Every yr, Apple makes grandiose bulletins concerning the subsequent improve to the iPhone working system at its WWDC occasion in June, then it brings these concepts into actuality with the discharge of that new model of iOS in September. This yr was no completely different.With iOS 26, now out there to most people, the main focus of the newest improve is the brand new Liquid Glass design and Apple Intelligence options that energy translations, summaries and customized emoji. Those adjustments are large and unattainable 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 on the Worldwide Developers Conference, however they’ll quietly reshape the best way your iPhone feels in day by day use. If you spend a little bit time digging by your settings or attempting out the inventory apps, you may discover them: instruments that shave seconds off routine duties, customization choices that make your cellphone really feel extra private and refined reminders that your iPhone remains 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 critiques. Add CNET as a most well-liked Google supply on Chrome.1. Change the default snooze period in your alarmIf you’ve got ever puzzled 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 do not have this limitation, however the custom caught. On iOS 26, you may lastly change your snooze size. All it’s worthwhile to do is go to the Clock app, faucet on an alarm you could 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 have to maintain reusing the identical alarm or regulate the snooze every time you create a brand new one. You have to vary the snooze period for every alarm you set. Nelson Aguilar/CNET2. Create a customized ringtoneYou now 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 may set it system-wide or assign it to a contact. The identical possibility 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 allows you to spotlight and replica simply a part of a textual content bubble as an alternative of grabbing your entire factor, which is beneficial when 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 an extended message accommodates only one snippet it’s worthwhile to paste elsewhere. Nelson Aguilar/CNET4. Visited locations in Maps Maybe you wish to keep in mind the Thai meals place you tried on trip or retrace the route from a weekend. Instead of scrolling by your images or texts to jog your reminiscence, the reply is already in Maps. Apple Maps now retains a file of the locations you’ve got visited, full with dates and particulars. Open Maps > Profile icon > Places > Visited Places to see the checklist. It’s personal and saved domestically in your iPhone, so solely you may see it. The characteristic remains to be in beta, which suggests it might 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 ways lengthy it is 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 also go to Settings > Battery to take a look at this info. 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 high of your lock display screen, hit the house button. Nelson Aguilar/CNET6. 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 house, it saves battery. If you are gaming or recording video, it pushes efficiency. You do not have to consider it — the cellphone adapts routinely. 7. Turn images into 3D Spatial Scenes In Photos, you may now discover a Spatial Scenes characteristic, which turns images into immersive, 3D-like views with refined movement. Open a photograph within the Photos utility and search for the Spatial toggle on the highest proper. With appropriate units, you may tilt and transfer your iPhone to discover depth and perspective as when you have been nonetheless standing there. 8. Search screenshots with visible intelligence In iOS 26, Visual Intelligence kicks within the second you’re taking a screenshot. As quickly as you’re 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 also paint a selected 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 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 considered 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 cellphone 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 may set a customized dialog background in Messages. All it’s worthwhile to do is open a chat, faucet the identify/title on the high, select Backgrounds after which choose a colour, gradient, photograph or generate one with Image Playground. You can take away the backgrounds in the identical approach, 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 should 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 wherever 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 may nonetheless verify circumstances even while you’re off the grid. If you are mountaineering within the mountains or touring by a useless zone, the app will use Apple’s satellite tv for pc system to drag down fundamental forecasts like temperature, probability 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 exchange a full connection, nevertheless it makes the iPhone much more helpful in these no-service moments. 16. Get notified to scrub 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’re taking the shot. It’s not intrusive, however it may prevent from realizing later that your once-in-a-lifetime photograph got here out cloudy. 17. HDR screenshotsScreenphotographs now seize in HDR on iOS 26, which suggests what you save seems a lot nearer to what you truly see on the show. Open a vivid photograph, 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 approach you’d a driver’s license: Wallet > + > Add Passport. Once arrange, you should 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 might 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 images to sensible name screening, the replace is stuffed with small wins you may discover on daily basis. And that is what makes it value putting in.
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