At its Worldwide Developers Conference on June 9, Apple officially launched iOS 26, its biggest iPhone software update in over a decade. As well as coming with a new naming system, the iOS 26 upgrade includes a bunch of new features — many of which are powered by its AI Apple Intelligence — as well as a new design language dubbed Liquid Glass.
So far, Apple’s iOS 26 and Liquid Glass have been met with a mixed reception, and some users aren’t that keen on the look and feel.
It’s possible Apple will dial back the look of the operating system before launch, but make no mistake, iOS 26 is coming and the updated software will launch this Fall, along with Apple’s new iPhones. So, when it does arrive, what can you expect for security and privacy — and which devices can run the iPhone software?
iOS 26 Adds More iPhone AI Features
Apple has been criticised for being slow to launch AI, but it is ramping up features in iOS 26.
For example, building on Apple Intelligence, visual intelligence extends to a user’s iPhone screen so they can search and take action on anything they’re viewing across apps, according to Apple’s press release announcing iOS 26.
Users can ask ChatGPT questions about what they’re looking at onscreen to learn more, as well as search Google, Etsy, or other supported apps to find similar images and products. Visual intelligence also recognises when a user is looking at an event and suggests adding it to their calendar, repopulating key details such as date, time and location.
Apple Intelligence can also automatically identify and summarise order tracking details from emails sent from merchants and delivery carriers.
Additionally, a new Foundation Models framework opens up access for any app to tap directly into the on-device foundation model at the core of Apple Intelligence, according to Apple. This gives developers “direct access to powerful intelligence that’s fast, built with privacy at its core, and available offline, using AI inference that is free of cost,” Apple said.
ChatGPT related features are available due to Apple’s partnership with OpenAI. Apple processes data on the device or for more complex queries via its Private Cloud Compute encrypted cloud storage. However, if you choose to send data to ChatGPT when using Siri, OpenAI’s privacy policy applies.
And AI is pretty cool, but keep in mind it requires a lot of data to operate.
Like all new apps and products currently, the new iOS 26 update seems to be heavily connected with AI, says Jake Moore, global cybersecurity advisor at ESET. “But as we are still in such a relatively early stage of the technology, it would be wise to remain cautious of the amount of data you enter into it and hold off from using it if it seems gimmicky,” he advises.
Meanwhile, opening AI up to developers “could mean we are entering a new world of data entry where users don’t really know the full extent of what is happening with their information,” Moore warns.
Apple’s iOS 26 Will Allow You To Screen Calls And Messages
Apple’s iOS 26 will introduce call screening, building on the very useful iOS 18 feature Live Voicemail. In Messages, you can also screen your messages. “Messages from unknown senders will appear in a dedicated folder where users can then mark the number as known, ask for more information, or delete,” the iPhone maker said. These messages will remain silenced until a user accepts them.
It is “hugely impressive” that Apple will now screen messages from unknown senders, says Moore. Additionally, it’s a step in the right direction that messages from unknown senders will now appear in a dedicated folder, giving you more control, he says.
Which Devices Can Run iOS 26 — And What This Means
Apple’s iOS 26 software features will be available this fall as a free software update for iPhone 11 and later, according to Apple. This means Apple has dropped support for the iPhone XS, the iPhone XS Max and the iPhone XR.
At the same time, Apple Intelligence features are only available on the newer iPhone 16 models, iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, iPad mini (A17 Pro), and iPad and Mac models with M1 and later that have Apple Intelligence enabled.
If your device can’t be upgraded, it “may sadly mean the beginning of the end,” says Moore. “Although frustrating, security patches are not available on every device forever and therefore each iPhone essentially has a shelf life,” he says.
Without ongoing updates, those devices will potentially become a risk if vulnerabilities are present but not patched, Moore says. Meanwhile, many newer apps will not even support older models as they won’t be designed to incorporate them due to the extra amount of work required to keep all apps up to date, he warns.
Other iOS 26 Privacy And Security Features
Apple’s iOS 26 also comes with some more subtle privacy and security enhancements. For example, parents can now create or move kids into Child Accounts even more easily, taking advantage of a wide set of parental controls designed to keep kids safe.
Meanwhile, browsing in Safari gets more private with advanced fingerprinting protection extending to all browsing by default, according to Apple.
Getting iOS 26 On Your iPhone
It’s a big update and I’m looking forward to applying iOS 26 on my iPhone. Developers can start tweaking now, and the iOS 26 public beta will be available through the Apple Beta Software Program next month at beta.apple.com.
Apple’s iOS 26 is arriving in just a couple of months and it’s possible the iPhone maker will introduce multiple changes before then. Teething issues and bugs will happen, but it’s likely Apple will support iOS 18 with important security updates for as it launches iOS 26.
