iOS 26: New Messages and Phone App Features Leaked Ahead of WWDC
Apple is planning to announce several new features for the Messages and Phone apps on iOS 26, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
In a lengthy report outlining his WWDC 2025 expectations today, Gurman said that the two main changes in the Messages app will be the ability to create polls, as well as the option to set a background image within a conversation.
9to5Mac was first to report that the Messages app would be gaining polls, allowing users to vote on questions and topics. It is a feature that has long existed in other popular messaging apps, such as WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and Telegram.
Background images would add a personalized flair to conversations, and Gurman said that the images will automatically sync across Apple devices.
The new Messages features should extend to iPadOS 26 and macOS 26.
For the Phone app, Gurman said that iOS 26 will introduce a new view that combines favorite contacts, recent calls, and voicemails into a single, scrollable window. He said this new design will be optional, with users able to revert to the legacy interface.
iOS 26 and other software updates will be announced during Apple's WWDC 2025 keynote, which begins on Monday, June 9 at 10 a.m. Pacific Time.
Popular Stories
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman today further outlined what to expect from the Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4 set to be unveiled on September 9.
While it was initially rumored that Touch ID may be coming to the Apple Watch this year, Gurman reiterated that he does not expect the Series 12 or Ultra 4 to have any major design changes compared to the current Series 11 and Ultra 3 models.
...
Ahead of Apple's annual iPhone event at 10 a.m. Pacific Time today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has leaked all of the color options for the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, and the first-ever foldable iPhone named the iPhone Duo.
iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max color options:Black
Light Blue
Burgundy
Silver
Burgundy has also been described as Dark Red or Dark Cherry.
iPhone Duo...
Following some recent speculation that Apple could release its foldable phone under the "iPhone Duo" name, it appears that will indeed be the case, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
For months now, the foldable iPhone has generally been referred to as the "iPhone Ultra," even internally, but Apple is apparently going in a different direction for the official name, emphasizing the...
