With the arrival of iOS 26 at the recent WWDC 2025, we're about to enjoy a more polished, more visual and, above all, more capable system. The redesigned interface with the new Liquid Glass effect is undoubtedly the most visible novelty. But beyond the appearance, Apple has taken a big step forward with features that, thanks to Apple Intelligence, breathe new life into core apps, making them far more useful, contextual and proactive. The only catch? Some of these features won’t be available on every iPhone model.
With iOS 26, the most obvious change is the new Liquid Glass effect, which redesigns the interface with a translucent, shiny, almost liquid finish, more modern and elegant, that will bring consistency and cohesion across all operating systems, from iPhone to Vision Pro. This new look will be available on every iPhone that supports iOS 26, with no exceptions.
In addition, anyone with an iPhone 12 or later will also enjoy the new 3D effect on the Lock Screen. It creates a sense of depth and “life” in the wallpaper as we move the iPhone.
Features exclusive to iPhone 15 Pro or newer models
However, although iOS 26 introduces many new features, some of the most noteworthy are reserved for the latest iPhones. Why? Because those that rely on Apple Intelligence (Apple’s native, built-in AI system) require the A17 Pro chip or newer. In other words, they’ll only be available on iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, and the iPhone 16 lineup.
Here are the features we’ll miss out on unless we have one of those models:
Live translation in Messages, FaceTime and Phone
It lets us translate conversations in real time as we type, speak or call. It can even generate subtitles or repeat the translated phrases aloud during a call.
Smart suggestions and automatic organisation in Reminders
The system detects tasks, lists or relevant items in apps like Mail or Messages, and suggests adding them to Reminders. It also organises lists by category automatically.
New AI-powered actions in the Shortcuts app
We can generate images, summarise texts or connect our automations directly with Apple Intelligence models for much more complex tasks.
Smart screenshot analysis
When we take a screenshot, the system can recognise its content and offer useful actions: creating events, searching for products, identifying data… all directly from the image.
Order tracking in Apple Wallet without merchant support
Wallet now detects purchase confirmation emails and adds tracking automatically, even if the seller isn’t integrated with Apple.
Creation of personalised Genmoji
We can combine two emojis, describe a brand new one from scratch, and customise the appearance of Genmoji inspired by friends or family, adjusting their hairstyle, clothing, style and more with ease.
Image Playground with new styles
Apple has added styles like oil painting, anime, vector or watercolour to Image Playground. There will also be a new free mode to describe exactly the kind of image we want to create.
Poll suggestions in Messages
Creating polls in Messages is available to everyone, but only iPhones with Apple Intelligence will receive automatic suggestions based on the conversation context.
Custom wallpapers in Messages
Beyond the default images, we’ll be able to create custom wallpapers with artificial intelligence using Image Playground directly from the Messages app.
It’s clear that iOS 26 redesigns the entire system and significantly improves our experience as users. But, understandably, the most advanced and surprising features require the latest, most powerful chips, which are only found in the newest iPhone models. Still, the bulk of iOS 26's new features is set to transform our iPhone, no matter the model, this coming September.
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