After much anticipation, Apple has pulled back the curtain on a new operating system, called iOS 26.
Revealed at the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) on Monday, iOS 26 includes a slick new visual redesign called ‘Liquid Glass’.
The ‘delightful and elegant’ new software design brings translucent, glass-like effects to app icons, the lock screen and the home screen.
iOS 26 also introduces custom chat backgrounds in the Messages app, a new Games app, and a tool called Live Translation which translates calls in real time.
Unfortunately, not all iPhones will get the exciting new update.
iOS 26 won’t be compatible with several older handsets – as the firm tries to force consumers to upgrade to a new model.
So is your iPhone on the list of compatible devices?
iOS 26 will be available this autumn as a free software update for iPhone 11 and later, likely sometime in September.
So if you have iPhone 16, iPhone 15, iPhone 14, iPhone 13, iPhone 12 or iPhone 11 you’ll be able to install iOS 26 come autumn, whether or not they’re standard Pro, or Pro Max models.
Likewise, all three iPhones in Apple’s ‘budget’ line – iPhone SE, iPhone SE 2 and the iPhone 16e released in February – are compatible too.
Of course, iPhone 17 and its various models, which are due to be released this autumn, will also support iOS 26.
However, iPhones older than iPhone 11 – namely iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max and iPhone XR – won’t be able to install iOS 26.
All three of these iPhones were released in 2018, but just seven years later they’re not able to run the latest operating system anymore.
Many more iPhones that are older than this have already been consigned to Apple’s ‘vintage’ and ‘obsolete’ lists, meaning they won’t support iOS 26 either – such as the iPhone 8 and iPhone 7.
If an iPhone is rendered obsolete, it means Apple is not obliged to fix it if it stops working, rendering it barely more than a relic from the past.
If you’ve had your iPhone for a while and are unsure which model it is, it’s relatively easy to find out.
Just head to the Settings app, scroll down and then tap ‘General’ followed by ‘About’.
Under ‘Model Name’ the model of the iPhone should be listed, along with the model number and software version it’s currently running.
As reported by TechRadar, iPhone 11 (released in 2019) and the first iPhone SE (released in 2020) will likely be getting their final major update with iOS 26, since they’re the oldest models to be getting it.
The new iOS update, revealed on Monday, was expected to be called iOS 19, as a follow-up to the existing iOS 18.
But Apple has changed the iOS naming convention so that the numbers on the end reflect the calendar year in which they are primarily used.
The biggest change coming with iOS 16 is a redesign called Liquid Glass, which gives apps and other aspects of the user interface a translucent, glass-like design.
It will ‘bring greater focus to content and deliver a new level of vitality across controls, navigation, app icons, widgets, and more’, the tech giant said.
However, Liquid Glass has not been met with enthusiasm by Apple’s dedicated fans, with one calling it ‘the ugliest thing Apple has ever done’.
Another person said on social media that Apple co-founder Steve Jobs ‘would’ve fired everyone at Apple’ for coming up with Liquid Glass.
iOS 26 is currently available as a developer beta (an unfinished version of the software not for public release) but the official release is not until September when the new iPhone 17 also arrives.
It’s rumoured the iPhone 17 models will have rectangular camera bars across the back – which fans have noticed is very reminiscent of Google’s Pixel phones.
One of the iPhone 17 models called ‘iPhone 17 Air’ or ‘iPhone 17 Slim’ is expected to be a lighter, thinner option with less powerful hardware.
Apple is also rumoured to be working on a device that will hit the shelves to mark 20 years since the very first iPhone went on sale – June 29, 2007.
Source: By JONATHAN CHADWICK FOR MAILONLINE dailymail.co.uk
