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 listing of options that may solely work in the event 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 — largely 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 homeowners of newer iPhones completely happy. Some are comparatively area of interest, however the ones I will get into as we speak 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 can level your digicam at, which was solely sometimes 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 resembling Google, Etsy, and Pinterest. If a picture comprises an apparent occasion resembling a live performance, the function can detect it and recommend including the day, time, and/or location to a Calendar entry. Count on 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 might be triggered by long-pressing Android’s navigation deal with at any time. However each instruments allow you to hint particular objects to go looking, so the comparability is fairly apt.

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2

Dwell 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 automated 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 properly it really works in real-world situations — translation apps usually miss the nuances of context, like idioms. The outcomes could possibly be significantly entertaining in Quebec, the place loads of swear phrases are based mostly on French Catholicism.

Talking of which, language help 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 boundaries, many dialects are being omitted — there is no Québécois French or Mexican Spanish, as an example.

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3

Automated order monitoring in Apple Pockets

No extra want for out of doors instruments?

Apple / Pocket-lint

Apple has truly had an order monitoring system within the iOS Pockets app for a couple of years, however till now, it required lively participation on the a part of retailers. This wasn’t very interesting to firms with their very own monitoring methods, or anybody preferring a platform-neutral choice. Usually, after 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 gadget simply to learn how shut a bundle 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 help the likes of Outlook or Gmail. However who is aware of — for individuals with frequent deliveries, this could possibly be an incentive to change e mail shoppers.

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4

Automated Reminders options 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 really necessary to me must be completed instantly or is inconceivable to overlook. However even I make use of the iOS Reminders app sometimes, and a few individuals appear to stay and die by it. I get it, because it offloads among the burden of remembering what your job, pals, 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 objects you possibly can add to a grocery procuring listing. To arrange issues additional, related reminders are mechanically sorted into sections inside every listing. I think about each of this stuff are going to be extraordinarily helpful for Reminders diehards, since we’re usually bombarded with a flood of communications day by day. It is simple to overlook that you could name somebody again while you’re already late selecting up your youngster from college.

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5

Apple Intelligence in Shortcuts

An undiscovered nation

The Shortcuts app would be the most underappreciated a part of iOS. I do not use it as a lot as I used to, however in the event you’re affected person, you possibly can construct some fairly elaborate automations to simplify duties — my “I am driving house” 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. Chances are high, if it is baked into iOS, there is a manner of automating it by way of Shortcuts.

The iOS 26 model of the app allows Apple Intelligence actions, resembling picture technology or textual content summaries. In actual fact, I am on this not a lot for what’s attainable now, however reasonably 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 might probably inform I am headed out on a gaggle trip with my electrical unicycle, as an example. The probabilities could also be huge, even overwhelming for the typical particular person — it is a good factor persons are sharing shortcut concepts on-line.

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