Every yr, Apple’s new iOS software program replace will get one or two splashy additions. With iOS 26, which is now launched to most of the people, the main focus is on the brand new Liquid Glass design and Apple Intelligence options that energy translations, summaries and customized emoji. Those modifications are massive and unimaginable to overlook. What’s simpler to miss are the quieter tweaks Apple would not spend a lot time speaking about. They do not dominate the stage at WWDC, however they’ll quietly reshape the best way your iPhone feels in every day use. If you spend a bit time digging via your settings or making an attempt out the inventory apps, you may discover them: instruments that shave seconds off routine duties, customization choices that make your telephone really feel extra private and refined reminders that your iPhone continues to be evolving in small however significant methods. Here are 18 of my favourite hidden options in iOS 26, and why it is best to care about them. Don’t miss any of our unbiased tech content material and lab-based opinions. Add CNET as a most well-liked Google supply on Chrome.1. Change the default snooze length to your alarmIf you’ve got ever puzzled concerning the seemingly arbitrary 9-minute snooze choice 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 is advisable do is go to the Clock app, faucet on an alarm you will have 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 may both must maintain 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/CNET2. Create a customized ringtoneYou now not want GarageBand (or a Mac) to make your personal 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 identical choice reveals up for Voice Memosvia the share sheet. Note: Apple Music tracks aren’t eligible as customized ringtones. Nelson Aguilar/CNET3. Copy solely a choice of a textual content message Messages now permits you to spotlight and replica simply a part of a textual content bubble as a substitute of grabbing all the factor, which is beneficial in the event you’re making an attempt 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 incorporates only one snippet it is advisable paste elsewhere. Nelson Aguilar/CNET4. Visited locations in Maps Maybe you wish to bear in mind the Thai meals place you tried on trip or retrace the route from a weekend. Instead of scrolling via your photographs or texts to jog your reminiscence, the reply is already in Maps. Apple Maps now retains a report of the locations you’ve got visited, full with dates and particulars. Open Maps > Profile icon > Places > Visited Places to see the record. It’s non-public and saved domestically in your iPhone, so solely you possibly can see it. The function continues to be in beta, which implies it may need bugs and different points — for now. Nelson Aguilar/CNET5. Battery cost time estimates When you plug in your iPhone to energy, the lock display screen now tells you the way lengthy it’s going to take your battery to succeed in 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 go to Settings > Battery to take a look at this info. It’s a easy addition, however it takes the guesswork out of planning fast top-offs earlier than heading out. If you do not see the battery share on the high of your lock display screen, hit the house button. Nelson Aguilar/CNET6. Adaptive Power Mode A brand new choice 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 house, it saves battery. If you are gaming or recording video, it pushes efficiency. You haven’t got to consider it — the telephone adapts mechanically. 7. Turn photographs into 3D Spatial Scenes In Photos, you may now discover a Spatial Scenes function, which turns photographs into immersive, 3D-like views with refined movement. Open a photograph within the Photos software and search for the Spatial toggle on the highest proper. With appropriate gadgets, you possibly can tilt and transfer your iPhone to discover depth and perspective as in the event you have 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 will see two new buttons: Ask (ship the screenshot with a typed query to ChatGPT) and Image Search (ship it to Google for visually comparable outcomes). You may 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 contains 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/CNET9. Apple Music lyric translationsIf 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 means that you can benefit from the which means of the tune with out shedding the rhythm and is ideal for locating new genres. This will not work for each tune. Nelson Aguilar/CNET10. Screen incoming calls The Phone app now helps stay 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 determine whether or not to reply, decline or let it go to voicemail. It feels just like the iPhone borrowed certainly one of Android’s finest 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 is advisable do is open a chat, faucet the title/title on the high, select Backgrounds after which decide a colour, gradient, picture or generate one with Image Playground. You can take away the backgrounds in the identical method, simply choose None. Nelson Aguilar/CNET13. 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/CNET14. 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 will transfer again with out having to hug the sting. 15. Check the climate even when you do not have serviceiOS 26 brings satellite tv for pc connectivity to the Weather app, so you possibly can nonetheless verify circumstances even whenever you’re off the grid. If you are climbing within the mountains or touring via a useless zone, the app will use Apple’s satellite tv for pc system to tug down fundamental forecasts like temperature, likelihood of rain and extreme climate alerts. You’ll see a small satellite tv for pc icon on the high of the Weather app when it is in use. It clearly will not change a full connection, however it makes the iPhone much more helpful in these no-service moments. 16. Get notified to scrub the digital camera 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 may prevent from realizing later that your once-in-a-lifetime picture got here out cloudy. 17. HDR screenshotsScreenphotographs now seize in HDR on iOS 26, which implies what you save seems a lot nearer to what you truly see on the show. Open a shiny picture, take a screenshot, and you will discover the identical vivid highlights and distinction preserved in your Photos library. 18. Passport in Wallet Wallet will quickly assist digital passports in some areas. Add it the identical method 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, however it’s the clearest signal that your bodily pockets is on borrowed time. iOS 26’s largest options might get the highlight, however it’s these smaller touches that make utilizing the iPhone really feel smoother and extra private. From smarter alarms to immersive photographs to sensible name screening, the replace is stuffed with small wins you may discover day by day. And that is what makes it price putting in.
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