Verify whether your iPhone is compatible with iOS 26, the most recent version of Apple’s operating system for the smartphone, which was made available a few weeks ago. Don’t worry if you haven’t yet explored all of its features. I’ll look after you.
Personalized emoji, summaries, and translations are made possible by Apple Intelligence capabilities and the new Liquid Glass design in the most recent iOS 26 update. These are important developments that are difficult to ignore.
It’s easier to overlook the more minor modifications that Apple seldom discusses. During the WWDC, they don’t take center stage, but they could slightly alter how your iPhone feels when you use it every day.
If you take the time to look through your settings or try out the default apps, you’ll notice them: tools that reduce the amount of time needed to complete daily tasks, customization options that make your phone feel more distinctive, and subtle reminders that your iPhone is still evolving in small but meaningful ways.
With an explanation of their importance, here are my top 18 choices for iOS 26’s hidden features.
1. Change the default snooze time on your alarm.
In case you were wondering, the seemingly arbitrary 9-minute snooze option on the iPhone has a past. Due to the difficulty of adjusting early mechanical alarm clocks to 10-minute intervals, engineers decided to utilize one minute less in analog design. Digital clocks are exempt from this constraint, yet the tradition endured.
Lastly, iOS 26 allows you to choose how long you snooze. Just launch the Clock app, press an alarm, then choose Snooze Duration from the menu at the bottom. Only individual alarms have snooze settings, which vary from one to fifteen minutes. This suggests that you will either need to switch the snooze or continue using the previous alarm each time you set a new one.
2. Make a unique ringtone
Making your own ringtone no longer requires a Mac or GarageBand. Select a less than 30-second MP3 or M4A file from Files, click the Share icon, and then select Use as Ringtone. You may assign it to a contact or set it system-wide under iOS 26’s Settings > Sounds & Haptics > Ringtone section. Voice Memos via the share sheet has the same option.
3. Just a portion of a text message should be copied.
If you want to copy a password or code that isn’t highlighted, Messages now allows you to highlight and copy a portion of a text bubble rather than the full thing. To capture only the desired portion of the message, press and hold it, then choose it using the selection handles. When a lengthy communication has a single snippet that you need to paste somewhere else, it’s quite helpful.
4. Locations visited on maps
Perhaps you wish to revisit the route from a weekend or recall the Thai restaurant you tried while on vacation. The solution is already in Maps, so you don’t need to go through your messages or pictures to refresh your memory. Now, Apple Maps records the locations you’ve been to, along with the dates and specifics. To see the list, choose Maps > Profile icon > Places > Visited Places. Only you can view it since it’s private and locally saved on your iPhone.
5. Estimates of battery charge times
The lock screen now displays the estimated time it will take for your iPhone’s battery to reach 80% and 100% when you plug it in. “13m to 80%” or “1h 8m to 100%” will be shown just above the clock and under the battery indicator. To view this data, you can also select Settings > Battery. It’s a straightforward addition that eliminates uncertainty when organizing last-minute top-offs before leaving.
6. Power Mode Adaptive
Adaptive Power is a new setting in Settings > Battery > Power Mode. Adaptive modifies background activity and performance dynamically, eliminating the need to choose between Standard and Low Power. It conserves battery life while you stream music at home. It boosts performance while you’re playing games or filming videos. The phone adjusts itself, so you don’t need to worry about it.
7. Create 3D spatial scenes from pictures
A new tool in Photos called “Spatial Scenes” allows you to create realistic, 3D-like vistas with subtle motion. Locate the Spatial toggle in the upper right corner of the Photos program after opening a picture. When using compatible devices, you may move and tilt your iPhone to investigate perspective and depth as if you were standing there.
8. Search screenshots using visual intelligence
Visual Intelligence starts in the instant you snap a screenshot. As soon as you capture a screenshot, hit the thumbnail to open the editor, and you’ll find two new buttons: Ask (send the screenshot with a written query to ChatGPT) and Image Search (send it to Google for visually comparable results).
To focus on the topic of your inquiry, you may also use your finger to color a particular region. iOS will display contextual actions even in the absence of such buttons, such as “Add to Calendar” if your screenshot contains an event or “Shopping Results” if it detects a product. On-device detection takes place, however sensitive screenshots should avoid Ask or picture Search as they share the picture with the appropriate services.
9. Lyric translations for Apple Music
Apple Music can now provide real-time lyrics translation for music you listen to in other languages. To have the translated lyrics align with the music, directly under the original words, tap the Lyrics view and then choose the new Translate These words option on the bottom left. This is ideal for learning about different genres and lets you appreciate the song’s message without losing the beat.
10. Examine incoming calls
Live call screening is now supported by the Phone app. When an unknown number rings, choose Screen Call to see a transcript of the caller’s words in real time. You have the option of answering, declining, or leaving it on voicemail. The iPhone seems to have taken one of Android’s greatest concepts and refined it.
11. Use your AirPods to snap a picture.
The ability to function as a remote shutter button is a new trick for AirPods. To take a picture, double-tap an AirPod while the Camera app is active. When your phone is on a tripod across the room, it works well for group photos.
12. Give your texts a backdrop.
Now you may add personality to a text messaging thread. You may customize the discussion backdrop in Messages with iOS 26. Opening a conversation, tapping the name or title at the top, selecting Backgrounds, and then selecting a color, gradient, or image—or creating one using Image Playground—is all that is required.
13. Use Preview to Edit PDFs
Long a mainstay of macOS, the Preview app is now available on iOS for PDFs. You may make comments, reorder pages, sign documents, and highlight text when you open a PDF in Files or Mail and choose Markup. No need for a third-party app.
14. To return, swipe from the center of the screen.
For easier navigation, Apple introduced a new gesture. You may now swipe right from the center of the screen to return to the previous position, rather than only the left edge. It functions in stock apps like Mail, Settings, and Safari. To move back without hugging the edge, try swiping from left to right from anywhere in the app window.
15. Even without service, check the weather.
When you’re off the grid, you can still check the weather thanks to iOS 26’s addition of satellite connectivity to the Weather app. The software will utilize Apple’s satellite system to get basic predictions, like as temperature, likelihood of rain, and severe weather warnings, whether you’re trekking in the mountains or passing through a dead zone. When the Weather app is open, a tiny satellite icon will appear at the top. Although it clearly won’t take the place of a complete connection, it greatly increases the iPhone’s usefulness during such outages.
16. Receive an alert to clean the lens of the camera
The Camera app will gently remind you to wipe the lens clean if it detects glare, haze, or smudges. Before you make the shot, a brief on-screen warning will appear. Although it’s not obtrusive, it may help you avoid discovering later that your once-in-a-lifetime shot was blurry.
17. HDR images
screenshots are now taken in HDR, so the image you save will seem much more like what you see on the screen. You may see the same sharp contrast and highlights that are saved in your Photos collection when you open a bright photo and snap a screenshot.
18. Wallet with Passport
Wallet will soon enable digital passports in select locations. Add it the same way you would a driver’s license: Wallet > + > Add Passport. Once signed up, you may use it at supported airports and checkpoints. It’s not widespread yet, but it’s the clearest indicator that your actual wallet is on borrowed time.
These little details are what make using the iPhone more seamless and intimate, even if iOS 26’s most notable changes may get most of the attention. The update is full of little victories you’ll notice every day, including more intelligent alarms, realistic call screening, and immersive images. And for that reason, installing it is worthwhile.