These incredible iOS 26 features are hiding–here’s how to find them

Apple has officially released iOS 26 to everyone, and while changes like Liquid Glass make the update impossible to miss, there are plenty of useful new features that aren’t as obvious. Some of them are buried in menus, and others only appear when you know where to look.

Here are some of the best hidden features of iOS 26 that are worth trying, and exactly where to find them.

1. Use AirPods as a video recording mic

One of the most practical additions in iOS 26 is the ability to use your AirPods as an external microphone when recording videos with the iPhone camera. This means you can capture clearer audio, even if you’re standing a bit away from the iPhone.

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To do this, follow the steps below:

1. Put your AirPods in your ears.
2. Open the Camera app on your iPhone.
3. Switch to Video mode.
4. Pull down the Control Center and tap Camera Controls.
5. Make sure AirPods are selected as the Audio Input.

From now on, your videos will be recorded with the AirPods microphones, ensuring you get lavalier-quality audio. This feature is perfect for vlogging, shooting interviews, or making TikToks without external gear.

Just keep in mind that it only works with AirPods 4, AirPods Pro 2, and AirPods Pro 3.

Create polls in Messages

Group chats on iMessage just got a lot more interactive. With iOS 26, you can add quick polls to help everyone decide on dinner, a movie, or weekend plans.

Here’s how to do it:

1. Open the Messages app.
2. Select a group chat.
3. Tap the “+” button next to the text field.
4. Select Polls.
5. Add the options you want and send the message.

Participants in that group chat can vote, and everyone will see the results in real time. Much better than endless discussions and replies cluttering up your chats.

Turn on Adaptive Power

Apple has refined power management in iOS 26 with a new Adaptive Power mode. Unlike Low Power Mode, this feature quietly balances performance and battery life without drastic changes. It’s great if you don’t want the iPhone slowing down too much but still want to extend the battery life a bit longer.

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Here’s how to enable it:

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Go to the Battery menu.
3. Enter the Power Mode option.
4. Toggle Adaptive Power on.

The system will adjust performance, screen brightness, refresh rates, and background tasks depending on your usage, helping you save power with fewer compromises. Just note, Adaptive Power is only available for iPhone 15 Pro and later.

See estimated charging time

Speaking of batteries, iOS 26 finally shows the estimated time it will take for your phone to finish charging. The system detects how much power the charger is delivering to estimate how many minutes (or hours) it will take to recharge the device.

Using this feature is super easy. Every time your iPhone is plugged into the charger, you’ll see the estimated charging time for a few seconds on the Lock Screen. You can also see the estimated time whenever you want by going to Settings > Battery.

Set any audio file as your ringtone

For years, customizing ringtones on iPhone required using iTunes or GarageBand. Thankfully, iOS 26 finally makes it much easier to set a custom ringtone.

1. Save an audio file (like an MP3 or M4A) to the Files app.
2. Tap and hold on the filename.
3. Tap Share.
4. Select the Use as Ringtone option in the Share menu.

Now you can use any audio you want as a ringtone. You’ll also find new ringtones from Apple in Settings > Sounds & Haptics > Ringtone.

Run a task in the background

With iOS 26, iPhone users can finally run certain tasks in the background without having to worry about any interruptions when they jump to another app. This has been made possible thanks to a new API that allows apps to run certain tasks even when the user is interacting with another app.

This means you can continue using your iPhone while downloading files or exporting a video in other apps. But there’s a catch: this requires developers to adopt the new API in their apps, so the feature may not be available in all apps on day one.

Still, you can try out background tasks in Safari. The next time you download a file in Safari with iOS 26, try switching to another app, and you’ll see a Live Activity notification indicating that the file is still downloading in the background.

Marvel at full-screen album artwork

When you’re listening to a song on Apple Music that has an animated album artwork, you can use it as your full-screen wallpaper on the Lock Screen with iOS 26.

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Just tap the album artwork thumbnail on the Lock Screen, and it will expand to full screen. Tap the artwork again to switch back to your default wallpaper.

Haven’t updated to iOS 26 yet? Go get it now

If you haven’t updated your iPhone to iOS 26 yet, go to Settings > General > Software Update and look for the iOS 26 update. Apple’s latest software is compatible with iPhone 11 or later, although some features are exclusive to the latest models.