The latest Apple operating system for the iPhone – iOS 26 – arrived two weeks ago (if you have not received the update, check if your iPhone is compatible), and if you have not explored the depths of everything it can do, don’t worry. I covered you.
With iOS 26, the latest upgrade is the new liquid glass design and the features of Apple’s intelligence which, power translations, summaries and personalized emoji. These changes are great and impossible to miss.
What is easier to neglect is that the quieter adjustments, Apple do not spend a lot of time talking. They do not dominate the WWDC scene, but they can calmly reshape the way your iPhone feels in daily use.
If you spend a little time digging your settings or trying the original applications, you will notice them: tools that shave a few seconds on routine tasks, personalization options that make your phone feel more personal and subtle reminders that your iPhone always evolves in a small but significant way.
Here are 18 of my favorite hidden features in iOS 26, and why you should worry about them.
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1. Change the default repetition time for your alarm
If you’ve already wondered about the rehearsal option of 9 apparently arbitrary minutes on the iPhone, there is history behind. It is an analog design relic, when the first mechanical awakenings cannot be easily adjusted at intervals of 10 minutes, so the engineers went with one minute less. Digital clocks do not have this limitation, but tradition has remained.
On iOS 26, you can finally change your rehearsal length. All you have to do is go to Clock App, press an alarm you have and hit Rehearsal down. You can adjust the repetition between 1 and 15 minutes, but the setting only applies to each alarm individually. This means that you will have to continue to reuse the same alarm or adjust the snooze each time you create a new one.
You must change the repetition time for each alarm you define.
2. Create a personalized ringtone
You no longer need a Garageband (or a Mac) to make your own ringtone. In the files, press an MP3 or M4A which is less than 30 seconds, hit the Share button and press Ring. iOS 26 drops it into Settings> sounds and haptics> Ringtonewhere you can define it on a system scale or attribute it to contact. The same option appears for vocal memosvia the sharing sheet.
Note: Apple songs are not eligible as personalized ringtones.
3. Copy only a selection of an SMS
The messages now allows you to highlight and copy part of a bubble of text instead of entering everything, which is useful if you try to copy a password or a code that is not highlighted. Press and hold the message, press Select Then use the selection handles to capture only the desired section. This is particularly practical when a long message contains only one extract you need to stick elsewhere.
4. Visit places in the cards
Perhaps you want to remember the place of Thai restoration that you have tried on vacation or to trace the itinerary of a weekend. Instead of scrolling your photos or texts to jog, the answer is already in cards. Apple Maps now retains a recording of the places you have visited, with dates and details. Open Cards> Profile icon> Places> Visited places To see the list. It is private and stored locally on your iPhone, so only you can see it.
The functionality is always in beta, which means that it could have bugs and other problems – for the moment.
5. Battery charging time estimates
When you connect your iPhone to power, the lock screen now tells you how long it will take your battery to reach 80% and 100%. You will see “13 m to 80%” or “1h 8m to 100%” just above the time and below the battery indicator. You can also go to Settings> Battery To consult this information. It is a simple addition, but it removes the conjecture from the planning of quick discrepancies before leaving.
If you do not see the percentage of battery at the top of your locking screen, press the home button.
6. Adaptive power mode
A new option in Settings> Battery> Power mode introduction Adaptive power. Instead of choosing between low power and standard, adaptive adjusts performance and background activity on the fly. If you broadcast music at home, he saves the battery. If you play or save a video, it pushes performance. You don’t have to think about it – the phone adapts automatically.
7. Transform the photos into 3D space scenes
In the photos, you will now find a Spatial scenes Characteristic, which transforms the photos into immersive views of the 3D type with a subtle movement. Open a photo in the Photos application and search for Spatial Switch to the top right. With compatible devices, you can tilt and move your iPhone to explore depth and perspective as if you were still there.
8. Search screenshots with visual intelligence
In iOS 26, visual intelligence starts when you take a screenshot. As soon as you take a screenshot, press the sticker to open the editor and you will see two new buttons: Ask (Send the screenshot with a dactylographed question to Chatgpt) and Image search (Send it to Google for visually similar results).
You can also paint a specific area with your finger to target what you ask. Even without these buttons, iOS will surface contextual actions, for example, “add to the calendar” if your screenshot includes an event or purchase results if it identifies a product. Detection occurs on a device, but the use of ASK or image research shares the image with the relevant services, so jump them on sensitive screenshots.
To search for something in the screenshot, just paint on it with your finger.
9. Apple Music lyrical translations
If you listen to songs in other languages, Apple Music can now translate the words in real time. Press the Words Display, then hit the new Translate these words The button at the bottom left to see the lyrics translated align with the music, to the right under the original words. This allows you to enjoy the meaning of the song without losing the rhythm and is perfect for discovering new genres.
It will not work for each song.
10. Inbound call screen
The telephone application now supports live calls screening. When an unknown number enters, type Screen call And look at a real -time transcription of what the appellant says. You can decide to answer, refuse or let it go to voicemail. It feels like the iPhone borrowed one of Android’s best ideas and polished it.
11. Take a photo with your airpods
Airpods gets a new tip: act as a remote shutter button. With the application of the open camera, double-tape on an airpod to take a photo. It’s great for group photos or when your phone is on a tripod through the room.
12. Add backpop to your text messages
You can now give a text message thread its own atmosphere. In iOS 26, you can define a personalized conversation experience in messages. All you have to do is open a conversation, to press on Name / Title Above, choose History And then choose a color, a gradient, a photo or generate one with an image playground.
You can delete the backgrounds in the same way, just select none.
13. Modify the PDF with preview
The APROVE application, long a macOS, is now integrated into iOS for PDF. Open a PDF in files or mail, press MarkingAnd you can highlight the text, add notes, sign documents or reorganize the pages. No third party application required.
The preview is an autonomous application that you can use to modify your PDF.
14. Grran the middle of the screen to go back
Apple added a new gesture for more fluid navigation. Instead of slipping right from the left edge of the screen, you can now slide right from the middle of the screen to go back. It works in safari, settings, mail and other stock applications. Try to slide from left to right anywhere in the application window, and you will go back without kissing the edge.
15. Check the weather even when you have no service
IOS 26 provides satellite connectivity to the weather app, so you can always check the conditions even when you are out of the grid. If you hike in the mountains or travel to a dead area, the application will use the Apple satellite system to reduce basic forecasts such as temperature, risk of rain and severe weather alerts. You will see a small satellite icon at the top of the weather application when used. It will obviously not replace a complete connection, but it makes the iPhone much more useful in these moments without service.
16. Be notified to clean the camera lens
When the application of the camera detects reflections, mist or stains on the lens, it will gently remind you of wiping it. You will see a quick alert on the screen before taking the blow. It is not intrusive, but it can prevent you from making later that your unique photo is cloudy.
17. HDR screenshot
The screenshots now capture HDR on iOS 26, which means that what you save seems much closer to what you really see on the screen. Open a light photo, take a screenshot and you will notice the same strong and contrasting moments kept in your photo library.
18. Passport in the portfolio
Wallet will soon support digital passports in certain regions. Add it in the same way as you would have a driving license: Wallet> +> Add the passport. Once configured, you can use it in supported airports and control points. It is not yet universal, but it is the clearest sign that your physical portfolio is used.
The largest features of iOS 26 can highlight the spotlights, but it is these smaller keys that make the iPhone more fluid and more personal. From more intelligent alarms to immersive photos to practical calls for calls, the update is full of small victories that you will notice every day. And that’s what bothering to be installed.
