MacRumors

Apple is expanding the Weather app in iOS 26 with a new feature: Severe Weather Alerts and Widgets for Predicted Travel Destinations. This enhancement offers proactive notifications for locations you may soon visit, leveraging Apple's "Proactive Intelligence" to keep you informed before you arrive.

The new feature builds on the existing severe weather notification system, which currently supports alerts for a user's current location. ‌iOS 26‌ uses on-device processing to estimate where you might be traveling soon if the Significant Locations & Routes permission setting is turned on.

This will be particularly useful for travelers, commuters, or anyone planning a day trip or overnight stay, ensuring users are not caught off guard by incoming extreme weather events at their destinations.

To enable this feature, users will need to:

• Enable Significant Locations & Routes in Location Services.
• Set Weather app location access to “Always”.
• Turn on Severe Weather notifications in the Weather app settings.

If these conditions are met, the Weather app can access predicted destinations and deliver timely alerts relevant to those areas. Importantly, Apple states that it may associate the region of your possible travel destinations with your Apple ID, similar to how it handles alerts for your current location.

This feature also integrates with Smart Stacks in watchOS 26 and Widget Suggestions. When enabled, the Weather app can automatically display a destination-specific widget in your Smart Stack, providing at-a-glance weather updates for places you're likely to visit.

Finally, it appears ‌iOS 26‌ will extend the satellite connectivity for Emergency SOS and Messages introduced in earlier releases to Weather data. This ensures users without Wi-Fi or cellular access can still receive critical weather warnings even when out of range of terrestrial networks.

Apple has announced iOS 26, and the upcoming software update includes a long list of new features and changes for iPhones.

The first iOS 26 developer beta is now available, and a public beta will follow next month. The update will be released later this year.

iOS 26 is compatible with the iPhone 11 and newer.

Below, we have provided a high-level overview of 100 new features and changes that are coming with iOS 26, in no particular order:

1. A new Liquid Glass design with shimmery app icons and a translucent interface that reflects and refracts the surrounding colors
2. There is a redesigned tab bar in apps
3. A new "Clear" option for Home Screen app icons and widgets, alongside the existing "Light" and "Dark" options
4. On the Lock Screen, the clock dynamically adapts to fill empty space
5. On the Lock Screen, there is an option to view full-screen album artwork
6. Polls in group chats in the Messages app
7. Add a custom background to any conversation in the Messages app
8. You can now send and receive Apple Cash in group chats in the Messages app
9. Typing indicators are now visible in group chats in the Messages app
10. There is a new "Add Contact" button in group chats in the Messages app
11. A new "Select" option in the Messages app lets you select a portion of text within a message bubble
12. Messages app can screen messages from unknown senders, placing them into an Unknown Senders folder
13. Messages app has gained natural language search
14. Hold Assist can wait on hold for you during a phone call, and notify you when the live agent is ready for you
15. Call Screening automatically answers unknown callers, and asks for their name and the reason for their call, before your iPhone rings
16. Live Translation for calls and texts across the Phone, FaceTime, and Messages apps
17. A preinstalled Apple Games app lets you discover games, in-game events, and compete with friends with new challenges
18. A preinstalled Preview app lets you create, edit, annotate, markup, and export PDFs, plus crop, flip, rotate, and resize images
19. Photos app is now split into Library and Collections tabs
20. Relevant video thumbnails are now shown in search results in the Photos app
21. In the Photos app, you can create 3D spatial versions of photos, which was previously only possible using the Apple Vision Pro
22. Camera app has a simpler design with Video and Photo tabs
23. In the Camera app, you will receive an alert if a camera lens needs to be cleaned, so long as "Lens Cleaning Hints" is toggled on in the Settings app
24. The screenshot editing interface has been slightly redesigned
25. In the Settings app, you can now turn off CarPlay screenshots under General → Screen Capture, so that taking a screenshot on your iPhone does not also generate a CarPlay screenshot while the device is connected to CarPlay
26. In the Settings app, can now turn off iCloud Drive syncing via cellular data
27. Phone app now has an optional all-in-one layout that combines Favorites, Recents, and Voicemails
28. Phone app now supports screen sharing and SharePlay during phone calls
29. Phone app offers new Monogram styles for contacts
30. A new Focus mode lets you silence an individual SIM
31. Journal app now lets you create multiple journals
32. Journal app entries can now be viewed on a map
33. Journal app now lets images be added inline with text
34. Passwords app now shows password history
35. Safari now has three layouts: Compact, Bottom, and Top
36. Safari now offers advanced fingerprinting protection for all browsing by default
37. Tips app now offers step-by-step guides for troubleshooting common iPhone issues
38. You can now test AirPods beta firmware directly via the Settings app
39. You can start recording video in the Camera app by pressing and holding on the stem of AirPods 4 or AirPods Pro 2
40. AirPods 4 and AirPods Pro 2 now offer studio-quality audio recording
41. AirPods can now detect when you fall asleep and automatically pause audio
42. You are now notified when your AirPods are fully charged
43. You can be reminded to charge your AirPods when their battery life is low
44. AirPods audio can now automatically switch to CarPlay as necessary
45. You can now set a custom snooze duration of 1 to 15 minutes in the Clock app
46. Visual Intelligence now works with on-screen content, so you can ask ChatGPT questions about what you are looking at
47. Visual Intelligence can now read aloud and summarize screenshots with text
48. Genmoji can now combine two standard emoji into one custom one
49. Image Playground offers new ChatGPT image styles, including Oil Painting, Watercolor, Vector, Anime, and Print
50. In the Shortcuts app, there is a new set of shortcuts powered by Apple Intelligence
51. Apple Music lets you pin playlists, albums, and artists at the top of the Library tab
52. Apple Music lets you create playlist folders
53. Lyrics translation for Apple Music songs
54. AutoMix for Apple Music can seamlessly mix from one song to the next like a DJ
55. Live Activities support for boarding passes in the Apple Wallet app
56. Wallet app now displays relevant information below the boarding pass, such as Apple Maps directions to the appropriate airport terminal, and a shortcut to the Find My app's baggage tracking feature
57. Create a digital ID in the Wallet app using your U.S. passport, for age and identity verification in supported apps, and at select stores and TSA checkpoints
58. In participating U.S. states, "Verify with Wallet on the Web" enables you to present your driver's license or state ID in the Wallet app to websites for age and identity verification, starting with Chime, Turo, Uber Eats, and U.S. Bank, as well as the Arizona MVD, Georgia DDS, and Maryland MVA
59. You can now manage AutoFill credit cards in the Wallet app
60. When toggled on, a new Adaptive Power mode can make small adjustments to extend battery life, such as by slightly lowering display brightness or allowing certain background activities to take longer
61. In the Settings app, you can see how long it will take for your iPhone's battery to achieve a full charge when the device is charging
62. The entire Battery section of the Settings app was overhauled
63. A new "Keep Audio in Headphones" setting prevents audio from automatically switching to newly connected devices, like car speakers or Bluetooth speakers, when you are already listening through AirPods or other headphones
    

64. You can now access a list of blocked contacts via the Settings app
65. Safety Check is now an option when blocking a contact
66. Apple News+ subscribers in the U.S. and Canada can play a new Emoji Game
67. A new set of Background Sounds include Babble, Steam, Airplane, Boat, Bus, Train, Rain on Roof, and Quiet Night
68. The so-called Home bar at the bottom of the screen is now hidden more often
69. Weather via satellite will allow you to receive the latest forecast information while outside of Wi-Fi or cellular range
70. In the Notes app, notes can be exported as a Markdown file
71. With Apple Intelligence, the Reminders app can suggest tasks, grocery items, and follow-ups based on emails or other text on your device
72. Apple Intelligence can automatically categorize reminders in the Reminders app
73. You can now create reminders in the Reminders app via the Action button
74. Apple Maps can now learn your commute between home and work, and notify you if there are any significant delays along your typical route, and offer alternate routes if available
75. Apple Maps can intelligently detect and save the places that you frequently visit and spend time in, such as restaurants or stores
76. Apple Maps now lets you choose from additional types of incidents on the "Report an Incident" screen
77. You can use an iPhone as a wireless microphone for the Apple Music Sing feature on the Apple TV 4K (3rd generation)
78. In the Apple Podcasts app, there are now a wider range of playback speed options, from 0.5x to 3x
79. In the Apple Podcasts app, an Enhance Dialogue option lets you hear speech more clearly over background sounds
80. In the Apple Wallet app, Apple Intelligence can now automatically identify, summarize, and display order tracking details from emails sent from merchants or delivery carriers
81. Apple Pay now lets you use rewards and installments for in-store purchases
82. Custom Plans in Apple Fitness+ now automatically create a personalized schedule based on users' workout and meditation preferences
83. New accessibility features, such as Accessibility Reader and Braille Access
84. Personal Voice can now create a smoother, more natural-sounding replication of your voice in less than a minute, using only 10 recorded phrases
85. Vehicle Motion Cues has gained new options to further help reduce motion sickness
86. Parents can now create or move kids into Child Accounts even more easily
87. Parents can grant an exception for their child to download an app with an age rating that exceeds the app content restriction they set
88. Enhancements across Communication Limits, Communication Safety, and the App Store include parental approvals for contact requests from kids, and blurring out sensitive content in FaceTime calls and photos in Shared Albums
89. There is a new "Transfer From Android" option during eSIM setup
90. Wi-Fi Aware is now supported
91. You can now sync captive Wi-Fi portal login information across Apple devices
92. Arabic calculator
93. Multiscript keyboard for Arabic/English
94. You can now specify spelling while using the Dictation feature
95. Liquid Glass design extends to CarPlay when using an iPhone running iOS 26
96. CarPlay now can now show Live Activities on the Dashboard screen
97. CarPlay can now display widgets for things like calendar appointments and Home app accessory controls (previously CarPlay Ultra only)
98. CarPlay now has a compact view for incoming phone calls
99. CarPlay now shows pinned conversations in the Messages app
100. CarPlay now lets you respond to messages with the standard set of Tapbacks in the Messages app

iOS 26 suggests that Apple is indeed working on a new version of the AirPods Pro that could be coming in the not too distant future. Code in ‌iOS 26‌ discovered by MacRumors contributor Steve Moser references the "AirPods Pro 3" alongside the "AirPods Pro" and the "AirPods Pro 2."

There is no ‌AirPods Pro 3‌ at the current time, but rumors suggest that Apple plans to introduce a new model this fall. The reference is buried in a headphone-related UI framework, so Apple appears to be preparing for the upcoming product launch behind the scenes.

This isn't actually the first time Apple has hinted at ‌AirPods Pro 3‌. Last month, Apple changed a reference to the second-generation AirPods Pro to the "AirPods Pro 2 or later," even though there is no "later" right now.

The ‌AirPods Pro 3‌ will have a new look for the earbuds and the case, with Apple perhaps slimming down the case like it did for the AirPods 4. We're also counting on a faster audio chip that brings improved Active Noise Cancellation and audio quality, plus the updated earbuds might offer heart rate monitoring functionality and temperature sensing.

For more on what's expected for the ‌AirPods Pro 3‌, we have a dedicated guide that's updated with new rumors regularly.

Apple is adding a "Verify with Wallet on the Web" option in iOS 26 that can use a state-issued license or Digital ID to verify age and identity in a private and secure way. This is already an option in apps, but Apple is expanding it to the web through support for the W3C Digital Credentials API and the FIDO CTAP protocol.

Right now, purchasing alcohol, renting a car, or similar activities online can require users to upload a picture of their ID, but Apple's new system will replace that. Websites will be able to request digital credentials like name and date of birth without receiving unnecessary information. End users will be informed of how the data will be used, and whether it will be stored by the website asking for identity verification.

Apple's new web-based ID verification feature will work seamlessly in Safari on iPhone, iPad, and Mac, but it will also work with other browser apps and other operating systems that implement support. You can use your ‌iPhone‌ to scan a QR code in any browser on any system to share digital ID information with a website using Face ID authentication.

Verify with Wallet on the web works with state-issued IDs and licenses, and passports added through the new ‌iOS 26‌ Digital ID feature could support online verification. Apple is also adding support for third-party apps that store licenses. Some states have digital ID systems that do not integrate with Apple Wallet, but licenses stored in these apps will still be able to be used for identity and age verification on the web. When initiating the verification process on a website, ‌iPhone‌ users will be able to select the Wallet app or a third-party app.

The process is end-to-end encrypted, so other parties are not able to read identity data, including browsers and operating systems. IDs are cryptographically signed, preventing the use of fake IDs.

Apple says that the first websites that will support the Verify with Wallet on the Web feature include Chime, Turo, Uber Eats, and U.S. Bank. The Arizona MVD, Georgia DDS, and Maryland MVA will add support for their digital ID apps.

The web verification process for IDs will launch this fall when ‌iOS 26‌ debuts.

In iOS 26, Apple is implementing a new Digital ID feature that builds on integration for Driver's Licenses in the Wallet app. Starting this fall, Apple Wallet will allow iPhone users to add a U.S. passport that can be used in lieu of a physical passport for domestic travel.

The Digital ID can be stored on the ‌iPhone‌ or the Apple Watch, and it can be used at select TSA checkpoints throughout the United States. It is Real ID compliant, as a passport can be presented instead of a Real ID when traveling.

Digital IDs do not replace physical passports, and Apple warns that they cannot be used for international travel or border crossings. In these situations, a physical passport will be required, but for domestic travel, ‌iPhone‌ users won't need to pull out a passport and can instead pass through TSA checkpoints quicker.

As with state driver's licenses and IDs, Digital IDs will work for age and identity verification in apps, retail store locations, and new in ‌iOS 26‌, websites. The option to add a passport to Wallet for use as an ID option will expand digital identification features to many more ‌iPhone‌ users.

U.S. states and territories have been slowly rolling out support for IDs in the Wallet app, but it is still limited to Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, Hawaii, Iowa, Maryland, New Mexico, Ohio, and Puerto Rico.

Apple is adding other travel-friendly features to the Wallet app. There's an overhauled boarding pass experience that provides users with a Live Activity overview of their flight and real-time updates. Boarding passes also offer options to go to Maps for an airport overview, and Find My for tracking luggage.

Apple is partnering with airlines to implement the updated boarding passes, and these airlines will be the first to support the feature: Air Canada, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, JetBlue, Jetstar, Lufthansa Group, Qantas, Southwest Airlines, United Airlines, and Virgin Australia.

Throughout the 2000s and 2010s, Apple offered a line of Wi-Fi routers that it referred to as AirPort base stations. There was a standard AirPort Express, a higher-end AirPort Extreme with more advanced networking features, and an AirPort Time Capsule that doubled as an external storage drive for backing up a Mac with Time Machine.

Apple discontinued the AirPort line in 2018, and this week it shared more sad news that will impact the AirPort Time Capsule specifically.

As noticed by @StellaFudge, and by other users who have installed the first macOS Tahoe beta, the Time Machine page in the System Settings app now indicates that the next major version of macOS — aka macOS 27 — will no longer support the AirPort Time Capsule or any other storage drives that use the Apple Filing Protocol (AFP).

Apple already announced that its AFP client had been deprecated, in its enterprise release notes for macOS Sequoia 15.5 last month.

Starting with macOS 27, Time Capsule backups will require a storage drive that supports more current file-sharing protocols like SMBv2 and SMBv3.

macOS 27 will be released next year.

Following its WWDC keynote on Monday, Apple updated a developer document to indicate that Rosetta 2 will remain available through macOS 27.

Rosetta 2 enables Macs with Apple silicon (Arm architecture) to run apps that were built for Macs with an Intel processor (x86 architecture), by translating code.

Starting with macOS 28, Apple said that only a limited version of Rosetta 2 will remain available for older games that rely on Intel-based frameworks:

Rosetta was designed to make the transition to Apple silicon easier, and we plan to make it available for the next two major macOS releases – through macOS 27 – as a general-purpose tool for Intel apps to help developers complete the migration of their apps. Beyond this timeframe, we will keep a subset of Rosetta functionality aimed at supporting older unmaintained gaming titles, that rely on Intel-based frameworks.

The document also reiterates that macOS Tahoe will be the final macOS release that supports Intel-based Macs. However, Apple said that Intel-based Macs will continue to receive security updates for an additional three years.

macOS Tahoe is compatible with only a handful of Intel-based Macs, including the 16-inch MacBook Pro (2019), 13-inch MacBook Pro (2020, Four Thunderbolt 3 Ports), 27-inch iMac (2020), and Mac Pro (2019).

macOS 28 will be released in 2027.

Apple has released the first iOS 26 beta to developers, but even non-developers have the opportunity to download beta software updates on their iPhones for free. Keep reading to learn how it's done.

Traditionally, when Apple announced a major new operating system update, the first wave of betas would only be available to download by paying subscribers to Apple's Developer Program, which costs $99 a year. Public betas would then become available to users enrolled in Apple's Public Beta Software Program after a delay of a few days or weeks after the developer beta has been released. That all changed in 2023, and these days iPhone users no longer have to wait for a publicly released beta to test what's new.

Indeed, anyone who signs in to Apple's developer account website with their Apple Account credentials gets access to developer beta releases as well, even if they are not a paying member of Apple's Developer Program. This means anyone with an Apple Account can download and install the new iOS 26, iPadOS 26, and macOS Tahoe betas without waiting for the public betas to launch.

Is My iPhone Compatible With iOS 26?

iOS 26 is compatible with the iPhone 11 series and newer. In other words, the following models are supported:

• iPhone 16e
• iPhone 16
• iPhone 16 Plus
• iPhone 16 Pro
• iPhone 16 Pro Max
• iPhone 15
• iPhone 15 Plus
• iPhone 15 Pro
• iPhone 15 Pro Max
• iPhone 14
• iPhone 14 Plus
• iPhone 14 Pro
• iPhone 14 Pro Max
• iPhone 13
• iPhone 13 mini
• iPhone 13 Pro
• iPhone 13 Pro Max
• iPhone 12
• iPhone 12 mini
• iPhone 12 Pro
• iPhone 12 Pro Max
• iPhone 11
• iPhone 11 Pro
• iPhone 11 Pro Max
• iPhone SE (2nd generation and later)

Should I Install iOS 26 Developer Beta?

Great question! Before downloading the update, it's worth noting that Apple does not recommend installing iOS 26 beta updates on your main iPhone, so if you have a secondary device, use that. This is beta software, which means there are often bugs and issues that pop up that can prevent software from working properly or cause other problems. Apple undoubtedly has plenty of fixes to make before the final release.

Make an Archived Backup of Your Device First

Before installing the beta, make sure to back up your iOS device before installing the software using the following method, otherwise you won't be able to revert back to iOS 18 if things go wrong.

1. Plug your iPhone into your Mac using the supplied cable.
2. Allow the accessory to connect by clicking Allow in the dialog prompt.
3. Open a Finder window by clicking the Finder icon in the Dock.
4. Click your iOS device's name in the sidebar.
   
   

5. If this is the first time connecting your device to your Mac, click Trust in the Finder window.
   
   

6. Tap Trust on your device when prompted, then enter your passcode to confirm.
7. In the General tab, click the circle next to where it says Back up all of the data on your iPad to this Mac.
8. If you want to encrypt the backup, check the box next to Encrypt local backup, then enter a password to protect your data.
9. If you don't want to create an encrypted backup, or you've already set up encrypted backups, click Back Up Now.
   
   

When the backup is finished, you can find the date and time of the last backup in the General tab, just above the Manage Backups button. Remember that this backup will not be overwritten when you manually or automatically back up your iPhone in the future, so you can restore it at any time by using the Restore Backup... option in the same Finder screen.

How to Download iOS 26 Developer Betas

The option to download and install the iOS 26 Developer Beta is immediately available for users who have previously enrolled on Apple's Beta Software Program. If you're currently enrolled to receive Public Betas, you can skip to step 6, otherwise follow these steps.

1. Open Safari on your iPhone and visit developer.apple.com.
2. Tap the menu icon in the top-left corner of the page, then tap Account.
3. Under "Sign in to Apple Developer," enter and submit your Apple Account credentials using the arrow buttons, then enter the two-factor authentication code sent to your devices.
   
   

4. Tap the top-left menu icon again, then tap Account.
5. Accept the legal terms of the Apple Developer Agreement by scrolling down the page, checking the box, and tapping I Agree. You'll then be directed to a payment screen, but you can quit out of your browser from here – you don't need to pay anything.
   
   

6. Make sure your iPhone is running iOS 16.4 or later by going to Settings -> General -> Software Update. If it is, and you have just completed steps 1-5 to register a developer account, restart your iPhone. If it isn't, download and install the latest update to your device, then wait for it to restart.
7. Now go back to Settings ➝ General ➝ Software Update.
8. Tap Beta Updates. If you don't see the option, try switching off Download iOS Updates (Automatic Updates ➝ Download iOS Updates), then tap Back and it should appear.
9. Select iOS 26 Developer Beta in the list, then tap Back.
10. Wait for the Software Update screen to check Apple's servers. When the iOS 26 Developer Beta appears, tap Download and Install, then follow the instructions and wait for installation to complete.
    

iOS 26 Features

iOS 26 introduces a striking system-wide redesign built around Liquid Glass, a translucent material that reflects and refracts ambient content and dynamically responds to user input. The new aesthetic applies across the Lock Screen, Home Screen, toolbar controls, navigation elements, app icons, and widgets.

The update also brings new Apple Intelligence features. With Live Translation available in Messages, FaceTime, and Phone, conversations across languages are now seamless and entirely on-device to ensure privacy. New Visual Intelligence capabilities mean you can ask questions about screen content. There are also smarter Shortcuts with intelligent actions to make automation easier.

Communication apps gain smart upgrades too. The revamped Phone app now combines Favorites, Recents, and Voicemails in one view, adds Call Screening, and includes a clever Hold Assist feature. Messages gains filtered inboxes for unknown senders, typing indicators in group chats, custom backgrounds and polls, and Apple Cash transfers.

CarPlay gets a visual refresh aligned with the Liquid Glass design and now includes compact call notifications, tappable Message reactions, pinned conversations, widgets, and Live Activities support.

Apple has also updated some of its key apps: Apple Music adds Lyrics Translation and Pronunciation plus AutoMix DJ-style transitions; Maps introduces privacy-protected "Visited Places" and smarter route preferences; Wallet supports installment/rewards payments, refreshed boarding passes with Live Activities, and deeper integrations with Maps and Find My. Lastly, a new Games app debuts as a central hub for mobile gaming, featuring a unified library, Apple Arcade support, event tracking, and friend status updates.

For a full breakdown of what's new, be sure to check out our dedicated iOS 26 roundup.

Amazon this week has discounts across nearly the entire M3 iPad Air lineup, offering $100 off these tablets. Prices start at $499.00 for the 128GB Wi-Fi 11-inch M3 iPad Air, down from $599.00. Best Buy is matching all of these deals on the iPad Air.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

Every deal has been automatically applied and does not require you to clip an on-page coupon in order to see the final sale price. We've rounded up every discount available on Amazon in the lists below, and they include both 11-inch and 13-inch models.

Our list below focuses on Wi-Fi models, but you'll also find many cellular models on sale at $100 off right now. The 128GB cellular 11-inch iPad Air is available for $649.00 and the 128GB cellular 13-inch iPad Air is available for $849.00, both $100 discounts.

11-inch M3 iPad Air

• 128GB Wi-Fi - $499.00, down from $599.00
• 256GB Wi-Fi - $599.00, down from $699.00
• 512GB Wi-Fi - $799.00, down from $899.00
• 1TB Wi-Fi - $999.00, down from $1,099.00

13-inch M3 iPad Air

• 128GB Wi-Fi - $699.00, down from $799.00
• 256GB Wi-Fi - $799.00, down from $899.00
• 512GB Wi-Fi - $999.00, down from $1,099.00
• 1TB Wi-Fi - $1,199.00, down from $1,299.00

If you're on the hunt for more discounts, be sure to visit our Apple Deals roundup where we recap the best Apple-related bargains of the past week.

Apple this week announced tvOS 26, which is now available in developer beta. The upcoming software update includes a handful of new features for the Apple TV, although some of the changes are only available on newer models.

The most obvious change is a new Liquid Glass design, which was also introduced across iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS 26, and watchOS 26. The new design language includes shimmery app icons, and translucent elements that reflect colors. The new design is only visible on the Apple TV 4K (2nd generation) and Apple TV 4K (3rd generation).

In the TV app, movies and TV show posters are now shown in vertical cards, which take up less space on the screen than the previous horizontal cards.

With an optional new setting, tvOS 26 can automatically display profiles when your Apple TV wakes, so that you can quickly access your watchlist and personalized recommendations in the TV app, as well as your Apple Music playlists.

tvOS 26 will link login information to your Apple Account for supported apps, making it easier for you to sign in to apps when setting up an Apple TV.

On the Apple TV, Apple Music subscribers have access to an Apple Music Sing karaoke feature that lowers the volume of the song's vocals so that you can sing along to the on-screen lyrics. tvOS 26 takes Apple Music Sing a step further by allowing you to use your iPhone as a wireless microphone, with your voice amplified through the TV's speakers. Plus, your friends and family can use their iPhones to queue up songs, or react with on-screen emoji.

In order to use an iPhone as a microphone for Apple Music Sing, you will need to have the latest Apple TV 4K (3rd generation) running tvOS 26.

Apple Music Sing has also gained lyrics translation for select songs in select languages.

FaceTime has received some enhancements on tvOS 26, including incoming call notifications, Contact Posters when starting a call, and Live Captions in French, German, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, and Spanish.

tvOS 26 lets you designate any AirPlay speaker as the permanent speaker for your Apple TV.

The update also adds new Aerial screen savers captured across India.

These are only the new features that Apple highlighted in its tvOS 26 press release, so expect more changes to be uncovered in the betas.

tvOS 26 will be released to the general public later this year. The update is compatible with all Apple TV HD and Apple TV 4K models.

Starting with watchOS 26, the Notes app is available on the Apple Watch.

With the Notes app on the Apple Watch, you can finally view your notes right on your wrist. You can also create new notes with Siri, or by using the on-screen keyboard, and they will sync to your iPhone, iPad, and Mac via iCloud.

Other available functions in the Notes app on the Apple Watch include pinning notes, unlocking notes, and completing checklist items.

This is a smaller yet very useful change coming with watchOS 26, which is now available in beta. The update will be released to all users later this year for the Apple Watch Series 6 and newer, Apple Watch SE 2, and all Apple Watch Ultra models.

In iOS 26 beta 1, Apple has seemingly tweaked the swipe-to-go-back gesture to make it easier to navigate screens on bigger iPhones.

In iOS 18, many apps allow you to navigate back to the previous screen by swiping with your thumb from the left edge of the display. This is generally easier than tapping a back button in the top-left corner, especially if you're navigating with one hand.

However, to trigger the gesture, you need to start swiping from the very edge of the screen, which is harder if you have small hands or you're using a larger device like an iPhone 16 Pro Max.

To make things easier in iOS 26, you no longer have to start the rightward swipe at the very edge of the screen. Now you can start the gesture from anywhere, like the middle of the display. Providing you're not thumbing an interactive UI element, the swipe-to-go-back gesture will still be triggered.

Currently the gesture works in many system apps including Settings, Contacts, Music, and the App Store. It also seems to work in some third-party apps, although support is likely to expand once developers update their apps in time for the release of iOS 26 in the fall.

Apple's first iOS 26 beta includes a new "Keep Audio in Headphones" setting that addresses a common frustration for iPhone users juggling multiple audio devices.

Found in Settings ➝ General ➝ AirPlay & Continuity, the new toggle prevents audio from automatically switching to newly connected devices like car speakers or Bluetooth speakers when you're already listening through headphones or AirPods. Instead of having your music suddenly blast through your car's sound system, audio continues playing through your original output device.

This seemingly simple addition solves an awkward scenario many users will have experienced. Say you're listening to a podcast through AirPods while walking to your car, only to have it unexpectedly resume through CarPlay when you start the engine. Now you can stop that happening by enabling this option.

When iOS 26 launches this fall, the feature should provide welcome relief for anyone tired of their iPhone making assumptions about where they want their audio played. iOS 26 is available in developer beta, with a public beta dropping next month.

In tvOS 26, Apple Music Sing now lets users turn their iPhone into a wireless microphone for Apple TV karaoke sessions, with voices amplified through the television's audio system.

The feature supports multiple participants, allowing friends to join using their own iPhones to queue songs or send emoji reactions that appear onscreen. Real-time lyrics display on the Apple TV alongside visual effects that respond to the music.

The broad new language support in Apple's platforms extends to new Lyrics Translation and Pronunciation features in Sing. Translation covers select songs between English-Chinese (simplified), English-Japanese, Korean-Chinese (simplified), Korean-English, Korean-Japanese, and Spanish-English language pairs.

Meanwhile, pronunciation assistance spans multiple scripts including Cantonese to Jyutping, Chinese variants to Pinyin, Hindi to Romanized Hindi, Japanese to Romanized Japanese, and Korean to both Katakana and Romanized Korean formats. Punjabi songs gain Romanized Punjabi pronunciation support.

The updated Sing experience requires iPhone 11 or later models paired with a third-generation Apple TV 4K. tvOS 26 is available now in developer beta, with a public beta coming next month.

In watchOS 26, the Apple Watch Workout app has received its biggest interface overhaul since it launched, introducing a redesigned layout that promises easier access to key features.

Four new corner buttons now provide quick access to popular workout customization tools including Workout Views, Custom Workout, Pacer, and Race Route. Apple has also integrated music and podcast setup directly into the Workout app itself. Users can now configure audio to automatically begin playing when they start exercising, eliminating the need to switch between apps mid-workout.

The update includes intelligent playlist selection through Apple Music integration (with a subscription). It can now automatically choose playlists based on both workout type and individual listening preferences, though users retain the option to manually select from suggestions.

For podcast listeners, the app will surface recommendations based on previous listening habits during specific workout types. A runner who typically listens to true crime podcasts during jogs, for instance, might see those suggestions prominently featured.

The corner button approach is a departure from the previous scrolling interface, and should hopefully make one-handed operation easier during exercise. watchOS 26 is currently available in developer beta, with a public beta expected to arrive next month.

Apple in watchOS 26 has added a new one-handed wrist-flick gesture to easily dismiss notifications, but the gesture only works on newer Apple Watch models.

When you raise your wrist to check a notification but aren’t ready to respond, you can now simply flick your wrist – turn it over and back – to dismiss it. The quick gesture lets you dismiss notifications and incoming calls, silence timers and alarms, and return to the watch face.

It works by using the accelerometer and gyroscope in your watch, along with a machine learning model that analyzes your wrist movement. However, the functionality is limited to Apple Watch Series 9, Apple Watch 10, and Apple Watch Ultra 2.

The watchOS 26 interface adopts Apple's new Liquid Glass design, while Apple Intelligence powers a new Workout Buddy feature that provides personalized, spoken motivation. There's also a new layout for the Workout app, and it now offers music to listen to based on your tastes and workout type. Apple Watch now also supports Live Translation in Messages.

watchOS 26 is available for testing now through the Apple Developer Program, and a public beta will be available through the Apple Beta Software Program next month.

In iOS 26, Apple updated the Battery section of the Settings app to provide a much more in-depth look at how your iPhone usage impacts battery life and how much battery apps are draining, plus there are new battery management tools.

At the top of the Battery interface, there's a readout of your current battery and the time that you last charged. If your ‌iPhone‌ is currently charging, it will let you know how much time is remaining until a full charge.

Battery usage is no longer split by 24 hours and 10 days, with Apple providing just a weekly view of average battery use along with a comparison of how much battery you're currently using compared to your typical average.

The new comparison feature will let you know if you're using more, the same, or less battery life than you do on most days. It shows which apps used more battery and by how much, which makes it easier to tell what's draining your battery.

App battery usage includes specific details, such as letting you know if an app ran in the background longer, was on your screen longer, or sent more notifications than normal.

You can tap back through the previous 7 days to see how much battery you used on a given day, with a breakdown for active use and screen idle use. It also shows when you charged and for how long.

There's still a Battery Health section where you can see charge cycles and maximum capacity and a Charge Limit section where you can limit charging to 80 percent. Apple also added a new Power Mode option where you can toggle on Low Power Mode or the new Adaptive Power Mode. Adaptive Power Mode detects when ‌iPhone‌ usage is higher than normal and makes small performance adjustments like lowering display brightness to extend battery life.

These new battery features are available in ‌iOS 26‌ and iPadOS 26, but Apple hasn't changed the Mac battery readouts. ‌iOS 26‌ is limited to developers right now, though a public beta is coming next month. ‌iOS 26‌ will launch to the public in September.

While the new software updates that Apple showed off today are only available to developers at the current time, Apple does plan to release public betas.

In the fine print for most of its software announcements, Apple says that public betas for iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS Tahoe, watchOS 26, and tvOS 26 will be coming "next month," aka July. Apple has been releasing public betas during July for quite some time now, as the timeline allows for a few rounds of developer beta testing for feature refinements before a wider beta rollout.

So when in July will we get the public beta? Here are Apple's past release dates:

• iOS 18 - July 15
• iOS 17 - July 12
• iOS 16 - July 11
• iOS 15 - June 30
• iOS 14 - July 9

Apple tends to aim for around the middle of the month, so we could get the public betas the week of June 14, but the week before is a possibility too. The public beta usually follows the second or third developer beta, depending on timing and what needs to be fixed and refined.

Apple will provide public betas of iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, watchOS, HomePod Software 26, and the AirPods firmware. Apple doesn't typically provide beta firmware updates for public beta testers, but the company's beta website says it will be an option. Apple doesn't plan to offer a visionOS public beta, and that update will remain limited to developers.

After the developer beta and the public beta testing period, the new software updates will see a public launch in the fall.