Apple’s iOS 26 has been right here for just a few months now, with an up to date feel and appear that units it other than iOS 18. The liquid glass design replace takes heart stage, delivering a colourful feel and appear. Of course there are additionally loads of new options to discover as properly, like new AI updates to Apple intelligence, and Siri’s glow up. Regardless of the options that made main headlines, I’m all the time extra involved concerning the lesser-known options most individuals do not even know can be found on their iPhones. These settings are like Apple’s tucked-away hidden gems for these curious sufficient to discover all that the newest replace has to supply. After a deep dive, listed below are the 18 greatest hidden options in iOS 26, I wager you did not find out about. With a few small tweaks, you possibly can personalize your iPhone in a manner that fits your wants. But who am I kidding? These small modifications really made life a bit simpler and extra handy on the subject of utilizing my telephone each day. Watch this: iOS 26.1 Update Fixes Alarm, Lets You Change Liquid Glass
06:07 Don’t miss any of our unbiased tech content material and lab-based opinions. Add CNET as a most popular Google supply on Chrome. 1. Change the default snooze length to your alarm If you have ever questioned concerning the seemingly arbitrary 9-minute snooze possibility on the iPhone, there’s historical past behind it. It’s a relic of analog design, when early mechanical alarm clocks could not simply be set to 10-minute intervals, so engineers went with a minute much less. Digital clocks haven’t got this limitation, however the custom caught. On iOS 26, you possibly can lastly change your snooze size. All it’s good to do is go to the Clock app, faucet on an alarm you’ve and hit Snooze Duration on the backside. You can set snooze between 1 and 15 minutes, however the setting solely applies to every alarm individually. That means you will both must hold reusing the identical alarm or modify the snooze every time you create a brand new one. You have to alter the snooze length for every alarm you set. Nelson Aguilar/CNET 2. Create a customized ringtone You not want GarageBand (or a Mac) to make your individual ringtone. In Files, faucet an MP3 or M4A that is underneath 30 seconds, hit the Share button and faucet Use as Ringtone. iOS 26 drops it into Settings > Sounds & Haptics > Ringtone, the place you possibly can set it system-wide or assign it to a contact. The similar possibility exhibits up for Voice Memosvia the share sheet. Note: Apple Music tracks aren’t eligible as customized ringtones. Nelson Aguilar/CNET 3. Copy solely a collection of a textual content message Messages now helps you to spotlight and duplicate simply a part of a textual content bubble as a substitute of grabbing your complete factor, which is beneficial should you’re attempting to repeat a password or code that is not highlighted. Press and maintain on the message, hit Select after which use the choice handles to seize solely the part you need. It’s particularly useful when a protracted message comprises only one snippet you need to paste elsewhere. Nelson Aguilar/CNET 4. Visited locations in Maps Maybe you need to bear in mind the Thai meals place you tried on trip or retrace the route from a weekend. Instead of scrolling via your pictures or texts to jog your reminiscence, the reply is already in Maps. Apple Maps now retains a document of the locations you have visited, full with dates and particulars. Open Maps > Profile icon > Places > Visited Places to see the checklist. It’s non-public and saved regionally in your iPhone, so solely you possibly can see it. The function remains to be in beta, which suggests it may need bugs and different points — for now. Nelson Aguilar/CNET 5. Battery cost time estimates When you plug in your iPhone to energy, the lock display screen now tells you ways lengthy it’ll take your battery to achieve 80% and 100%. You’ll see “13m to 80%” or “1h 8m to 100%” proper above the time and beneath the battery indicator. You may also go to Settings > Battery to take a look at this data. It’s a easy addition, nevertheless it takes the guesswork out of planning fast top-offs earlier than heading out. If you do not see the battery proportion on the prime of your lock display screen, hit the house button. Nelson Aguilar/CNET 6. Adaptive Power Mode A brand new possibility in Settings > Battery > Power Mode introduces Adaptive Power. Instead of selecting between Low Power and Standard, Adaptive adjusts efficiency and background exercise on the fly. If you are streaming music at dwelling, it saves battery. If you are gaming or recording video, it pushes efficiency. You haven’t got to consider it — the telephone adapts routinely. 7. Turn pictures into 3D Spatial Scenes In Photos, you will now discover a Spatial Scenes function, which turns pictures into immersive, 3D-like views with delicate movement. Open a photograph within the Photos software and search for the Spatial toggle on the highest proper. With suitable gadgets, you possibly can tilt and transfer your iPhone to discover depth and perspective as should you had been nonetheless standing there. 8. Search screenshots with visible intelligence In iOS 26, Visual Intelligence kicks within the second you are taking a screenshot. As quickly as you are taking a screenshot, faucet the thumbnail to open the editor, and you may see two new buttons: Ask (ship the screenshot with a typed query to ChatGPT) and Image Search (ship it to Google for visually related outcomes). You may also paint a particular space together with your finger to focus on what you are asking about. Even with out these buttons, iOS will floor contextual actions, for instance, “Add to Calendar” in case your screenshot consists of an occasion or purchasing outcomes if it spots a product. Detection occurs on-device, however utilizing Ask or Image Search shares the picture with the related providers, so skip them on delicate screenshots. To search one thing within the screenshot, merely paint over it together with your finger. Nelson Aguilar/CNET 9. Apple Music lyric translations If you take heed to songs in different languages, Apple Music can now translate lyrics in actual time. Tap the Lyrics view, then hit the brand new Translate These Lyrics button on the underside left to see the translated lyrics line up with the music, proper beneath the unique lyrics. This lets you benefit from the which means of the music with out shedding the rhythm and is ideal for locating new genres. This will not work for each music. Nelson Aguilar/CNET 10. Screen incoming calls The Phone app now helps dwell name screening. When an unknown quantity is available in, faucet Screen Call and watch a real-time transcript of what the caller says. You can resolve whether or not to reply, decline or let it go to voicemail. It feels just like the iPhone borrowed one among Android’s greatest concepts and polished it. 11. Take a photograph together with your AirPods AirPods get a brand new trick: act as a distant shutter button. With the Camera app open, double-tap on an AirPod to snap a photograph. It’s nice for group photographs or when your telephone is on a tripod throughout the room. 12. Add backgrounds to your textual content messages You can now give a textual content message thread its personal vibe. In iOS 26, you possibly can set a customized dialog background in Messages. All it’s good to do is open a chat, faucet the identify/title on the prime, select Backgrounds after which choose a shade, gradient, photograph or generate one with Image Playground. You can take away the backgrounds in the identical manner, simply choose None. Nelson Aguilar/CNET 13. Edit PDFs with Preview The Preview app, lengthy a macOS staple, is now built-in into iOS for PDFs. Open a PDF in Files or Mail, faucet Markup, and you’ll spotlight textual content, add notes, signal paperwork or rearrange pages. No third-party app required. Preview is a standalone app you need to use to edit your PDFs. Nelson Aguilar/CNET 14. Swipe from the center of the display screen to return Apple added a brand new gesture for smoother navigation. Instead of swiping proper solely from the left fringe of the display screen, now you can swipe proper from the center of the display screen to return. It works in Safari, Settings, Mail and different inventory apps. Try swiping left-to-right from anyplace within the app window, and you may transfer again with out having to hug the sting. 15. Check the climate even when you do not have service iOS 26 brings satellite tv for pc connectivity to the Weather app, so you possibly can nonetheless verify situations even while you’re off the grid. If you are mountain climbing within the mountains or touring via a lifeless zone, the app will use Apple’s satellite tv for pc system to drag down primary forecasts like temperature, likelihood of rain and extreme climate alerts. You’ll see a small satellite tv for pc icon on the prime of the Weather app when it is in use. It clearly will not substitute a full connection, nevertheless it makes the iPhone much more helpful in these no-service moments. 16. Get notified to wash the digicam lens When the Camera app detects glare, haze or smudges on the lens, it’s going to gently remind you to wipe it clear. You’ll see a fast on-screen alert earlier than you are taking the shot. It’s not intrusive, however it might prevent from realizing later that your once-in-a-lifetime photograph got here out cloudy. 17. HDR screenshots Screenshots now seize in HDR on iOS 26, which suggests what you save appears a lot nearer to what you really see on the show. Open a vibrant photograph, take a screenshot, and you may discover the identical vivid highlights and distinction preserved in your Photos library. 18. Passport in Wallet Wallet will quickly help digital passports in some areas. Add it the identical manner you’d a driver’s license: Wallet > + > Add Passport. Once arrange, you need to use it at supported airports and checkpoints. It’s not common but, nevertheless it’s the clearest signal that your bodily pockets is on borrowed time. iOS 26’s largest options could get the highlight, nevertheless it’s these smaller touches that make utilizing the iPhone really feel smoother and extra private. From smarter alarms to immersive pictures to sensible name screening, the replace is filled with small wins you will discover each day. And that is what makes it value putting in.
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