How To Unlock IOS 26 Hidden Features Before The IOS 27 Release

With iOS 27 getting closer, it’s easy to focus entirely on what’s coming next. But if you’re still running iOS 26, there are plenty of useful features that you may have overlooked.

Apple’s iOS 26 introduced the Liquid Glass redesign, smarter Apple Intelligence tools, Live Translation, call screening, customizable Messages backgrounds and several smaller improvements across the system.

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Here are some of the best iOS 26 features worth trying before you move on to iOS 27.

1. Give Your Home Screen a New Look

iOS 26 introduced more customization for app icons.

Touch and hold an empty area of the Home Screen, tap Edit → Customize, and you’ll find options for Light, Dark, Tinted and Clear icon appearances.

The new Liquid Glass design also changes how icons and system controls interact with the wallpaper.

Tip: Try the Clear appearance with a simple wallpaper for a cleaner, more minimalist Home Screen.

2. Turn Your Lock Screen Photo Into a 3D Scene

One of iOS 26’s less obvious visual tricks is Spatial Scenes.

When you use a compatible photo as your Lock Screen wallpaper, iOS can create a subtle 3D effect that makes the image appear to move as you move the iPhone.

Go to:

Settings → Wallpaper → Add New Wallpaper → Photos

Choose a compatible image and look for the Spatial Scene option.

It’s a small change, but it makes the Lock Screen feel considerably more dynamic.

3. Screen Unknown Calls Before Answering

Instead of immediately answering calls from unfamiliar numbers, iOS 26 can ask the caller for their name and reason for calling before your iPhone rings.

Go to:

Settings → Apps → Phone → Screen Unknown Callers

Choose Ask Reason for Calling. Apple says Call Screening places unknown callers through a screening process before allowing the call to reach you, helping reduce unwanted interruptions.

This is particularly useful if you receive frequent spam calls.

4. Customize Messages With Backgrounds

Your iMessage conversations can now have custom backgrounds.

Open a conversation, tap the person’s name or group icon, and select Backgrounds.

You can choose Apple’s built-in backgrounds, a photo from your library or an image created with Image Playground.

There’s one catch: conversation backgrounds are shared, so other participants can see the background and can change it.

5. Try Live Translation

If your iPhone supports Apple Intelligence, iOS 26 can translate conversations in real time.

Live Translation works in:

Messages
Phone
FaceTime
Supported AirPods experiences

For example, Messages can automatically translate incoming texts and translate your response when it’s delivered. Phone calls can also provide spoken translations and a transcription.

Apple notes that Apple Intelligence features aren’t available on every iPhone or in every language and region.

6. Use Visual Intelligence on Almost Anything

This is one of the most useful iOS 26 features.

Take a screenshot or use the system controls that activate Visual Intelligence, then ask your iPhone to understand what’s on the screen.

You can:

Identify objects
Translate text
Summarize information
Search for products or objects
Highlight something specific
Ask ChatGPT about what’s displayed

Apple also allows Visual Intelligence to search Google and supported third-party apps.

For example, if you see a product online, you can highlight it and search for more information without manually typing its name.

7. Build Smarter Shortcuts

iOS 26 significantly expands what you can do with Shortcuts.

New intelligent actions can work with Writing Tools, Image Playground and Apple Intelligence models.

One particularly interesting option is the Use Model action, which can feed an AI-generated response into the next step of a shortcut.

You could use this to summarize text, extract information from documents or automate repetitive tasks.

8. Clean Up Your Messages With Unknown Sender Screening

Receiving messages from unknown numbers? iOS 26 can screen unknown senders and move those conversations away from your regular Messages inbox.

This can make your Messages app much cleaner, especially if you frequently receive promotional texts or messages from numbers you don’t recognize.

9. Make Apple Music Feel Like a DJ

Apple Music received several useful upgrades in iOS 26.

AutoMix can transition between songs using beat matching and time stretching, creating smoother transitions rather than abruptly stopping one track and starting another.

Apple also added Lyrics Translation and Pronunciation, which can make foreign-language songs easier to understand and sing along with.

10. Find Places You’ve Visited

Apple Maps introduced Visited Places, allowing your iPhone to keep track of places you’ve visited so you can find them again later.

You can also use Preferred Routes, which learns the routes you regularly take.

This is particularly useful when you visit a restaurant, store or other location and later can’t remember its name.

Don’t Forget the New Preview App

Another iOS 26 addition that’s easy to overlook is Preview.

Apple brought a dedicated PDF and document tool to iPhone, allowing you to view and edit PDFs, scan documents, use AutoFill and export files.

For anyone who regularly handles documents on an iPhone, this could eliminate the need for a separate PDF application.

iOS 26 Still Has Plenty to Offer

The arrival of iOS 27 doesn’t make iOS 26 irrelevant.

In fact, iOS 26 introduced one of Apple’s biggest interface changes in years with Liquid Glass, alongside significant additions to Apple Intelligence, Phone, Messages, Maps, Music and Shortcuts.

Before rushing toward the next major update, take a few minutes to explore what’s already available.

Quick checklist

Try these today:

Home Screen: Clear or tinted icons
Lock Screen: Spatial Scenes
Phone: Call Screening
Messages: Custom backgrounds
Apple Intelligence: Visual Intelligence
Messages/Phone: Live Translation
Shortcuts: Intelligent actions
Maps: Visited Places
Music: AutoMix
Files: Preview for PDFs

The best part is that many of these features don’t require you to learn an entirely new app—they’re already built into iOS 26.

So before iOS 27 takes the spotlight, spend a few minutes digging into iOS 26. You may discover that your iPhone can already do things you didn’t know were possible.

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