iOS 26 to Bring These 3 Long-Awaited Features to Messages
Apple's Messages app is finally catching up to the competition. With iOS 26 expected to be previewed at WWDC next week, Apple is working on three features that Messages users have been requesting for years – and they're the kind of additions that should make you actually want to use iMessage over a rival chat platform.
Here's what's coming:
- Polls – Apple is said to be planning to add an option for polls in Messages, which would allow people in group chats to vote. Apple Intelligence could play a part in this feature. For example, one possibility is that Messages could automatically suggest the poll based on the context of the conversation.
- Auto-Translate – The Messages app will include a new translate feature. Messages will apparently be able to automatically translate incoming and outgoing messages when you're conversing with someone who speaks another language. You can already long press on an incoming message and choose the translate option to translate it to another language, but it seems the process could be sped up with automatic translation options.
- Background Images – iOS 26 will also include the option to set background images within individual Messages conversations. These personalized backgrounds would automatically sync across all your Apple devices, adding some visual flair to your chats.
These aren't earth-shattering changes, but they're practical ones. Polls could solve group chat coordination problems, auto-translate should remove friction from international conversations, and background images will give conversations some personality.
At WWDC, Apple is expected to unveil major updates across all its platforms, including iOS 26, macOS 26, iPadOS 26, watchOS 26, and more. The keynote kicks off Monday, June 9, at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time, when we'll learn whether these rumored features make the final cut.
Apple will live stream the event on its website, on YouTube, and in the TV app. If you're not able to watch live, we'll have a live blog and coverage of the announcements here at MacRumors, plus we'll be live tweeting the event on the MacRumorsLive account.
Popular Stories
iPadOS 26 allows iPads to function much more like Macs, with a new app windowing system, a swipe-down menu bar at the top of the screen, and more. However, Apple has stopped short of allowing iPads to run macOS, and it has now explained why.
In an interview this week with Swiss tech journalist Rafael Zeier, Apple's software engineering chief Craig Federighi said that iPadOS 26's new Mac-like ...
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models simultaneously, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 17 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect from Apple's 2025 smartphone lineup.
If you skipped the iPhone...
Alongside WWDC this week, Logitech announced notable new accessories for the iPad and Apple Vision Pro.
The Logitech Muse is a spatially-tracked stylus developed for use with the Apple Vision Pro. Introduced during the WWDC 2025 keynote address, Muse is intended to support the next generation of spatial computing workflows enabled by visionOS 26. The device incorporates six degrees of...
With iOS 26, Apple has introduced some major changes to the iPhone experience, headlined by the new Liquid Glass redesign that's available across all compatible devices. However, several of the update's features are exclusive to iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 models, since they rely on Apple Intelligence.
The following features are powered by on-device large language models and machine...
Apple this week announced that iPhone users will soon be able to watch videos right on the CarPlay screen in supported vehicles.
iPhone users will be able to wirelessly stream videos to the CarPlay screen using AirPlay, according to Apple. For safety reasons, video playback will only be available when the vehicle is parked, to prevent distracted driving. The connected iPhone will be able to...
iOS 26 features a whole new design material that Apple calls Liquid Glass, with a focus on transparency that lets the content on your display shine through the controls. If you're not a fan of the look, or are having trouble with readability, there is a step that you can take to make things more opaque without entirely losing out on the new look.
Apple has multiple Accessibility options that ...
Apple today added Mac Studio models with M4 Max and M3 Ultra chips to its online certified refurbished store in the United States, Canada, Japan, Singapore, and many European countries, for the first time since they were released in March.
As usual for refurbished Macs, prices are discounted by approximately 15% compared to the equivalent new models on Apple's online store. Note that Apple's ...
Apple today provided developers with a revised version of the first iOS 26 beta for testing purposes. The update is only available for the iPhone 15 and iPhone 16 models, so if you're running iOS 26 on an iPhone 14 or earlier, you won't see the revised beta.
Registered developers can download the new beta software through the Settings app on each device.
The revised beta addresses an...
At today's WWDC 2025 keynote event, Apple unveiled a new design that will inform the next decade of iOS, iPadOS, and macOS development, so needless to say, it was a busy day. Apple also unveiled a ton of new features for the iPhone, an overhauled Spotlight interface for the Mac, and a ton of updates that make the iPad more like a Mac than ever before.
Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel ...
