Apple has released RC iOS 26, which will be available for everyone on September 15: official notes with a list of improvements

After presentations “Awe dropping” On September 9, Apple released RC iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS Tahoe, and other new versions of operating systems. 

The key updates will be available to users on September 15. Along with the RC version of iOS 26 Apple has published notes with a list of improvements. 

Technically, these notes don’t cover every new feature that will be coming with iOS 26, but they give a good overview of what’s coming in the new OS.

Interface

• Liquid Glass design is designed to make user interaction with devices Apple’s is even more pleasant. This interface refracts light and reacts dynamically to the user’s content and actions.
• Adaptive time on the home screen smoothly adjusts to the available space, complementing existing topics and photos, and responding to real-time notifications and events.
• Spatial scenes transforms ordinary photos on the screen into dynamic 3D images by intelligently separating objects from the background, making the image shift and move when you tilt your iPhone.
• With the Liquid Glass interface, app icons get new customization features with updated light or dark shades and a new transparent look.
• Music album cover animations make track playback even more exciting. Supported music albums will get full-screen animations.

Apple Intelligence

• Now the same combination that takes a screenshot can tell you more about the content of each application.
• The highlighting function allows you to select something specific on the screen.
• You will be able to navigate to the search results in the browser based on what is on the screen, and find out all the necessary information by asking ChatGPT a question.
• The live translation feature allows you to translate incoming messages, including group messages, and send replies that will be translated into the required language immediately after sending.
• In FaceTime, subtitles with real-time translation appear on the screen during a call.
• In the Phone app, audio messages will be translated and voiced in real time. Users will be able to follow the transcription during a call on speakerphone.
• With AirPods, users will be able to listen to hands-free translation when someone nearby is speaking another language.
• Apple Intelligence will receive new tools, such as Image Playground, and others, which will allow generating images based on text and user photos from the gallery.
• The new “Use model” feature will allow you to adjust queries to improve the way Apple Intelligence provides answers.
• The Genmoji feature allows you to combine 2 emojis together or add a description to an emoji.
• Users will be able to add facial expressions to their Genmoji, making characters happy, shocked, and more.
• Genmoji will also be able to choose a hairstyle and, for example, a facial beard, inspired by photos of real people from the gallery.
• With ChatGPT, users will be able to choose additional styles, such as Oil Painting or Anime, when generating images.

Camera

• The optimized design makes it easier for users to access photo and video modes.
• Lens care tips will let you know when you need to clean the lens for the sharpest photos.
• The new AirPods gesture allows you to take a photo or start recording a video by simply pressing the body of the AirPods 4 and AirPods Pro 2 headphones.
• Separate tabs for Library and Collections will make it easier to navigate, and the search function will be available in any configuration.
• You can customize the appearance of collections with three different layouts, as well as easily collapse and reorder them.
• Recognizing events, such as concerts or sporting events, will allow users to get detailed information about them and access related content.

Phone

• The new unified layout will combine favorites, recent messages, and voice messages.
• Call filtering allows you to filter incoming calls from unknown numbers, find out the name of the caller and the reason for the call before the phone rings.
• Filtered calls from unknown numbers can be placed in a new area of the call list.
• The Hold Assist feature will hold users’ place in the queue while they wait to speak to an operator and notify them when they can start talking.
• Filtering unknown senders helps you control who can contact you and places blocked messages in a new area of your message list.
• For more personal conversations or correspondence, you can create special backgrounds. You can use built-in backgrounds, your own photos, or images created with Image Playground.
• Polls can help users find out if all the guests are ready for dinner or decide on a gift for the whole family.
• A number of typing indicators will help you find out who is going to participate in the conversation.

CarPlay

• The new design with Liquid Glass will help to make each interaction area on the toolbar individual and provide a new tab bar design for easy navigation in applications.
• The compact design for incoming calls makes it easy to follow every turn in navigation applications.
• The Tapbacks feature in the Messages app makes it easy to respond to notifications while driving, for example, by showing a thumbs-up or heart.
• Pinned conversations are displayed at the top of notifications, making it easy to jump to the most relevant conversations.
• The widget stack can be found on the left of the toolbar for quick and easy access to your favorite apps.
• Active events are automatically displayed on the dashboard, making it easy to track events in real time while driving.

Navigation

• Places You’ve Visited lets iPhone identify places you visit, such as restaurants or stores, so you can easily find and share them in your Maps library.
• The Preferred Routes feature optimizes frequent trips by learning the routes that the user takes most often.

Music

• Translating and pronouncing lyrics will help users understand the meaning of their favorite songs and make it easy to sing along, even without knowledge of the language.
• AutoMix mixes one song with another like a DJ, stretching time and matching rhythm to ensure continuous playback.
• You can pin songs, albums, playlists, and more to the top of your library for quick and easy playback.

Wallet

• Updated boarding passes provide more access to up-to-date flight and airport information, as well as quick access to airline app features.
• Order Tracking (beta) uses Apple Intelligence to search for emails sent by merchants or delivery services and collects all order details, progress notifications, and other information in one place in the Wallet app.
• When you pay for purchases with Apple Pay in the iPhone store, installment options are available from your bank or card provider for credit card and debit card purchases.

Games

• New app — a universal application for games on iPhone.
• Game results can be tracked in real time and you can also see what games your friends are playing.
• Users will be able to access the entire library of games, including new and previous downloads in the App Store and Apple Arcade.
• Recommendations for downloading new games will be based on users’ previous gaming preferences.

Protecting children online

• Contact requests will give children the ability to send requests to their parents when there are new subscribers they want to talk to.
• Existing accounts can be easily converted to child accounts to fully utilize online child protection tools.
• Age-appropriate features in apps give parents the ability to let their children communicate their age range to third-party apps so they can access content and features that are appropriate for their age group.
• The communication security feature now extends to detecting explicit content during direct FaceTime calls, as well as blurring nudity in shared albums in the Photos app.

Availability

• Accessibility labels on product pages in the App Store let you know if features such as VoiceOver, voice control, and subtitles are available in apps and games before you download them.
• Accessibility Reader makes it easy to read text in any application by providing new ways to customize text with advanced font, color, and spacing options, as well as support for language content.
• Braille Access helps you take notes, read documents, access live captioning, launch apps, and perform other tasks using a connected Braille display.

Other features

• Preview — is a new iPhone app for viewing and editing PDFs with powerful features like autocomplete, document scanner, and export capabilities.
• FaceTime has received an updated landing page that features personalized posters with contacts for recent calls and videos that play as you scroll.
• Reminders uses Apple Intelligence to identify relevant tasks when you send an email, link, note, or other text to Reminders.
• Local capture captures high-quality audio and video from your iPhone during any video conference call, allowing you to create interviews or podcasts with the clearest possible recordings.
• The Control Panel’s Audio Input Selector makes it easy to choose the right microphone for every application, including online.
• The estimated charging time lets you know how long it will take your iPhone to charge.
• The Adaptive Power feature analyzes typical battery consumption and automatically adjusts the battery charge on days of heavy use to help extend battery life throughout the day (iPhone 15 Pro and later models).
• The blood pressure logging feature in the Health app can send reminders to take your blood pressure and create a PDF report for your doctor.
• The new Workout tab in the Fitness app allows you to track your workouts, so users can track metrics like pace and distance, and even more if they have a compatible heart rate monitor like the AirPods Pro 3. If you have an Apple Watch, you can take advantage of the large screen and use features such as creating a customized workout.
• The Adaptive Temperature function automatically adjusts the thermostat to the user’s preferred temperature when they leave for home and saves energy when they go out for the day or go on vacation.
• Custom delay settings allow you to set the duration of the delay after the alarm goes off: from 1 to 15 minutes.
• Password history displays the chronology of changes made to your Passwords account, including the history of previous passwords and generated strong passwords.
• Notes allows you to import and export files in Markdown format.

Source: 9to5mac