iOS 26 allows users to set custom backgrounds in conversations, and it introduces the ability to create polls for voting.
In the Messages app, users can now screen messages from unknown senders. Apple says messages from unknown senders will appear in a dedicated folder, where users can mark the phone number as known, ask for more information, or delete it. These messages will remain silenced until a user accepts them.
In group chats, users can now see typing indicators, plus send and receive Apple Cash.
A new Live Translation feature in the Messages app, powered by Apple Intelligence, can translate text and audio on the fly.
Thursday October 8, 2026 1:17 pm PDT by Joe Rossignol
Starting today, iPhone users still running iOS 26 will see iOS 27.0.1 as the prominent software update in the Settings app under General → Software Update, with iOS 26.7.1 now relegated to a smaller "Also Available" section at the bottom.
iOS 27 was released on September 14, but until now that update and later iOS 27.0.1 were shown under the "Also Available" section, with iOS 26.7 and...
Tuesday October 20, 2026 9:04 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
In a support document that it has since deleted, Australian carrier Telstra said RCS support would be available starting with an iOS update coming in December. If this timeframe remains accurate, then iPhone users with Telstra will likely be able to use RCS in the Messages app starting with iOS 27.3.
RCS has many benefits over the traditional SMS standard for text messaging with Android users, ...
DoorDash is inviting U.S. customers to join a waitlist for an AI assistant that can take food orders through Apple's Messages app (via Bloomberg).
The phone number used in the conversation connects the request to a customer's DoorDash account. The assistant can use previous purchases and preferences to help put together an order, then use a saved payment method at checkout. Customers can...
