📅 iOS 26 Release Timeline

 

Phase	Date
Announcement	June 9, 2025 (WWDC)
Developer Beta	June 9, 2025
Public Beta	Mid-July 2025 (expected)
Final Public Release	September 16, 2025 (alongside iPhone 17)

📱 Supported Devices

iOS 26 will support iPhones with A15 Bionic and newer, which includes:

• iPhone 13, 13 mini, 13 Pro, 13 Pro Max

• iPhone 14, 14 Plus, 14 Pro, 14 Pro Max

• iPhone 15 series

• iPhone 16 series

• iPhone SE (3rd gen and later)

• iPhone 17 series (launches with iOS 26)

Older devices such as iPhone 12 and earlier are not supported.

🧠 Key Features of iOS 26

🔮 AI Integration (Apple Intelligence)

• Smart Summarize: AI can summarize webpages, messages, and emails.

• AI-Powered Siri: Much more conversational, can perform multi-step tasks.

• Image Generation: Create custom emojis (called Genmojis) and simple AI-generated images.

• Personal Context: Siri can understand things like “Show me the photo John sent me last week.”

🔋 Battery & Performance

• Battery Health Enhancements: More detailed battery usage stats.

• Smart Charging 2.0: Learns your usage to optimize long-term battery life.

🔐 Privacy Features

• Private Cloud Compute: AI processing done securely on-device or with secure Apple servers.

• App Locking: You can now lock individual apps with Face ID or passcode.

📷 Camera & Photos

• Photo Cleanup: AI can remove unwanted background objects from images.

• Smarter Albums: Photos can auto-group based on events, people, or locations.

💬 Messages and Communication

• Messages via Satellite: For emergency texting when there’s no cell signal (on compatible iPhones).

• Rich Text Reactions: React with any emoji or Genmoji.

• Scheduled Messages: Finally, you can send texts at a specific time.

🎮 Gaming & UI

• Game Mode: Optimizes performance by reducing background activity.

• Live Wallpapers + Dynamic Icons: UI elements that subtly animate.

🆕 Other Noteworthy Changes

• Control Center Customization: Fully editable — add or remove tiles, rearrange layout.

• Redesigned Settings App: Better navigation and search.

• Improved Spotlight Search: Faster, smarter, and includes Siri suggestions.