5 iOS 26 options that make me glad I purchased an iPhone 16 Professional

I did not purchase my iPhone 16 Pro final 12 months with future variations of iOS in thoughts — primarily I used to be involved with the getting old battery in my iPhone 13, and upgrading to raised cameras and show tech. However one of many advantages of upgrading any smartphone is sustained entry to new software program, and with iOS 26, there is a rising record of options that can solely work in case you personal an iPhone 15 Pro or later. That is the cutoff for Apple Intelligence, a collection of AI instruments that is been controversial to this point — principally as a result of Apple has delayed promised options, like contextual consciousness for Siri.

Within the interim, there are a number of iOS 26 options that ought to make house owners of newer iPhones pleased. Some are comparatively area of interest, however the ones I will get into right now might make a significant distinction to you, relying on what your day-to-day existence appears like.

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1

Visible Intelligence for screenshots

Seek for something, anytime

Apple

Successfully, that is Apple’s reply to Google’s Circle to Seek for Android. When it premiered in iOS 18.2, Visible Intelligence was restricted to no matter you possibly can level your digicam at, which was solely often helpful. With iOS 26, it turns into an choice everytime you take a screenshot, too — you possibly can ask ChatGPT questions on what you are seeing, and search on supported apps corresponding to Google, Etsy, and Pinterest. If a picture comprises an apparent occasion corresponding to a live performance, the characteristic can detect it and recommend including the day, time, and/or location to a Calendar entry. Anticipate to see much more flyers in your messages as soon as iOS 26 turns into widespread.

Visible Intelligence is not fairly as handy as Circle to Search, which may be triggered by long-pressing Android’s navigation deal with at any time. However each instruments allow you to hint particular objects to look, so the comparability is fairly apt.

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2

Reside Translation in first-party communications apps

Let’s hope it catches the subtleties

Apple

In one other bid to meet up with Google, iOS 26 provides computerized translation to the Telephone, FaceTime, and Messages apps. It was fairly spectacular throughout Apple’s WWDC 2025 keynote, although the corporate used pre-recorded (and presumably scripted) demonstrations. I am curious to see how nicely it really works in real-world circumstances — translation apps usually miss the nuances of context, like idioms. The outcomes could possibly be notably entertaining in Quebec, the place lots of swear phrases are primarily based on French Catholicism.

Talking of which, language assist is comparatively restricted to begin with. The Messages app helps English, Chinese language, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, and Brazilian Portuguese. The Telephone and FaceTime apps work with English, French, German, Spanish, and Brazilian Portuguese, however solely in one-on-one conversations. Even inside these obstacles, many dialects are being omitted — there is no Québécois French or Mexican Spanish, as an illustration.

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3

Computerized order monitoring in Apple Pockets

No extra want for outdoor instruments?

Apple / Pocket-lint

Apple has truly had an order monitoring system within the iOS Pockets app for just a few years, however till now, it required energetic participation on the a part of retailers. This wasn’t very interesting to firms with their very own monitoring programs, or anybody preferring a platform-neutral choice. Usually, once I’m monitoring packages, I am going to simply use Shopify’s Store app — I haven’t got to fret about being on an Apple machine simply to learn the way shut a package deal is.

To simplify issues, iOS 26 mechanically scans for monitoring particulars in your e-mail threads. That, after all, could also be a limitation in its personal proper, if it is restricted to the Apple Mail app and does not assist the likes of Outlook or Gmail. However who is aware of — for individuals with frequent deliveries, this could possibly be an incentive to modify e-mail shoppers.

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4

Computerized Reminders ideas and sorting

Remembering the stuff you forgot to recollect

Apple / Pocket-lint

I’ve by no means had an enormous want for to-do apps, since usually, something that is actually essential to me needs to be performed instantly or is unimaginable to neglect. However even I make use of the iOS Reminders app often, and a few individuals appear to dwell and die by it. I get it, because it offloads among the burden of remembering what your job, mates, and household want from you.

iOS 26 scans your e-mail and Messages conversations for duties you would possibly need to add to Reminders, together with gadgets you possibly can add to a grocery buying record. To prepare issues additional, related reminders are mechanically sorted into sections inside every record. I think about each of these items are going to be extraordinarily helpful for Reminders diehards, since we’re usually bombarded with a flood of communications day-after-day. It is simple to neglect that you must name somebody again while you’re already late selecting up your little one from faculty.

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5

Apple Intelligence in Shortcuts

An undiscovered nation

The Shortcuts app could be the most underappreciated a part of iOS. I do not use it as a lot as I used to, however in case you’re affected person, you possibly can construct some fairly elaborate automations to simplify duties — my “I am driving dwelling” routine is able to texting my spouse, getting Apple Maps instructions, and loading an Apple Music playlist all by way of a single voice command. Likelihood is, if it is baked into iOS, there is a manner of automating it by way of Shortcuts.

The iOS 26 model of the app permits Apple Intelligence actions, corresponding to picture era or textual content summaries. Actually, I am on this not a lot for what’s attainable now, however slightly what’s coming as soon as Apple delivers on its authentic AI guarantees.

I would like to have a shortcut that mechanically shuffles a selected Spotify playlist when it could possibly inform I am headed out on a bunch journey with my electrical unicycle, as an illustration. The probabilities could also be huge, even overwhelming for the common individual — it is a good factor individuals are sharing shortcut concepts on-line.

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