Still, as highlighted by this article in The Atlantic, not everybody was thrilled about the Calculator app’s new layout. And Apple seemingly took notice. In subsequent iOS 18 updates, Apple brought back the AC button … but also deleted the back button, which, as it turns out, is a pretty useful button, too.
Wouldn’t it be great if both AC/C and back buttons could exist simultaneously on the Calculator app? Well, thanks to iOS 26, that’s exactly what’s happening.
Yep, there’s space for both back and AC/C buttons on the top row. Photo by Tucker Bowe for Gear Patrol
As initially spotted by 9to5Mac, iOS 26 updates the layout of your iPhone’s Calculator app once again. Most importantly, it puts the AC/C and back buttons right on the top row.
The previous +/- button (which lets you switch between positive and negative numbers) has been moved to the bottom row, all the way to the left. And the Calculator icon button (which lets you quick-access Math Notes or the Converter function) that had previously been on the bottom left has been moved to the top-right corner of the screen, which was vacant before.
Basically, Apple made space for AC/C and back buttons, put them in prime keypad locations, and moved around the other buttons that you probably use less often.