also translate texts without needing to leave the screen. I legitimately need these features for travel and speaking with my in-laws.
(Credit: Apple)Here's how it works: If you call someone who doesn't speak your language, you activate Live Translation once you're on the line with them. It notifies the other person that you've turned it on, like Zoom does when you press "record" on a video call. Then, when you speak, they will hear your words in their language and vice versa after a delay of just a few seconds.
You can also see a written transcription on the phone screen, which will pop up just before the audio starts. This could truly change the way people interact across borders. Even though Google debuted a similar feature in May, I say the more the merrier.
5. Spatial Images Make 2D a Thing of the Past
This is a fun one, although, admittedly, pretty minor, but it could be the start of a new era for digital photos. A new 3D spatial photo feature brings lock screen images to life, borrowing tech from the Vision Pro. As you move your phone around, the image transforms from 2D to 3D. Will this change the way we approach photography? It could also make iPhones even prettier, which as I mentioned in the Liquid Glass section is actually pretty important for the brand.
It relies on "advanced computer vision techniques running on the Neural Engine," Craig Federighi, Apple's senior vice president of software engineering, said on stage at WWDC. You can also try it out within the Photos app. I didn't find the other Lock Screen changes Apple introduced as compelling, such as one that expands the clock to fit the available space of the image you select. Big whoop.
Apple also enhanced the spatial photos feature on the Vision Pro with visionOS 26. The new experience makes you feel like you're looking around the photo, into a bigger scene. It relies on a "new generative AI algorithm and computational depth to create spatial scenes with multiple perspectives, letting users feel like they can lean in and look around," Apple says.