Apple centered closely on the brand new Liquid Glass design language in the course of the iOS 26 unveiling final week. However there’s extra to the working system than the shiny new look that’s coming to all the corporate’s working programs.
Whereas Apple highlighted iOS 26’s main options in the course of the WWDC25 keynote, many significant quality-of-life enhancements flew beneath the radar. Listed below are a number of the smaller, hidden options in iOS 26 that you simply shouldn’t miss.
Hidden iOS 26 options
With iOS 26, Apple isn’t simply tweaking the iPhone’s software program. It’s laying the digital basis for the subsequent decade of computing. The cohesive, forward-looking design of Liquid Glass builds on the Imaginative and prescient Professional headset’s ethereal working system and units up Apple for good glasses and different gadgets of the long run.
Different iOS 26 options, just like the reimagined Telephone app with Name Screening and Maintain Help, will convey huge and apparent modifications to the world’s hottest smartphone. However iOS 26 additionally packs quite a few smaller but crucial usability modifications.
These enhancements could have a much bigger affect in on a regular basis use than you may think.
Desk of contents: Hidden iOS 26 options
Retrieve modified passwords
Screenshot: Rajesh Pandey/Cult Of Mac
Apple’s built-in Passwords app doesn’t obtain any radical new options in iOS 26. Nevertheless it comes with one extraordinarily useful addition: password historical past. So, in the event you change a saved password, the Passwords app will maintain a document of it. This could show extremely useful when reverting to an previous login or for troubleshooting.
Clear digicam lens reminder
iPhone customers typically complain about soiled digicam lenses, which finally impacts the ultimate picture high quality. A greasy or smudged digicam lens leads to photos that come out blurry. Whereas Apple can’t get the iPhone to wash the digicam lens for you robotically, it’s doing the subsequent neatest thing. iOS 26 introduces a unclean lens warning that robotically seems when the cellphone detects a smudged digicam.
It’s a small change, however one that can vastly profit common iPhone photographers.
Markdown assist in Notes app, a hidden characteristic in iOS 26 that’s for energy customers
Though Apple regularly provides options to its Notes app, previous to iOS 26, it lacked assist for Markdown, a formatting instrument steadily utilized by energy customers. Now the Notes app lastly permits you to export notes in Markdown format.
Adaptive energy
A brand new Adaptive Energy mode in iOS 26 will increase your iPhone’s runtime beneath load. It’s going to obtain this by limiting the show brightness and working the chipset at a barely decrease clock velocity to scale back energy consumption. Whereas some background actions would possibly take longer to finish, Apple says the mode ought to prolong your cellphone’s total battery life.
Adaptive Energy will solely come to iPhone 15 Professional and newer fashions with iOS 26. You will discover the choice within the Settings > Battery web page.
Customized alarm snooze size
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For years, the default snooze size within the iPhone’s alarm clock has been 9 minutes, with no possibility to alter it. However iOS 26 lastly addresses this limitation, letting you set a customized snooze period anyplace between one and quarter-hour.
For third-party alarm clock builders, iOS 26 supplies entry to a brand new AlarmKit framework. This offers them the identical elevated system-level privileges as Apple’s Clock app, guaranteeing alarms and reminders sound even when your cellphone is on silent or in a Focus mode. In iOS 18 and older releases, the shortage of elevated privileges may stop third-party alarm apps from triggering in sure situations.
Low battery reminder for AirPods
In iOS 26, your iPhone will robotically present a notification to cost your AirPods after they’re working low on battery. Likewise, you’ll obtain a notification when your AirPods are absolutely charged.
New text-selection instrument within the Messages app
Screenshot: Rajesh Pandey/Cult Of Mac
A brand new text-selection instrument within the Messages app in iOS 26 makes it simpler to pick and replica solely part of the textual content. It really works like this: Lengthy-press a message bubble and faucet Choose from the menu that seems. Then you’ll be able to choose solely part of the textual content to repeat, translate or set off an online search. In iOS 18, you’ll be able to solely copy a complete textual content message.
Apple additionally guarantees pure language search in Messages. This could make discovering the precise textual content in prolonged group conversations or your cluttered inbox simpler.
Drop-down view for folders in Information app
In iOS 18, you open a folder within the Information app to view its contents. iOS 26 improves this with a drop-down view: Simply faucet the arrow subsequent to a folder to disclose its contents immediately.
Change Safari tab bar model
Screenshot: Rajesh Pandey/Cult Of Mac
Safari will get a daring new look in iOS 26 that utterly hides the underside navigation bar. However studying from its previous errors, Apple added an choice to allow you to swap between completely different tab kinds: Compact, Backside or Prime. You will discover the choice beneath Tabs in Settings > Apps > Safari.
One other useful improve: the power to rearrange tabs by title or web site. In case you have quite a lot of tabs open, this feature ought to make managing them a wee bit simpler.
Autofill one-time-password assist for third-party apps
In iOS 18 and earlier variations, the default iPhone keyboard can robotically present one-time passwords (aka OTPs) acquired through Messages or Mail for fast autofill. iOS 26 enhances the characteristic additional by introducing assist for third-party apps. For instance, in the event you obtain an OTP in WhatsApp, the keyboard app can nonetheless pull and present that info. It might even pull OTPs from the Gmail app.
Search in Apple Pockets
A minor enchancment, however Apple’s Pockets app in iOS 26 will get a search characteristic. With expanded assist for IDs and playing cards, this can let you discover the cardboard you might be in search of rapidly.
One other Apple Pockets enchancment in iOS 26: You may choose the bank card for AutoFill from the app itself.
Quantity management in audio picker
When AirPlaying audio to AirPods, HomePods or different exterior audio system, now you can immediately management the quantity from the audio output picker. The choice will solely present up for audio system, earbuds and different comparable gadgets (and never for Macs and iPads).
HDR screenshots
Screenshot:: Rajesh Pandey/Cult Of Mac
On newer iPhones, iOS 26 allows you to seize screenshots and display recordings in HDR format for increased dynamic vary. When enabled, screenshots can be saved in HEIF format and display recordings will use the HEVC codec. You may flip this performance on from Settings > Common > Display screen Seize.
Name filters
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The Telephone app in iOS 26 lastly permits you to filter your name log by Calls, Missed, Voicemail and Spam. It’s also possible to swap to the Basic view in the event you don’t like the brand new unified structure.
SIM-based Focus mode
Screenshot:: Rajesh Pandey/Cult Of Mac
One other hidden characteristic in iOS 26 is the power to create Focus modes triggered by the SIM you might be utilizing. So, you’ll be able to have a Focus mode that solely shows calls and voicemails out of your work SIM. Likewise, you’ll be able to create a separate Focus mode to solely show calls and voicemails to your private quantity exterior of workplace hours.
Playback velocity controls within the Podcasts app
Taking a cue from third-party apps, the up to date Podcasts app in iOS 26 supplies customized playback velocity management. You may set the velocity starting from 0.5x to 3x.
Haptic suggestions for name decide up and finish
iOS 26 faucets into the iPhone’s glorious haptic system to supply delicate vibrations when a name connects or ends.
Briefly free cupboard space to put in updates
iOS 26 can briefly take away some Apple Intelligence options to liberate area in your iPhone for putting in software program updates. The associated apps and options can be accessible after the replace is put in.
Export passkeys and passwords
The up to date Passwords app in iOS 26 will lastly let you seamlessly export your saved passwords and passkeys to a different password supervisor, like 1Password, Google Password, or others. The characteristic will even come to macOS 26 and iPadOS 26.
The way to obtain the iOS 26 beta: Issues will solely get higher from right here
These smaller options complement the larger modifications that Apple proudly showcased at WWDC25’s opening keynote. With iOS 26 nonetheless beneath improvement, we will count on the corporate to introduce different minor enhancements, and tweak present options, within the subsequent few beta builds earlier than specializing in stability and bug fixes.
In accordance with our in-house testing, the iOS 26 developer beta is presently fairly buggy. Nevertheless, if you wish to strive these hidden options in iOS 26 — and you may deal with an iPhone that doesn’t operate correctly whereas Apple works to finalize the working system — right here’s how one can obtain it.
