Eleventh-Hour Rumor Hints at These New iOS 26 Features
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While most of the buzz around next week’s iOS 19 iOS 26 debut has been around a significant design overhaul, we have to know that Apple has more in store for it than just a fresh coat of paint.
iOS 26 is expected to see the biggest changes to its user interface design since iOS 7 when it abandoned skeuomorphism in 2013 in favor of a much flatter design. If the reports we’ve seen are accurate, Apple will be putting some depth back into its operating systems — not just iOS, but also macOS and iPadOS — to resemble the look and feel of its spatial computing headset, the Vision Pro.
That’s going to be exciting enough, and it’s expected to be a highlight of the WWDC25 keynote. However, there’s no way that iOS 26 won’t also bring some new features to the table.
We already know there won’t be a lot of Apple Intelligence to talk about next week, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be some features powered by artificial intelligence. Apple is still working to deliver the more personalized Siri it promised at last year’s keynote, but the company has been adding “AI” to its devices since long before that was a buzzword. This year, it’s expected to introduce an AI-powered battery-saving mode and a real-time translation using AirPods.
However, we’ve heard precious little about other potential new iOS features until today. Now, an exclusive report from 9to5Mac shares information from anonymous but reliable sources about several more new features we should expect Apple to show off for iOS 26 on Monday.
Polls and Translation in Messages
Messages remains one of Apple’s most frequently updated apps. We can’t remember a single major iOS release in the past few years that hasn’t brought something significant, from Memoji and Animoji stickers in iOS 13 to RCS, scheduled sending, and animated text effects in iOS 18.
If anything, this year’s Messages enhancements might be a bit underwhelming, especially since they’re long overdue. According to the report, Apple will add AI-powered automatic translation for incoming and outgoing messages and Polls, similar to what’s long been available in Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, and most other group chat platforms.
However, Apple may also offer a new twist on Polls. It’s said to be testing integration with Apple Intelligence to automatically suggest polls based on the content of a conversation. There’s no word if this will be ready to show off on Monday, and it’s possible it may not land until a later iOS 26 point release.
Animated Lock Screen Music Artwork
If you’ve listened to any of Apple Music’s mainstream playlists lately, you’ve probably noticed many albums show expanded and animated album art in the Music app. It’s a cool effect that helps bring you deeper into the listening experience, but sadly, it also disappears as soon as you lock your iPhone, even if you’re viewing the album art in a full-screen view (which you can do by tapping on the artwork in the Now Playing Lock Screen widget).
Animated album art has been around since iOS 14.3 was released in late 2020, and it looks like Apple will finally bring it to the Lock Screen in iOS 26. Presumably, this will also show the expanded full-screen artwork on the Lock Screen where appropriate.
Markdown Support in Apple Notes
Markdown fans will rejoice over this one — at least partly. According to the source, Apple Notes will include the ability to export notes in Markdown format.
That’s been available in many third-party notes and writing apps for years, such as Bear and Ulysses, but it may not go as far as proponents of the format would like. The report only talks about exporting notes; it doesn’t say we’ll be able to compose in Markdown, which would be disappointing.
Refreshed CarPlay UI
Considering the reports that Apple plans to unify the look and feel of its entire operating system lineup, it should be a given that CarPlay would follow iOS 26 in getting a major UI refresh. However, that’s never a sure thing when it comes to how Apple rolls, and its recent CarPlay Ultra announcement has left some to fear that standard CarPlay may now be on the back burner.
Thankfully, that’s not the case, which should be apparent from the fact that only one high-end automaker supports the new standard — and that’s unlikely to change anytime soon. Apple may like being in the high-end market, but even it has to admit that limiting its automotive ambitions to six-figure luxury vehicles is a bridge too far.
The bottom line is that CarPlay in iOS 26 will indeed get the same design refresh that’s coming to the rest of Apple’s operating systems, which only makes sense considering Apple’s primary goal is unification. With even tvOS 26 and macOS 26 along for the ride, CarPlay would stick out like a sore thumb if it still had the “old” design.
[The information provided in this article has NOT been confirmed by Apple and may be speculation. Provided details may not be factual. Take all rumors, tech or otherwise, with a grain of salt.]
