The 7 hidden iOS 26 options I am excited to strive

Now that Apple’s iOS 26 has been correctly launched and seeded to builders, it is time to actually dig into the brand new stuff.

We’re not speaking the plain options, similar to the Liquid Glass redesign and Apple Intelligence upgrades — we cowl these at size right here, right here, and right here, and we’ve an summary of every little thing new in iOS 26 over right here.

Nonetheless, like each main Apple software program launch, iOS 26 additionally comes with a lot of minor new enhancements and upgrades, each documented and undocumented. We have gone via Apple’s docs and took the iOS 26 dev beta for a spin, and we’re again with a listing of not-so-obvious iOS 26 options you are gonna love.

Lens cleansing trace

This is not one thing that we count on to make use of fairly often, nevertheless it’s a cool little function that may enhance your photograph high quality in sure situations. “Lens cleaning hint” is precisely what it says: When your iPhone detects that your digital camera lens is soiled, it can let you already know so you may clear it. It is a type of duties that the iPhone cannot do for you, however now it may possibly at the least warn you earlier than your images come out smudgy.

Snooze Length

We have all been there: That early morning alarm fires up solely so that you can shut it down with the velocity of lightning and proceed your well-deserved relaxation as if nothing occurred. Then comes the snooze. However this is not your first rodeo; you shut the alarm down as soon as extra and return to dreamland. The third snooze is, maybe, essential. That is the place your unconscious tells you, “Better wake up, buddy, or else.” That is the place it’s important to resolve: Are you simply going to throw the cellphone via a window and proceed sleeping, all of your tasks be damned, or will you lastly succumb to the alarm?

We will not offer you steerage on what to do in that state of affairs (certain we are able to, you could friggin’ get up, buddy). However now, in iOS 26, you may set snooze period for every of your alarms. Sure, the usual 9-minute Apple snooze will quickly be gone. If you actually need to get up, you would possibly need to set your snooze to 1 minute, that means the alarm will repeat each minute. When you’re feeling chill, maybe you’d wish to set it to be somewhat longer. Both manner, yow will discover the setting by tapping on an alarm and setting Snooze Length to wherever between 1 and quarter-hour. Good luck.

Battery drain warning

Ever felt like your iPhone is abruptly draining its battery twice as quick as regular? Typically, it is only a feeling, nevertheless it may also be an app gone loopy and chugging that battery life like there is not any tomorrow.

In iOS 26, your iPhone will warn you should you’re utilizing extra battery than traditional, and it will even inform you which app is the offender.

Moreover, the Battery portion of the iPhone’s settings has been revamped, and it now provides you some additional information, such because the remaining cost time whereas charging.

Preserve Audio in Headphones

There’s nothing extra awkward than listening to a macrame podcast in your AirPods solely to have it abruptly swap to your automobile’s audio system for everybody close by to listen to. OK, there are many situations which can be extra awkward, however we’ll allow you to determine them out your self.

In any case, this difficulty is solved in iOS 26 with one easy setting. Go to Settings – Basic – AirPlay & Continuity and faucet “Keep Audio in Headphones.” It is going to do what it says, and it will additionally cut back the mess that typically occurs when there are a number of Bluetooth audio units close by.

Playlist Folders in Apple Music

A brand new Apple Music expertise.
Credit score: Apple

My Playlist tab in Apple Music is a large number. It consists of birthday playlists, routinely generated stuff, a bunch of playlists I do not ever recall creating, and, lastly, a few of the precise playlists that I exploit each day.

In iOS 26, you may set up all these playlists into folders. Go to Playlists, faucet on the + icon within the higher proper nook, and select New Folder. Now, you may lastly flip your Playlists folder right into a well-organized, genre-based library it deserves to be.

Apple Music is getting just a few extra thrilling modifications with iOS 26. Along with Lyrics Translation, the brand new AutoMix function will combine collectively your favourite songs identical to an actual DJ would. We’ll report again as soon as we get to strive AutoMix.

New Background Sounds

You will discover Background Sounds below Accessibility in your iPhone.
Credit score: Apple

When you’ve by no means heard of Background Sounds, boy, do we’ve a deal with for you. It is an accessibility function that performs a wide range of soothing sounds via the iPhone’s audio system. You possibly can add them into your Management Middle for simple entry and fine-tune them in Settings (go to Settings – Accessibility – Background Sounds), the place you may add a timer, change the amount, resolve if you would like the sounds to proceed whereas media is enjoying, and even adapt the sounds themselves with an equalizer.

All of this was there in iOS 18, however in iOS 26, Apple is including eight new Background Sounds choices, together with Quiet Night time, Hearth, Rain, Babble, and even Airplane, should you’re into that form of factor. A few of these are excellent for soothing a child, whereas some may even be used to create a sure temper.

Preserve the Liquid Glass however make it opaque

You’ll use Icon Composer to customise Liquid Glass settings on iPhones, MacBooks, and iPads.
Credit score: Apple

This one is for the parents who like Apple’s new Liquid Glass look however really feel just like the transparency/blurring results are an excessive amount of. Go to Settings – Accessibility – Show & Textual content Dimension and faucet “Reduce Transparency.” Though it is an accessibility function, it is truly fairly delicate, as it can preserve the glassy look of your icons and folders, however it can cut back the transparency, in addition to blurring on sure backgrounds. By the way, this straightforward function additionally “fixes” the problem for all the parents who assume Apple went too far with Liquid Design.

To strive these out now, you may have to join Apple’s developer program right here and obtain the most recent iOS 26 beta, which we do not advocate for the overwhelming majority of customers. The general public beta is coming in July, so it should not be too lengthy a wait till you may strive all the brand new iOS 26 options out on a extra steady launch.