Apple published the long -awaited iOS 26 on Monday, and it is now available as free software update. The new iPhone operating system promises major changes in the way users use their device And What is it like day by day.
Downloading the new operating system is quite simple; Combining all changes may not be so easy. The change is difficult, but we believe that this particular change will be rewarding for most users. Mashable journalists have been testing the beta version of iOS 26 for months, and the new operating system promises many cool new features. Many things happen with the update – but we have collected three of our favorites that you should try immediately.
So, download iOS 26 and prepare to try these new features.
Liquid glass
Ok, this one is obvious, but you should Really Play with liquid glass after updating iOS 26. In case you do not know, Liquid Glass is the name of the new design language deployed by Apple with the new operating system. Liquid glass is more expressive and uses translucent objects – get it … like glass … It’s liquid – to simplify multitasking and operating applications.
Liquid Glass will also completely change the appearance of your iPhone. From the control center to the new customizable locking screen to subtle animations through the iPhone experience, there is a lot to discover after your update. You can also play with a clear look or a reduced transparency look, according to your preferences.
Mashable lighting speed
For more information on liquid glass, see our deep dive on iPad OS 26, which also gets a liquid glass cure.
Credit: Apple
Surveys in messages
There are a number of changes to come in messages with iOS 26. The new personalized backgrounds on messages have already attracted a lot of attention, but this is not our favorite change. The addition of surveys can be super fun for group cats.
Alex Perry de Mashable on the new feature: “One of my favorites is the possibility of doing surveys in group cats, which is nominally a functionality to decide where to seek dinner, but which will be really a functionality which is used to incredibly adjust an arcanic and absurd inside the arguments between groups of friends.”
Credit: Apple / WWDC 2025
Live translation
As a person who has followed many years of Spanish lessons while keeping few precious, live translation could prove to be the coolest and most useful functionality in iOS 26. The tool, supplied by Apple Intelligence, will be built in messages, telephone and calls Facetime. This means that in theory at least, you may have relatively fluid conversations with people who speak a completely different language. It could be fun to give it a whirlwind once you have updated, just to see how it really works. (We are still testing it ourselves.)
Credit: Apple
We have used all the nice things that our technology can do, but, if this tool works well, translating your conversations in real time is a bit like magic.
Do you want to know more about iOS 26 and liquid glass? Catch the recent Mashable coverage:
