It was an enormous week for Apple because it confirmed off all its upcoming software program releases. Whereas Monday’s Worldwide Builders Convention (WWDC) wasn’t as action-packed as many had hoped, it signaled a refreshing return to a simpler, extra centered Apple.
There have been no extraneous {hardware} bulletins or hyping of AI options to muddy the waters; this yr, WWDC is all about Apple’s core competencies. Apple unified its complete working system lineup in two very vital methods: first, by merely aligning all of the model numbers to match the foremost launch yr, and second, with a radical new redesign of all of them into a brand new Liquid Glass motif.
Nonetheless, there’s extra to Apple’s software program updates than only a contemporary coat of paint, and as regular, the iPhone will obtain the lion’s share of the brand new options with iOS 26. Nonetheless, Apple can also be drawing a reasonably agency line this yr on which iPhone fashions will be capable of make the most of all the brand new goodies.
We will thank Apple Intelligence for this; though it wasn’t a core facet of this yr’s WWDC keynote, its affect was felt all through. Lots of the new iOS 26 options are closely reliant on AI, which suggests you’ll want an AI-capable gadget to make the most of them.
As with the preliminary launch of Apple Intelligence in iOS 18, which means an iPhone 15 Professional, iPhone 15 Professional Max, or any iPhone 16 mannequin. Solely these have the reminiscence capability and sufficiently highly effective A-series chips to deal with the required AI processing.
The excellent news is that this doesn’t rule out all the pieces Apple introduced. For instance, Liquid Glass will likely be accessible on all iPhone fashions that assist iOS 26 — the iPhone 11 and later — as will different associated design modifications such because the simplified Digicam app, new FaceTime touchdown web page, unified structure within the Telephone app, backgrounds and polls in Messages, and new Apple Pay, Digital ID, and boarding move options in Apple Pockets.
No less than one different function, the extra vibrant Lock Display screen with a 3D picture impact, would require an iPhone 12. Others, similar to name screening and maintain help, will likely be accessible on all iPhone fashions however solely in particular languages. Nonetheless, a number of different vital options would require no less than an iPhone 15 Professional.
Right here’s a rundown of all of the options Apple introduced in iOS 26 and what you’ll want to make use of them:
iOS 26 Options that Require an iPhone 15 Professional or Later
- Visible Intelligence for Screenshots. Apple launched Visible Intelligence in iOS 18.2 as an iPhone 16-exclusive function because it relied on the Digicam Management for activation. It solely later prolonged that to the Motion button with the iPhone 16e, bringing it to the iPhone 15 Professional and iPhone 15 Professional Max in iOS 18.4. Since Visible Intelligence is a part of Apple Intelligence, it’s no shock that you just’ll want an Apple Intelligence-capable gadget to deal with it, even in case you’re solely querying screenshots. We’re not satisfied that’s genuinely a {hardware} limitation since Visible Intelligence largely leans on ChatGPT and Google searches, however there could also be some on-device processing concerned, too.
- Dwell Translation. Apple’s new real-time Dwell Translation options understandably require highly effective chips as the interpretation is dealt with fully on-device. It’s an Apple Intelligence-powered function, however there’s one other wrinkle since languages are concerned right here. Dwell Translation in Messages is out there in Simplified Chinese language, US and UK English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Brazilian Portuguese, and Spanish; Dwell Translation in Telephone and FaceTime is out there just for one-on-one calls in US and UK English, French, German, Brazilian Portuguese, and Spanish.
- Extra Highly effective Shortcuts. iOS 26 will allow you to incorporate Apple Intelligence into your Shortcuts, even asking them to question Apple’s Non-public Cloud Compute servers immediately. Nonetheless, that doesn’t imply older iPhone fashions will achieve the power to speak to these servers.
- Genmoji and Picture Playground. These options have been restricted to Apple Intelligence-capable iPhone fashions from the beginning, and though Apple is including ChatGPT to Picture Playground with 5 new kinds (Anime, Oil Portray, Print, Vector, and Watercolor), it’s not increasing this to older fashions, any greater than it did with Siri and ChatGPT integration final yr.
- Reminders Options and Auto-Categorization. Apple is enhancing its Reminders app in iOS 26 to let it recommend duties, grocery gadgets, and follow-up reminders based mostly on emails and different textual content. It could additionally auto-categorize reminders into sections, just like what it already does with grocery lists. Nonetheless, whereas it’s simple to map groceries into particular aisles, extra refined auto-categorization and urged reminders require the AI powers of Apple Intelligence.
- Apple Pockets Order Monitoring. Apple added built-in order monitoring to the Pockets app just a few years in the past, however it solely labored if particular firms supported it. iOS 26 will improve this by utilizing Apple Intelligence to scan monitoring particulars from emails within the Mail app, turning the order monitoring part right into a extra versatile dashboard for all the pieces that’s coming your means.
- Background Creation and Ballot Options in Messages. Whereas all iPhones that may run iOS 26 will be capable of use backgrounds and manually create polls, solely these with Apple Intelligence can create AI-generated backgrounds and make the most of urged polls.
iOS 26 Options Restricted to Particular Languages
Some iOS 26 options will likely be accessible on all iPhone fashions however solely in particular languages and areas:
- Visited Locations in Maps is the stunning one, because it looks as if one thing that ought to work anyplace since all it does is bear in mind locations you’ve visited and allow you to browse and search by them. Nonetheless, it’s going to solely be accessible in Australia, Canada, Malaysia, Switzerland, the UK, and the US, which is a considerably odd listing. The same old 4 we are able to perceive, however Malaysia and Switzerland are outliers for getting new Apple options earlier than anybody else.
- Maintain Help, which detects maintain music and takes over the decision so you’ll be able to transfer on to different issues, will solely be accessible in English, French, German, Japanese, mainland Mandarin Chinese language, Brazilian Portuguese, and Spanish.
- Name Screening, which can reply calls in your behalf to filter out telemarketers and different undesirable callers, will likely be accessible in Cantonese, English, French, Canadian French, German, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin Chinese language, Brazilian Portuguese, and Spanish.
- Lyrics Translation in Apple Music surprisingly received’t require an Apple Intelligence-capable iPhone. That’s as a result of there’s no real-time translation occurring right here. As a substitute, Apple says it’s solely “accessible for choose songs” in a handful of languages: English to simplified Chinese language, English to Japanese, Korean to simplified Chinese language, Korean to English, Korean to Japanese, and Spanish to English.
- Digital IDs in Pockets: No shock, that is nonetheless primarily restricted to the US. Apple introduced assist for US passports in iOS 26, which can be utilized at TSA checkpoints and as a type of digital identification anyplace else that digital IDs are accepted. Nonetheless, you’ll nonetheless want to hold your bodily passport with you when touring.