Apple just dropped iOS 26, and I’m curious about what’s actually changed. I’m downloading it now and will be testing it over the coming days, but looking at the feature list, there are some things that caught my attention as someone who writes code for a living.

I’m not going to tell you what’s “useful” or what you “should” care about. Usefulness is subjective, and what matters to me might not matter to you. But here’s what I’m noticing from the feature list.

Liquid Glass design

The new Liquid Glass design is the big visual change. It’s a material that behaves like glass—reflecting light, showing what’s behind it, and creating depth. It affects app icons, controls, and overall navigation.

I’m curious about this. The design changes are usually subtle, but they can make the interface feel more modern. I’ll have to see how it looks in practice.

Foundation Models framework

This is interesting from a development perspective. The Foundation Models framework allows apps to use on-device AI capabilities like text extraction and summarization. Everything runs locally, so your data stays private and it works offline.

I’m skeptical about this. My experience with Apple Intelligence has been pretty disappointing so far. The writing tools are mediocre, and the image generation is basic. But having these capabilities available to developers could be useful for building smarter apps.

Apps I use frequently

Apple Notes

I use Apple Notes a lot, so these improvements caught my attention. You can now export notes in Markdown format, which is great for developers and writers who prefer this lightweight markup language. There’s also Math Notes that can create 3D graphs from three-variable equations.

The Markdown export is genuinely useful. I’ve been wanting this feature for a while. It makes it easier to move notes between different tools and platforms.

Apple Reminders

I use Apple Reminders a lot, so I’m interested in the AI features. It now automatically categorizes related tasks into sections (like grouping grocery items together), and there are Siri Suggestions that propose tasks based on information from emails and messages.

The automatic categorization could be helpful. I’m curious to see how well it works in practice. The suggestions based on emails might be useful for catching things I forget to add to my task list.

Safari

I use Safari as my main browser on my personal machines, so I’m interested in any improvements. The Liquid Glass design will probably affect how it looks, but I haven’t seen specific new functionality mentioned for Safari in iOS 26.

I’m curious to see if there are any performance improvements or new features. Safari on iOS is usually pretty solid, but any improvements are welcome.

Camera app

The Camera app has some improvements for video recording. There’s high-quality audio and video recording capabilities during video conference calls, and a new input chooser that simplifies selecting the appropriate microphone for each app.

I’m curious about the audio improvements. Better audio quality during video calls could be genuinely useful, especially for work meetings.

Live Translation

Live Translation is integrated directly into Messages, FaceTime, and Phone apps. It provides real-time translation of text and audio conversations, and everything is processed on-device to ensure privacy.

Supported languages include: English (U.S., UK), French (France), German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese (Brazil), Spanish (Spain), and Chinese (Simplified).

This could be useful for international communication. I’m curious to see how well the translation works in practice. The on-device processing is good for privacy, but I wonder if it affects accuracy or speed.

Gaming changes

There’s a new Apple Games app that consolidates games from the App Store and Apple Arcade. It includes a “Challenges” feature that transforms single-player games into shared experiences, allowing friends to engage in friendly competition based on Game Center leaderboards.

I have a Backbone controller, so I’m curious about any improvements there. I haven’t seen specific updates mentioned for Backbone support, but the new Apple Games app suggests Apple is focusing more on gaming. The controller customization features might be relevant.

I don’t game much on my phone, but the social features sound interesting. The Challenges feature might make single-player games more engaging.

Accessibility features

There are some accessibility improvements, including Vehicle Motion Cues. This feature uses dots on the side of the display to match the feeling of movement with what your eyes are seeing.

I get motion sickness, so Vehicle Motion Cues is very interesting to me. This could be genuinely useful if you’re using your phone in a car or other moving vehicle.

Preview app

The Preview app is now available on iPhone. This is interesting because it was previously only available on macOS. You can view, edit, and share PDF documents and images directly from your device.

Features include: scanning documents, using Autofill to complete forms quickly, and exporting files in various formats and sizes.

This could be useful for document management. Having a proper PDF viewer and editor on iPhone could be genuinely helpful for work tasks.

Development tools and APIs

There are some technical improvements that might be relevant depending on what you’re building.

App Intents framework

The App Intents framework has been expanded to provide deeper integration with system experiences like Siri, Spotlight, widgets, and Control Center. Developers can now create more context-aware and interactive app functionalities.

This could be useful for building more integrated apps. The ability to surface app content in search results and widgets could improve user experience.

Declared Age Range API

There’s a new Declared Age Range API that allows apps to adjust content based on a user’s age range while maintaining privacy. This could be useful for apps that need to provide age-appropriate experiences.

This is interesting for compliance and user experience. Being able to adjust content based on age without compromising privacy is a good approach.

Regional availability

Some features may not be available in all regions. Apple Intelligence features, Live Translations, and some other capabilities have regional restrictions. It’s worth checking Apple’s documentation to see what’s available in your area.

What I’m curious about

I’m not sure what will actually matter for my workflow. The Foundation Models framework seems interesting from a development perspective, but I’ll have to see how well it works in practice.

The apps I use frequently have some interesting improvements. Notes’ Markdown export is genuinely useful, and Reminders’ automatic categorization could be helpful. Safari improvements would be welcome if there are any.

Vehicle Motion Cues is genuinely interesting to me since I get motion sickness. That could be a real quality-of-life improvement.

It seems like mostly incremental improvements rather than major changes. No complicated setup, no major learning curve. Apple’s approach here is evolutionary rather than revolutionary, which makes sense for a mature operating system.

I’ll be testing it over the next few days to see what actually makes a difference in daily use.