iOS 26 vs iOS 18: What’s different, what’s new, and should you update?

There is a brand new iPhone operating system software to install on your iPhone (arriving on September 15, 2025). Before you update your iPhone, read on to find out how iOS 26 compares to iOS 19 and learn about all the new features coming in iOS 26.

We’ll also run though all the reasons to wait before you install the update. Once you are ready to install the update read: How to update iOS on an iPhone

What’s new in iOS 26?

In this comparison of the two iOS versions, we’ll run though what the main differences are and how the two iPhone operating systems compare, so you can decide whether to update to the new iOS as soon as it arrives on Monday, September 15, or wait.

A new name: iOS 26

First things first: there’s a new name! The 2024-2025 software was iOS 18, but rather than launch iOS 19 for 2025-2026, Apple has jumped forwards to iOS 26. It’s the same for the other Apple operating systems: macOS 26, watchOS 26, and so on.

A new look: Liquid Glass

As soon as you start up your iPhone in iOS 26 you will see a clear difference: iOS 26 introduces Apple’s new design language: Liquid Glass.

Liquid Glass revamps the existing menus and interactive parts of the OS with translucent areas that mimic the appearance and behavior of glass. You’ll see reflective, glossy, and translucent elements throughout the interface, with components that dynamically change color to reflect the content beneath them. Buttons appear more curved, and the menu bar is fully transparent, contributing to a cleaner design to help users focus on the content.

Those fearing a return to the old Aqua design of ancient macOS versions fear not: the new design is actually very tasteful.

Search bars seem to float above the images behind them, allowing colors to pass through as if refracted. The effect is something that looks organic rather than the blocky overlays to which we’ve grown accustom. Contextual menus appear where you tap the screen in newly designed cards that look consisent throughout the interface.

Liquid Glass supports both light and dark modes, as well as the tint introduced in iOS 18, plus there’s a new translucent mode for iOS 26 that looks rather fetching.

Changes to Home Screen and Lock Screen

Following on from the introduction of iPhone widgets in iOS 17, personalisation was high on the agenda with iOS 18’s introduction in 2024. The ability to personalise your home screen with shaded/tinted icons that you could place wherever you like was a much loved feature of iOS 18.

This time around three are even more options for personalisation. The time on the Lock Screen will stretch to fit the background image you choose, while also ensuring it never obscures the main image.

The wallpaper essentially adjusts its position so that the subject doesn’t get masked by notifications that come in.

There’s also a parallax effect on the images, similar to the one from a few years ago, where an image appears 3D if you tilt the iPhone – although the new one does seem more pronounced than its predecessor.

In iOS 18 Apple also gave users the ability to add new shortcut controls and ones for third-party apps in Control Center. In iOS 26 Control Centre will offer a new, customizable layout in iOS 26 to which users will be able to add controls for their favorite apps and integrate third-party widgets and functions.

Updates to the Camera and Photos app

With the introduction of Liquid Glass, Apple is simplifying the camera app, pairing everything back to just Photo and Video rather than multiple options to be scrolled thought. You can still access options like Portrait or Panorama by swiping left or right when you’re in the Photo mode.

Advanced settings (such as aspect ratio, etc.) can be brought into play by swiping up.

It should remove some of the frustration of accidentally shooting a portrait when you meant to take a normal snapshot, and will be useful for those of us who wear long distance glasses and need to remove them every time we look at the phone to find the options we need. To make it even easier to see what you need to see, the interface will move out of your way when you take a photo – and when you take that photo you will be able to use AirPods as a remote! For more information read about how to use the iOS 26 Camera app.

One unpopular change in iOS 18 was an overhaul of the Photos app with new filters and collections that were supposed to make it easier to find images. Unfortunately, people found that things moved around so much they were desperate to turn the new Photos app changes off.

In iOS 26 the Photos app is getting some more updates designed to help you track down your images. You’ll see new tabs and collections options that can be pinned to the main page.

You’ll also find an option to add 3D effects to photos in iOS 26.

Know what you are looking at with Visual Intelligence

In iOS 18, Apple introduced Visual Intelligence, with which users could point the iPhone camera at something and Apple Intelligence would gather information about the place/item/person etc; so you could find out more about it.

In iOS 26 this will extend beyond what’s in the camera viewfinder to whatever is on the screen – so you can take a screenshot and use Visual Intelligence to identify what is in it. For example, if you see a coat you like in your social media feed and you want to know where it is from, take a screenshot and Visual Intelligence will do an image search for it and give you the details.

It can also pull text out of the image, such as the date and time of a concert or meeting, then create calendar entries replete with the directions and details.

The phone gets a receptionist

The Phone app receives a few nice upgrades in iOS 26. First up, there’s a unified layout that shows you your Favourites, Recents and Voicemails (with the later displaying summaries from Apple Intelligence), plus the normal Calls, Contacts and Keypad.

The most impressive addition though is that of Call Screening. If your iPhone receives and incoming call from an unknown number, it will automatically answer it in the background and an A.I. agent will ask the callers name and reason for calling. When it has this, a summary will appear on your screen and you’ll have the option to take or reject the call. Nice.

Hold Assist is another potentially fantastic feature. It will scan for hold music and if it you are on hold an A.I. agent will offer to take your place so you can get on with other things. When your call is connected they’ll be informed that you’re there and just coming to the phone, at which point your phone will ring and you can take over the call once more.

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Improvements to Messages

In iOS 18 the Messages app let users add formatting, such as underlining and italicisation. Animations called Text Effects could also be used to show your support or surprise at what your friends say. There was also the introduction of Message Via Satellite which allowed you to send emergency messages if you’re stuck in a place with no carrier signal.

The look of Group Chats will change in iOS 26. You’ll be able to add wallpapers to the background, which everyone will be able to see. There’s also a new Poll feature that can help you and your family or friends decide what you want to do or where you want to go.

Typing indicators will arrive in the updated version of the app, so you can see when someone is composing a response, plus you’ll now be able to mix emoji’s together to create bespoke responses to something someone has said.

Like on Phone, Apple Intelligence will screen you messages for any potential spam or missives from strangers, all of which are filtered into a separate section so your inbox remains clean.

You’ll also be able to use Image Playground create new memoji images for your contacts, with new poses to match their style.

New Live Translation feature

If you have family or friends who speak a different language, or if you are travelling, this feature is for you. In iOS 26 language recognition tools will enable multi-language conversations in the Phone, Messages and FaceTime apps.

Messages will translate your language into that of the recipient, then do the same back to you.

FaceTime will create real-time captioning, so you can read the words the other person is saying in your language, while the Phone app will take your spoken words and translate them into simulated speech that the other person can respond to, then in turn do the same for them. At least we will have the universal translator that Sci-Fi has promised us ever since Arthur Dent had a Babel Fish stuffed into his ear. If only there were more featured languages at launch it’s: English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese (Brazil), Spanish, and Simplified Chinese.

New gaming app

Gaming on the iPhone is getting a boost thanks to a new gaming app that will gather all your games, log progress, and make it easier to find the games you are looking for.

It will be more social too: you can set up gaming challenges with friends via the Play Together tab and also compare scores in a leaderboard.

Siri improvements and AI

Siri was meant to gain some impressive new features in iOS 18 thanks to the new AI features, however, these have been delayed until iOS 26.

These updates aim to make Siri more conversational, contextually aware, and capable of performing complex in-app actions, leveraging both Apple’s own intelligence and an upgraded integration with ChatGPT. The wait is going to extend beyond iOS 26’s launch in September though.

Updates to Safari

Apple’s browser also gets a nip and tuck with iOS 26. Edge-to-edge web pages fill up the screen, and the tab bar will shrink as you scroll so that it keeps out of your way. The Liquid Glass update also makes everything feel more part of the page rather than interrupting the flow.

Other updates to the iPhone

That’s not all that’s in store with iOS 26, there are several other features that will no doubt be useful. These include Maps creating alternative routes for your most popular trips; Wallet now allowing the creation of a Digital ID of U.S. Passports that can be used for domestic flights and age verification; order tracking in Apple Pay; a new interface for Apple Music; plus lots more little details that are there to improve the iPhone experience.  

Privacy Enhancements

In iOS 18 it is possible to lock and hide specific apps, plus there’s the option to restrict which contacts apps can see and which wireless accessories they can access.

With iOS 26 you can rest assured that features like live translation in Messages, FaceTime, and Phone will be processed entirely on the device, so nobody will be eaves dropping on your calls.

Similarly, Siri will build a private profile using your mail, messages, and web history, so that it can provide more personalized and relevant responses – but this data will never leave the device.

The iOS 26 update will also improve passkey functionality and extend the autofill feature for security codes from Mail or Messages to third-party browsers like Chrome, and allow codes from the Gmail app.

What’s the main differences between iOS 26 and iOS 18?

As you can see, there’s plenty to be excited about in iOS 26. The new Liquid Glass design looks great, but it’s the improvement-to-life features like Call Screening, Message Screening, Live Translation, and Visual Intelligence now including what’s on your iPhone screen that really mark a difference between the two iterations.

Should you upgrade to iOS 26?

This is a definite yes, but bear in mind of course that some of the features outlined here will rely on Apple Intelligence, which means that they will only be available for the latest iPhone models (iPhone 15 Pro and newer). So, if you have an older device, then it might be worth sticking with what you’ve got if it’s running well. Then you’ll have all these features to look forward to when you eventually upgrade to a new iPhone.

Reasons not to update to iOS 26

While keeping an iPhone’s software updated is generally recommended for security reasons and to take advantage of new features, there are several reasons why if might be wise to delay, especially in the early days of a new iOS version when the stability of the new release might be an issue.

Another reason to delay the installation, or not to update your iPhone, is if there may be compatibility issues. While you won’t be able to install the update on an incompatible iPhone, there are some older iPhones that will be able to run the update, but they won’t be able to benefit from all the new features – especially those features powered by AI which is reserved for the iPhone 15 Pro and newer. You will need to weigh up the benefits of the features you will get with potential problems caused by the requirements of the new iOS. Our advice is to wait and see what happens to other people who install it on the same handset as you, because reverting to the old version of iOS isn’t easy.

You would be wise to check that any apps you rely on work with the new iOS as well before updating. Sometimes it can take a few weeks for developers to address issues that arise from the new iOS version.

Another reason to hold off installing is that some people report that their iPhones runs a bit slower following a iOS update. It’s unlikely to be a problem specific to the new iOS, but rather the iPhone reindexing itself after the software installation. This background processing can be a drain on the system and battery for a few days. If you are going to need your iPhone to be working its best over the next few days then we recommend that you wait until a better time to install the update.

Finally, one key reason to wait is that on release day Apple’s servers are very busy as everyone tries to get their download. A download and installation can take hours instead of minutes.