iOS 26 Is Live: Three Features You Should Check Out First

Apple finally dropped iOS 26, and it’s rolling out to iPhones everywhere. The update doesn’t just tweak a few settings — it changes how the phone looks and adds tools that feel surprisingly fresh. Installing it takes a couple of minutes, but figuring out what’s new? That takes longer.

There’s plenty packed inside, but three features stand out. They’re the ones you’ll probably mess with right after updating.

The first thing you’ll notice is the design. Apple calls it “Liquid Glass,” which sounds like something out of a sci-fi movie, but really it’s just a shinier, softer look. Icons gleam a bit more, menus have that frosted see-through vibe, and animations glide instead of snap.

It’s not just eye candy, though. The new look ties into multitasking. Jumping between apps feels smoother, and Control Center got a subtle facelift. You can even pick how transparent things look — crystal clear or a toned-down version if you don’t like the floating-glass effect.

Bottom line: your phone will feel different the moment you unlock it.

This one’s small but fun. You can now drop polls right into group chats. Need to figure out where to order pizza? Done. Want to settle whether Die Hard is a Christmas movie? Also done.

Polls show results instantly as people vote, which makes group threads a little more interactive — and probably a lot noisier. It’s the kind of feature nobody asked for but almost everyone will end up using.

Here’s the big swing. Live Translation works inside Messages, Phone, and FaceTime, turning real-time conversations into something close to seamless. You talk in English, your friend replies in Spanish, and the iPhone fills in the gaps.

It’s still early days — not perfect, but already impressive. Think travel situations, quick calls with relatives who don’t share your language, or just testing it out for fun. If it works as Apple promises, it feels a bit like magic.

Updating to iOS 26 is free, quick, and worth it. The design overhaul makes the phone feel new, polls add a playful twist to chats, and translation could be genuinely useful. Start there and see what else you uncover — because with Apple, there are always a few surprises hiding in the menus.