{"id":178106,"date":"2025-09-29T16:41:11","date_gmt":"2025-09-29T16:41:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/178106\/"},"modified":"2025-09-29T16:41:11","modified_gmt":"2025-09-29T16:41:11","slug":"everything-to-know-about-the-free-software-update","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/178106\/","title":{"rendered":"Everything to know about the free software update"},"content":{"rendered":"

Have you played around with the new iOS 26 yet? Here’s how to download it on your iPhone<\/a> if you haven’t yet \u2014 once you do, you’ll notice several new changes, including a clear design called Liquid Glass<\/a>. The translucent look can be found within apps as well as your lock and home screens. (You can’t turn it off, but you can reduce the transparency<\/a> to make it less clear.) The overhaul is one of several big changes that come with iOS, macOS<\/a>, iPadOS<\/a>, watchOS and the rest of Apple’s software suite \u2014 the new operating system updates for those gadgets are also available to download now<\/a>.<\/p>\n

You’ll also see multiple useful additions in the Phone and Messages apps. For instance, the ability to weed out spam texts or unknown senders and an option to hold your spot on a phone call when you’ve been waiting for a representative to pick up. And for fun, you can now create polls in group texts. Other new improvements coming include a confirmed AirPods live translation feature<\/a>, and a new bouncy animation on the passcode screen and in the Control Center.<\/p>\n

If you’re planning to upgrade your phone this year, take a look at all the new models Apple unveiled during its iPhone 17<\/a> event, from the iPhone 17 lineup<\/a> (check out our review of the iPhone 17<\/a>) to the all-new ultra-thin iPhone Air<\/a> (take a look at our hands-on review<\/a>). If you missed the keynote, you can catch up on everything Apple announced here<\/a> or rewatch the full iPhone 17 launch<\/a>. The company rounded out its announcements with three new Apple Watch<\/a> models, as well as the brand-new AirPods Pro 3<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Most newer iPhone models are eligible to download iOS 26<\/a>. We’ve rounded up a full list of new features you’ll have to check out. If you’re waiting to update your phone until iOS 26.1 becomes available, note that the beta version is available now so it shouldn’t be too long before it’s released to the public.<\/p>\n

What is iOS 26 and should I download iOS 18.7 first?<\/p>\n

Instead of releasing iOS 19, Apple skipped its naming convention ahead to iOS 26. The company has decided to line up its iOS version numbers with a year-based system, similar to car model years. So while iOS and its sibling operating systems were released in 2025, they’re all designated “26” to reflect the year ahead.<\/p>\n

Apple also released iOS 18.7 alongside iOS 26 to address security issues \u2014 great news if you don’t have a phone that’s eligible to run the latest OS. If you’re wondering which one to download first, it’s really up to you. Do you want to wait for Apple to quash any bugs in iOS 26 or do you want access to all the new features everyone’s talking about now?<\/p>\n

\"a<\/p>\n

It’s official, we’re moving to iOS 26. (Apple)<\/p>\n

What is Liquid Glass design?<\/p>\n

Let’s be honest. Out of everything announced at WWDC this year, the new Liquid Glass design<\/a> was the star of the show. The iPhone’s home and lock screens have looked pretty much the same year after year \u2014 the last exciting thing (in my opinion) was the option to add your own aesthetic to your home screen by customizing your apps and widgets. So seeing the home and lock screens’ new facelift is refreshing.<\/p>\n

So what exactly is Liquid Glass? Apple calls it a “new translucent material<\/a>” since, well, the apps and widgets are clear. However, the screen can still adapt to dark and light modes, depending on surroundings. You’ll also notice buttons with a new floating design in several apps, like Phone and Maps. They’re designed to be less distracting than the current buttons, but are still easy to see.<\/p>\n

While the design overhaul has proven to be controversial since its announcement, some \u2014 including Engadget’s Devindra Hardawar \u2014 like the new direction, even if it’s somewhat reminiscent of Microsoft’s translucent Windows Vista Aero designs<\/a> from nearly twenty years ago.<\/p>\n

That said, while it was in beta mode, Apple incorporated some user feedback<\/a> into the design, dialing back the transparency in at least some places. And while it will continue to evolve, Apple users won’t be able to escape it: The company says Liquid Glass was designed to make all of its platforms more cohesive.<\/p>\n

Here’s a look at how the translucent aesthetic looks with the new macOS Tahoe 26<\/a> on your desktop.<\/p>\n

How to turn iOS 26 Liquid Glass settings off<\/p>\n

If you find you don’t like the new clear look after downloading iOS 26, you can change a couple Accessibility settings, though you can’t completely turn off Liquid Glass. For starters, you can reduce the liquid look by going to Settings > Accessibility > Motion > toggle on Reduce Motion.<\/p>\n

You can make your drop-down menus more opaque instead of translucent by going to Settings >Accessibility > Display & Text Size > toggle on Reduce Transparency.<\/p>\n

You can also change your clear apps back to the way they were. Just press and hold any app on your screen and select Edit Home Screen. From here, tap Edit (top left) and Customize. You can swap out to Default, Dark or Tinted.<\/p>\n

What are the new and notable features of iOS 26?<\/p>\n

iOS 26 has a laundry list of new features. Among the most worthwhile:<\/p>\n

Phone app redesign: You can now scroll through contacts, recent calls and voicemail messages all on one screen. It also comes with a new feature called Hold Assist that’ll notify you when an agent comes to the phone so you can avoid the elevator music and continue on with other tasks.<\/p>\n

Live Translation in Phone, FaceTime and Messages: iOS 26 brings the ability to have a conversation via phone call, FaceTime or text message with someone who speaks another language. Live Translation uses Apple Intelligence and it will translate your conversation in real time, which results in some stop-and-go interactions in the examples Apple shared during its presentation.<\/p>\n

Polls in group chats: Tired of sorting through what seems like hundreds of messages in your group chat? You and your friends can now create polls in group messages to decide things like which brunch spot you’re eating at or whose car you’re taking on a road trip.<\/p>\n

Filtering unknown senders in Messages: If you haven’t received spam texts about unpaid tolls or other citations, you’re lucky. For those of us who have, those annoying messages will soon be filtered away in a separate folder.<\/p>\n

Visual Intelligence: Similar to a reverse Google image search, this new feature will allow you to search for anything that’s on your iPhone screen. For instance, if you spot a pair of shoes someone is wearing in an Instagram photo, you can screenshot it and use Visual Intelligence<\/a> to find those shoes (or similar ones) online.<\/p>\n

Photos tabs are back: For anyone who’s been frustrated with last year’s changes to the Photos app<\/a>, you’ll be happy to know that your tabs are back. Library and Collections have their own separate spaces so you don’t have to scroll to infinity to find what you’re looking for.<\/p>\n

Camera app updates<\/a>: Navigating the Camera app should be simpler in iOS 26, as all the buttons and menus are in convenient spots \u2014 less swiping, more photo taking. Plus, there’s a new feature that tells you if your lens needs to be cleaned.<\/p>\n

FaceTime “Communication Safety” feature: A newer addition to iOS 26 appears to be the FaceTime “Communication Safety” feature<\/a> that pauses communications if and when nudity is detected. The feature appears to be a child safety feature that uses on-device detection, thus obviating any cloud-based privacy issues.<\/p>\n

New lock screen options<\/a>: The iPhone lock screen is more customizable in iOS 26, with a cooler clock, 3D wallpaper effects, more widgets and better focus mode options.<\/p>\n

New alarm setting<\/a>: You’ll no longer be stuck with the 9-minute snooze setting in your alarms. Instead, you now have the option to change your snooze time from one to 15 minutes.<\/p>\n

Screenshots look different<\/a>: You’ll notice several new features when you take a screenshot, including “highlight to search,” the option to search your image on Google and ChatGPT is there for any questions you have about the image.<\/p>\n

Preview on iOS 26: There’s a new app called Preview<\/a> that lets you scan documents, fill out PDF forms, as well as highlight, underline or strike through text in a PDF file. You can also remove backgrounds from images in this app.<\/p>\n

\"New<\/p>\n

Apple’s Hold Assist will be nifty for those pesky services that put you on hold for 10 or more minutes. (Apple)<\/p>\n

New changes with iPadOS 26<\/p>\n

Your iPad isn’t getting left behind when it comes to big updates. Here’s what to look for.<\/p>\n

Multitasking and real windowing: When you download the newest update, you’ll be able to have multiple apps running on your screen at the same time. Once you open an app, it’ll appear on your screen as normal but you’ll be able to resize and move it across your screen to make room for other apps. This feature is optional so you can turn it off if you don’t like it.<\/p>\n

Visual update: Along with the other new OSes, iPadOS 26 also has the Liquid Glass aesthetic. This new look appears on the lock and home screens, as well as the drop-down menus.<\/p>\n

New menu bar: When you swipe down on your screen, the new menu bar will appear with options like File, Edit, Windows and more. There’s also a search option if you’re looking for something specific.<\/p>\n

There’s more beyond that, so be sure to check out our first impressions of iPadOS 26<\/a>.<\/p>\n

What about AirPods?<\/p>\n

AirPods are also getting updated<\/a> with iOS 26. Here are some of the more notable functions.<\/p>\n

Enhanced audio recording: Apple calls this “studio-quality” audio recording, and with it, you’ll notice more clarity while in noisy environments.<\/p>\n

Camera remote control: Using this, you can take a photo or start and stop video recording with just one press on your AirPods. When taking photos, you’ll get a three-second countdown before your iPhone or iPad snaps the picture.<\/p>\n

Live translation feature: Live translation is available on AirPods Pro 3<\/a>, AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4 with ANC when paired with iPhones running iOS 26. Apple says that when someone speaks to you in a different language, you can use your AirPods to translate what they\u2019re saying.<\/p>\n

Heart rate monitoring: Apple introduced new AirPods Pro 3 earbuds this month, which include heart rate monitoring. It will work with Apple’s Health app and other fitness apps that track heart rates.<\/p>\n

Did Siri get an update?<\/p>\n

Siri is in a holding pattern. Apple has previously specified that its smarter voice assistant \u2014 first promised at WWDC 2024 \u2014 is delayed until some point “in the coming year<\/a>,” so you shouldn’t expect any major changes right now. But there are reports that Apple is aiming to give Siri a bigger brain transplant by basing it on third-party artificial intelligence models<\/a> like OpenAI’s ChatGPT or Anthropic’s Claude, which could make 2026 a pivotal year. The company is also reportedly working on a “stripped-down” AI chatbot<\/a> to rival ChatGPT.<\/p>\n

Which iPhones will be able to upgrade to iOS 26?<\/p>\n

A few iPhone models that run the current version of iOS \u2014 iPhone XR, XS and XS Max \u2014 aren’t compatible with the latest upgrade. But any iPhones from 2019 or later will be eligible for iOS 26<\/a>:<\/p>\n

iPhone SE (second generation or later)<\/p>\n

When can you download iOS 26?<\/p>\n

iOS 26 has officially been released to the public for free as of September 15, 2025.<\/p>\n

If you’re more interested in the new Apple Intelligence features, here’s everything Apple revealed for iOS, macOS and more<\/a> during WWDC. Also, check out how iOS 26 screenshots could be an intriguing preview of Apple’s delayed Siri rework<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Update, September 19: Added details about making Liquid Glass less clear.<\/p>\n

Update, September 18: Added info about Engadget’s iPhone 17 review.<\/p>\n

Update, September 17: Added details and link about the new iPhone Air.<\/p>\n

Update, September 16: Added details about modifying Liquid Glass settings, and new info about the Preview app.<\/p>\n

Update, September 15: Noted iOS 26 is officially available for download.<\/p>\n

Update, September 12: Noted iOS 26 is coming to eligible iPhones in just a few days, timing TBD.<\/p>\n

Update, September 11: Added the products Apple released at its Tuesday event and noted when iOS 26 will be available to download.<\/p>\n

Update, September 9: Noted the iPhone event is starting soon.<\/p>\n

Update, September 8: Noted the iPhone 17 event is tomorrow.<\/p>\n

Update, September 4: Added details about how screenshots are different in iOS 26.<\/p>\n

Update, September 3: Noted Apple is expected to release iOS 18.7 alongside iOS 26.<\/p>\n

Update, September 2: Added more new features coming with iOS 26.<\/p>\n

Update, August 29: Added new section about Siri and a link to what’s new with the iOS 26 Camera app.<\/p>\n

Update, August 27: Added the official iPhone 17 event date, as well as the potential iOS 26 release.<\/p>\n

Update, August 25: Added a rumor about new AirPods Pro having heart rate monitoring.<\/p>\n

Update, August 22: Noted that Apple has officially stopped signing iOS 18.6.<\/p>\n

Update, August 20: Noted that iOS 26 public beta 4 and iOS 18.6.2 are now available to download.<\/p>\n

Update, August 18: Added details about a potential iOS 18.6 update.<\/p>\n

Update, August 15: Added to link to what to expect at the Apple iPhone event and details about what’s available in the iOS 26 screenshots editor.<\/p>\n

Update, August 13: Added new AirPods detail spotted in the iOS 26 beta.<\/p>\n

Update, August 11: Noted that iOS 26 developer beta has hit beta 6.<\/p>\n

Update, August 8: Added new features coming with iPadOS 26 and AirPods.<\/p>\n

Update, August 6: Noted the release of iOS 26 beta 5 and the new bouncy feature on passcode screen and Control Center.<\/p>\n

Update, August 4: Noted that Apple is reportedly working on a ChatGPT rival.<\/p>\n

Update, August 1: Added quote from Tim Cook about iOS 26.<\/p>\n

Update, July 31: Noted that iOS 18.6 is now available.<\/p>\n

Update, July 24: Noted the iOS 26 public beta is now available.<\/p>\n

Update, July 3: Noted new FaceTime feature found in the developer beta.<\/p>\n

Update, June 30: Noted ongoing iOS 18 releases, and reports that Apple is considering additional external LLMs for Siri.<\/p>\n

Update, June 25: Noted changes added in iOS 26 beta 2.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Have you played around with the new iOS 26 yet? Here’s how to download it on your iPhone…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":62603,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[49,48,1575,20787,11180,190,61],"class_list":{"0":"post-178106","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mobile","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-iphone","11":"tag-iphone-17","12":"tag-liquid-glass","13":"tag-mobile","14":"tag-technology"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/178106","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=178106"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/178106\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/62603"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=178106"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=178106"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=178106"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}