New Software Names

The first thing you’ll notice is that the software has jumped from iOS 18 to iOS 26. You could be forgiven for thinking you’ve missed something, but it’s just a new naming structure to keep things simple. From now on, all Apple operating systems will match the relevant year. In this case, it’s the major release for 2026.

Will My iPhone Run iOS 26?

Any iPhone 11 or higher will run iOS 26. This includes the iPhone SE, 2nd generation, which was released in 2020. Go to Settings>General>About to check your model. Note that not all iOS 26 features are available on all supported phones.

Warning: Read Before Installing

Members of the Guide Dog’s assistive technology team have been testing iOS 26 beta versions for several months. Overall, we’ve found it to be very stable. However, the AppleVis team recently released a warning about some users losing VoiceOver speech on the lock screen when the update is complete. Once unlocked, everything goes back to normal. The AppleVis team have not had this happen to them during testing and we haven’t come across this problem either. As a safe bet, VoiceOver users may want to have a trusted person on-hand when installing or wait for iOS 26 updates to iron out this potential bug. Follow the below link to read the AppleVis team’s full report and decide if you’re ready to take the plunge.

VoiceOver and Braille Issues and Improvements in iOS 26 - AppleVis

Note: iOS 26.0.1 was released on 29 September 2025 and fixes the potential loss of VoiceOver speech.

How Do I Update?

Go to Settings>General>Software Updates. Scroll down and choose iOS 26 to start the process and follow the on-screen instructions. If it’s not there, your iPhone doesn’t support it. Note that the update takes some time, so make sure you’re not in a rush and do not try to turn off or restart the device during the process.

AI Elephant in the Room

For anyone with a supported iPhone 15 Pro or later that’s waiting for Apple Intelligence to transform their Siri experience, there’s no good news just yet. While Apple Intelligence continues to pop-up in iOS 26, there are no big enhancements to Siri for now. Follow the below link to read more about Apple Intelligence in this latest update.

New Apple Intelligence Features are Available Today - Apple

Liquid Glass

A headline feature of iOS 26 is a new design called Liquid Glass. Menus and controls now have a see-through, glass-like appearance. Aside from looking pretty fancy, it’s supposed to draw attention to on-screen content. Long-press an empty part of the home screen and choose “Edit” and then “Customise” to adjust.

But wait, what about contrast? Well, I’m not the best person to comment, but I’m guessing this isn’t ideal. To increase contrast and decrease the transparency effects, go to Settings>Accessibility>Display & Text Size. You may also want to reduce the movement of screen elements in Settings>Accessibility>Motion.

More Consistent Search

To make the search feature in Apple apps easier to find, it’s now one of the last items on the screen. For example, if you load the Messages or Settings apps, you’ll notice that search is right at the bottom. VoiceOver users, remember your four finger single tap in the bottom half of the screen to move to the very last item quickly.

New Tab Design in Safari

Safari has a new rounded tab design that “floats gracefully” at the bottom of the screen. If you want to change this, go to Settings>Apps>Safari and find the available options under the Tabs heading.

Manage Unknown Callers

iOS 26 can now act as your personal call screener. If an unknown person rings, your phone can answer it for you and find out more before you choose to hop on the line. You can also choose to automatically silence private numbers. Go to Settings>Apps>Phone or FaceTime to configure. Read more from Apple Support below.

Manage Unknown Callers on iPhone - Apple Support

Hold Assist

We’ve all got that one or two places we dread calling because we know we’re in for a long wait. With iOS 26, your iPhone can now detect when you’re on hold so you can go about your life, and you’ll be alerted when someone has picked up. Go to Settings>Apps>Phone>Hold Assist Detection to turn it on. Be sure your iPhone isn’t on silent so you hear it ring when the other person answers.

Accessibility Nutrition Labels

This is a big step forward that promises to make it a lot easier to know if apps are accessible. Apps in the App Store will have an “Accessibility Nutrition Label” that states what accessibility features are supported. It’s voluntary at the moment, but Apple intends to make this a mandatory requirement for app developers. To see an example, load the link below from your iPhone and scroll to the Accessibility heading.

Apple Fitness on the App Store

Accessibility Reader

Use this new feature in any app to gather the text content on the screen and make it easier to read. You can customise its appearance and have it speak aloud. Go to Settings>Accessibility>Read & Speak>Accessibility Reader to enable. VoiceOver users, please be aware that turning Accessibility Reader on will automatically add it to your Accessibility Shortcut (triple press home or Side button) and you can’t turn this off at the moment. If you use the Accessibility Shortcut to turn on and off VoiceOver regularly, you will have to choose it from a list by exploring the screen with your finger. Read more about Accessibility Reader below.

Accessibility Reader on iPhone - Apple Support

Braille Access

Apple continues to prioritise Braille enhancements. In iOS 26, it’s added Braille Access, which turns a basic Braille display into a more advanced notetaker. If you have a connected Braille display, go to Settings>Accessibility>VoiceOver>Braille>Braille Access to learn more and check out the Apple support page below.

Use Braille Access with a Braille Display - Apple Support

Share Accessibility Settings

This is a neat feature that lets you temporarily share your accessibility settings with a nearby iPhone or iPad. Think of those times when you need to use a friend’s device or even an iPad in a doctor’s surgery. Note that each device must be running iOS or iPadOS 26 or later. They must also have Wi-Fi and Bluetooth enabled. Go to Settings>Accessibility>Share Accessibility Settings to start and follow the prompts. See the official Apple link below for more details.

Share Your Accessibility Settings with Another iPhone or iPad - Apple Support

Reset VoiceOver Settings

Have you ever been playing around in VoiceOver settings and broken something that you can’t fix? Go on, admit it! Thankfully, you can now easily reset VoiceOver back to its default settings. Go to Settings>Accessibility>VoiceOver>Reset VoiceOver Settings.

Exclude Media Playback from Magic Tap Gesture

This is for those VoiceOver users out there who just want to use the Magic Tap gesture (two finger double tap) to answer and end calls. You can now set it so that it won’t play and pause media. Go to Settings>Accessibility>VoiceOver>Commands>Magic Tap to turn media playback on or off.

Siri Sound

Every now and again, it can be difficult to know if Siri is still listening when you can’t see the screen. You can now set Siri to always play a sound when it starts and stops. Go to Settings>Accessibility>VoiceOver>Audio to enable.

VoiceOver Cursor Position

VoiceOver users, you can now make the cursor behave the same as it does in Windows when editing text. Go to Settings>Accessibility>VoiceOver>Cursor>Cursor Output and choose “Right of Cursor” for the Windows experience.

But Wait, There’s More!

There’s so much more. Visit the official iOS 26 page below to find out what else is new.

What’s New in iOS 26 - Apple Support