All Reported iOS 26/26.2 Bugs and Issues with Fixes

Amalia S

Writer | @amalaia123
17 minute read
| How-To
iOS 26 bugs and fixes

iOS 26 brings the flashy “Liquid Glass” look and new Apple Intelligence tricks, but user have reported bugs across camera, connectivity, Messages, CarPlay, and more. These persist even with the release of iOS 26.2. Here’s a researched roundup with practical workarounds.

Table of contents

Short take: iOS 26 is a big, ambitious release with a bold redesign. Most issues are nuisance-level and should settle with point releases, but there are some standouts like camera black screens, random network drops, and CarPlay scaling glitches that may disrupt daily use. If your iPhone is mission-critical (rideshare, CarPlay commute, business calls), even after updating to iOS 26.2, wait for the next update. If you update now, back up first and use the quick fixes below.

Pros

  • Major redesign and new features land as promised
  • Many bugs have workarounds or are already improving across late betas/RC
  • Apple acknowledges temporary battery/performance impact post-update (normal)

Cons

  • Camera/Face ID failures and Photos crashes reported by some beta and day-one users
  • Intermittent connectivity and CarPlay UI scaling issues
  • Messaging oddities (iMessage → SMS/RCS) for a subset of users

What changed in iOS 26.2 (and why it matters for bugs)

With iOS 26, Apple’s “Liquid Glass” refresh pushes translucency, layers, and new animations system-wide. They’re gorgeous, but early betas drew legibility complaints that Apple has been tuning. Big visual shifts can surface contrast/UI bugs, especially in Control Center and notifications.

new in ios 26

The release also expands Apple Intelligence, which downloads on-device models and does post-install re-indexing, another common trigger for short-term battery/heat complaints after major updates.

Apple’s iOS 26.2 update, released in December 2025, brought several key features, including audible alarms for “Urgent” Reminders, enhanced safety alerts with maps, and improved AirDrop functionality for securely sharing files with non-contacts.

The update also refined the Lock Screen clock’s “Liquid Glass” effect with an opacity slider, added automatic chapters to the Podcasts app, and enabled offline lyrics in Apple Music. Accessibility features were expanded to allow the iPhone screen to flash for notifications, while the Freeform app gained table support.

Critically, iOS 26.2 patched several security vulnerabilities, including exploited WebKit flaws, and added region-specific regulatory compliance features for the EU and Japan.

The bug list: what we’re seeing right now

1) Camera failures and Face ID oddities

Symptoms: Black viewfinder, crashes on open, or Face ID not responding. Some report the camera works again after a delay or reboot.

Try this:

  • Force-quit Camera → reopen.
  • Reboot the phone.
  • Toggle the Stolen Devices switch in Settings → Face ID & Passcode → Stolen Device Protection. This is the most common fix.
  • Reset Face ID: Settings → Face ID & Passcode → Reset Face ID, then set it up again.
  • If it persists: Settings → General → Transfer or Reset → Reset → Reset All Settings.

If third-party camera apps fail too, it’s system-level. Report it (see “How to report a bug” below).

More details in our separate guide: fix Face ID not working.

2) Random “no internet” despite full bars

Symptoms: Full Wi-Fi or cellular bars but apps act offline until restart; brief drops of Wi-Fi, cellular, and Bluetooth at once.

Try this:

  1. Settings → General → Transfer or Reset → Reset → Reset Network Settings.
  2. Toggle Airplane Mode for 10 seconds.
  3. If on dual-SIM, switch default line off/on.

More details in our separate guide on how to fix cellular data not working in iOS 26.

3) No signal after updating

Symptoms: “No Service” even with a SIM or eSIM installed.

Try this:

  1. If it’s enabled, turn it off. Your phone restarts and signal usually returns immediately.
  2. Go to Settings → Privacy & Security → Blocking Mode.

4) “No SIM Card Installed” error

Symptoms: iPhone says no SIM even though one is present.

Try this:

  1. If persistent, test the SIM in another device to confirm if it’s a carrier issue.
  2. Remove and reinsert your SIM.
  3. Toggle Airplane Mode off/on.
  4. Reset Network Settings.

5) CarPlay connection and scaling glitches

Symptoms: Fails to connect with some head units, or UI renders comically small. Unsafe while driving.

Try this:

  1. Forget the car in Settings → General → CarPlay and re-pair.
  2. Try a different cable/USB port if wired.
  3. Disable any “zoom/adaptive scaling” toggle in iOS/car settings.

If nothing works, consider staying on iOS 18 (here’s how to downgrade safely).

6) AirPods won’t connect

Symptoms: AirPods refuse to pair or randomly disconnect.

Try this:

  1. Forget AirPods in Settings → Bluetooth, then re-pair.
  2. Make sure you’re on the latest AirPods firmware. iOS 26 delivers a major AirPods update.
  3. Reset AirPods: hold the case button until the light flashes amber, then white.

7) Messages/iMessage weirdness

Symptoms: Threads switch between iMessage and SMS/RCS.

Try this:

  1. Settings → Messages: toggle iMessage off/on.
  2. Sign out/in of Apple ID for iMessage.
  3. Verify carrier line in Send & Receive.
  4. Check Apple’s System Status if activation delays persist.

See: Fix iMessage not working after iOS 26 update

8) Battery drain, heat, and “model downloads stuck”

Symptoms: Higher drain and heat for a day or two. Some devices show Apple Intelligence model downloads stuck.

Try this:

  1. Give it 24–72 hours on charger/Wi-Fi with the screen off.
  2. If model downloads stall, switch from Wi-Fi to cellular.
  3. Reset All Settings, then retry.

More: iOS 26 battery drain explained.

9) Action Button mute missing on iPhone 16 Pro/Pro Max

Symptoms: After updating, the Action Button no longer mutes the phone.

Try this:

  1. Go to Settings → Action Button.
  2. Swipe until you see Silent Mode and tap it.
  3. Silent Mode hasn’t been removed — it’s just been reset. You can assign other functions too, like Camera, Translate, or Shortcut.

10) Photos app crashes and sluggish media access

Symptoms: Photos crashes when browsing or when apps request photo access; sluggish library after update.

Try this:

  1. Settings → Privacy → Photos: toggle access for the app.
  2. Force-quit Photos; reboot.
  3. If persistent, Reset All Settings (data is safe).

11) Accessibility/legibility regressions with Liquid Glass

Symptoms: Low-contrast UI in Control Center; readability concerns with translucent layers.

Try this:

  1. Settings → Accessibility → Display & Text Size: enable Increase Contrast, Bold Text, Reduce Transparency.
  2. Choose calmer wallpapers.
  3. Or remove Liquid Glass entirely.

12) iMessage and FaceTime not activating after iOS 26/26.2

Symptoms: iMessage and FaceTime show “activation unsuccessful” for hours after updating. Some users report it resolves on its own after a day or two.

Try this:

  1. Settings → Messages: toggle iMessage off/on.
  2. Settings → FaceTime: toggle FaceTime off/on.
  3. Sign out of Apple ID, restart, and sign back in.
  4. Sometimes it just takes time. Apple support says it’s a rare but known issue, and patches are coming. Several users confirm it started working after ~24–36 hours.

13) Native Apple apps not working after iOS 26/26.2

Symptoms: Built-in apps like Messages, Mail, Phone, or Photos won’t open, while third-party apps run fine.

Try this:

  1. Force restart: press Volume Up → Volume Down → hold Side button until Apple logo appears.
  2. Update to the latest iOS 26 patch, if available.
  3. If persistent, Settings → General → Transfer or Reset → Reset → Reset All Settings.
  4. If none of this works, restoring the device via Finder/iTunes may be necessary.

For more solutions, check out our separate guide on how to fix apps crashing/freezing on iOS 26.

14) Can’t read notifications in iOS 26/26.2

Symptoms: Notifications look too transparent or hard to read against backgrounds.

Solution: Apple added a visibility tweak. See full guide here: Can’t read notifications in iOS 26.

15) iOS 26/26.2 is laggy

Symptoms: System animations stutter, apps take longer to open, and general lag after updating. General performance slowdowns across the system.

Solution: Causes and fixes are covered here: Why is iOS 26 so laggy?.

16) iOS 26/26.2 Bluetooth problems

Symptoms: Devices don’t connect, audio randomly cuts, or volume issues with third-party accessories.

Solution: See fixes here: Fix Bluetooth issues in iOS 26.

17) iOS 26/26.2 cellular data not working

Symptoms: Cellular data toggle is on but apps won’t load.

Solution: Step-by-step fixes here: iOS 26 cellular data not working.

18) iOS 26/26.2 screenshot not working

Symptoms: Taking screenshots fails, nothing saves, or the preview doesn’t appear.

Solution: Covered here: Fix iOS 26 screenshot issues.

19) iOS 26/26.2 taking forever to download

Symptoms: Update download stuck for hours, or installs crawl.

Solution: See: iOS 26 taking forever to download or install — the complete fix guide.

20) iMessage not working after iOS 26/26.2 update

Symptoms: Messages fail to send via iMessage, falling back to SMS.

Solution: Step-by-step fixes here: Fix iMessage not working after iOS 26 update.

21) iOS 26/26.2 overheating

Symptoms: iPhone gets hot during normal use after updating.

Solution: Covered here: Fix iOS 26 overheating.

22) iOS 26/26.2 update not showing up

Symptoms: iOS 26 isn’t appearing in Software Update.

Solution: See: iOS 26 update not showing up — fixes.

23) Can’t update to iOS 26/26.2

Symptoms: Update starts but fails to complete.

Solution: Covered here: Can’t update to iOS 26 — fixes.

24) iOS 26/26.2 stuck on Update Requested

Symptoms: Device sits on “Update Requested” screen indefinitely.

Solution: Full guide here: iOS 26 stuck on Update Requested — how to fix it.

25) iOS 26/26.2 stuck on Preparing Update

Symptoms: Update stalls at “Preparing Update” and never continues.

Solution: Covered here: Fix iPhone stuck on Preparing Update in iOS 26.

26) Notifications not working

Symptoms: Notifications don’t arrive at all after updating older devices.

Solution: See guide here: Fix notifications not working on iOS 26.

27) iPhone freezing after iOS 26/26.2

Symptoms: iPhone locks up, becomes unresponsive, or apps freeze.

Solution: Step-by-step fixes here: How to fix iPhone freezing in iOS 26.

28) iPhone charging slowly after iOS

Symptoms: Charging takes much longer than before.

Solution: See: iPhone charging slowly after iOS 26 — what to do.

29) Weather app location settings changing on their own

Symptoms: Weather app keeps resetting location preferences or switching to current location.

Try this:

  1. Open Settings → Privacy & Security → Location Services → Weather. Set it to “Never” or “While Using the App” depending on preference.
  2. In the Weather app, remove auto-added locations and re-add your preferred city manually.
  3. If iCloud sync is on, try turning off Settings → Apple ID → iCloud → Weather and re-enable it.

30) Can’t send/receive calls, messages, or emails

Symptoms: Device seems online but no core communication services work.

Try this:

  1. Toggle Airplane Mode on/off.
  2. Go to Settings → Phone → Call Forwarding and make sure it’s off.
  3. Check Focus modes (like Do Not Disturb) aren’t blocking calls.
  4. Reset Network Settings.
  5. Sign out/in of Apple ID.
  6. Check carrier settings update: Settings → General → About.
  7. If still broken, restore iPhone in Finder/iTunes and set up as new.

31) Unable to move icons between screens

Symptoms: Pressing and holding icons makes them disappear instead of moving.

Try this:

  1. Restart your iPhone.
  2. Settings → General → Transfer or Reset → Reset Home Screen Layout.
  3. If persistent, update to the latest iOS 26 patch. Early builds may have a springboard glitch.

32) Messaging works for two hours, then freezes

Symptoms: Messages app freezes after working for a while; even Settings → Messages becomes unresponsive.

Try this:

  1. Force quit Messages, restart iPhone.
  2. Settings → Messages → toggle iMessage off/on.
  3. If problem persists, Reset All Settings.
  4. This one seems tied to a deeper bug Apple needs to patch — future iOS 26.x updates.

33) News app keeps refreshing to the top

Symptoms: When reading stories, app refreshes and scrolls back to top.

Try this:

  1. Force quit News, restart phone.
  2. Turn off Background App Refresh for News in Settings → General → Background App Refresh.
  3. Reinstall the News app if it continues.

34) Missing icons after overnight update

Symptoms: Several app icons vanished after update (including Clock, News, etc.).

Try this:

  1. Swipe down on Home Screen → search for missing app to confirm it’s still installed.
  2. If hidden, go to App Library, drag back to Home.
  3. Settings → General → Transfer or Reset → Reset Home Screen Layout.
  4. If apps are gone entirely, reinstall from App Store.

35) Icons keep refreshing

Symptoms: Home Screen icons reload/flash frequently.

Try this:

  1. Restart iPhone.
  2. Check Settings → General → iPhone Storage to make sure storage isn’t almost full.
  3. If persistent, Reset All Settings.

36) iPhone keeps switching to silent mode

Symptoms: Phone randomly toggles Silent Mode without input.

Try this:

  1. On iPhone 16 Pro/Pro Max, check Settings → Action Button and confirm Silent Mode isn’t accidentally triggered.
  2. If using older models with a mute switch, test hardware — a loose switch can flip on its own.

37) Can’t access or delete Reading List items

Symptoms: Safari Reading List won’t load or allow deletions.

Try this:

  1. Open Safari, tap Bookmarks → Reading List, swipe left to delete.
  2. If stuck, go to Settings → Apple ID → iCloud → Safari. Toggle off, choose “Delete from iPhone,” then re-enable to resync.

38) CarPlay audio distortion (spoken word only)

Symptoms: Spoken word (podcasts, audiobooks) distorted through CarPlay; music plays fine.

Try this:

  1. Force-quit music/podcast apps before connecting.
  2. Test different apps (Podcasts, Spotify).
  3. Some users report temporarily fixing it by opening the Camera app — suggesting a system-level audio routing bug. Likely needs a patch from Apple.

39) Icon/group labels don’t adapt to color scheme

Symptoms: Folder or app labels show wrong color (white on light background, black on dark).

Try this:

  1. Settings → Accessibility → Display & Text Size → Increase Contrast can help.
  2. Changing wallpaper sometimes forces proper text color refresh.
  3. If still broken, Reset Home Screen Layout.

40) Font scaling issues across built-in apps

Symptoms: Text size inconsistent or not respecting system settings.

Try this:

  1. Settings → Accessibility → Display & Text Size → Larger Text. Toggle it off/on.
  2. Adjust Settings → Display & Brightness → Text Size.
  3. If it persists, report via Apple Feedback as this appears to be a system-wide rendering issue.

41) Puzzles leaderboards missing player counts

Symptoms: Leaderboards in Puzzles no longer display the total number of players, only relative positions.

Try this:

  1. Force quit and reopen the app.
  2. Check for app updates in the App Store.
  3. This appears to be a server-side change Apple will need to address.

42) Safari not rendering web pages properly on iOS 26/26.2

Symptoms: Many websites fail to load correctly or display broken layouts.

Try this:

  1. Clear cache: Settings → Safari → Clear History and Website Data.
  2. Toggle Settings → Safari → Advanced → Experimental Features only if you’ve modified them.
  3. If issues persist, try alternative browsers (Chrome, Firefox) until Apple updates Safari.

See also: Safari history in iOS 26.

43) Maps turn-by-turn directions missing

Symptoms: Tapping the destination box no longer reveals full turn-by-turn directions on iPhone 16 Pro.

Try this:

  1. Restart iPhone and reopen Maps.
  2. Swipe up on the route card in Maps to view step-by-step directions.
  3. Reset location settings: Settings → General → Transfer or Reset → Reset → Reset Location & Privacy.
  4. If unresolved, consider using Google Maps or Waze until Apple patches.

44) Camera issues (Portrait and Cinematic mode)

Symptoms: Portrait mode locks at 3x zoom with no zoom-out option; Cinematic mode screen goes black.

Try this:

  1. Force quit Camera app and restart iPhone.
  2. Reset all settings.
  3. If persistent, test third-party camera apps. This may be a system-level bug Apple needs to patch.

45) Mail and Contacts apps blank on iPad (iOS 26/26.2)

Symptoms: Mail and Contacts open but show blank screens, even after reinstalling.

Try this:

  1. Settings → Apple ID → iCloud: toggle Mail and Contacts off, then back on.
  2. Force quit both apps.
  3. If still blank, remove iCloud account and re-add.

46) SIM not working after update

Symptoms: Physical SIM and eSIM both fail after updating to iOS 26/26.2.

Try this:

  1. Check carrier settings: Settings → General → About.
  2. Toggle Airplane Mode off/on.
  3. Remove SIM, reinsert, and restart device.
  4. If neither SIM type works, contact carrier or Apple Support.

47) HomeKit lock screen widgets not updating

Symptoms: Widgets on lock screen fail to refresh with current HomeKit device status.

Try this:

  1. Restart iPhone and open Home app.
  2. Remove and re-add the widget.
  3. Check that Background App Refresh is enabled for Home.

48) Alarm issues

Symptoms: Alarm doesn’t ring, rings only through AirPods, even when they aren’t worn, or fails to trigger.

Try this:

  1. Disconnect AirPods or Bluetooth headphones before setting alarm.
  2. Check ringer volume and Silent Mode toggle. Settings → Sounds & Haptics → Alarm Volume to confirm it’s up.
  3. Recreate the alarm in Clock.
  4. In iOS 26, alarms may route through headphones. Test by unpairing AirPods before bed.
  5. If HomeKit automations control alarms, verify widget syncing (known bug in 26).
  6. Reset all settings if behavior persists.

49) Screen issues after iOS 26/26.2 update

Symptoms: Display glitches after updating, including flickering, ghost touches, or UI elements not rendering properly.

Try this:

  1. Force restart the iPhone.
  2. Disable Settings → Accessibility → Display & Text Size → Reduce Transparency to check if visuals stabilize.
  3. If ghost touches continue, remove case/screen protector and test again.
  4. Persistent problems may indicate a software bug requiring a patch, but if only your device is affected, consider Apple diagnostics.

50) iOS 26/26.2 app settings freezing on iPhone

Symptoms: Opening the Settings page for certain apps causes the menu to freeze or crash.

Try this:

  1. Force quit Settings and reopen.
  2. Restart iPhone.
  3. Remove and reinstall the app whose settings trigger the freeze.
  4. If it happens system-wide, reset all settings: Settings → General → Transfer or Reset → Reset → Reset All Settings.

51) Block Unknown Callers/Messages not working on iOS 26/26.2

Symptoms: On iPhone 16 Pro Max, the block/unknown caller filter does not silence calls or messages.

Try this:

  1. Confirm it’s enabled: Settings → Phone → Silence Unknown Callers.
  2. For messages: Settings → Messages → Unknown & Spam.
  3. If still failing, toggle off → reboot → toggle back on.
  4. As a workaround, enable Call Screening in iOS 26 which adds extra filters.

52) FaceTime not working on iOS 26/26.2

See full guide: Fix FaceTime not working on iOS 26.

53) Flashlight not working on iPhone after iOS 26/26.2

Symptoms: Flashlight toggle won’t turn on, or Control Center button is grayed out.

Try this:

  1. Close the Camera app — it often locks the flash.
  2. Restart iPhone.
  3. Go to Settings → Control Center and re-add Flashlight.
  4. If it still fails, test flash in Camera. If the flash doesn’t fire, it may be hardware.

54) CarPlay not working on iOS 26/26.2

See guide: Fix CarPlay not working on iOS 26.

55) AutoMix not working

Symptoms: AutoMix (Photos/Music auto-playback) doesn’t start or gets stuck.

Try this:

  1. Restart iPhone.
  2. In Settings → Music, toggle AutoMix off and back on.
  3. If using third-party apps (Spotify, YouTube Music), reinstall the app.

56) Spatial Scenes not working

Symptoms: Spatial wallpapers or lock screen scenes not rendering.

Try this:

  1. Update wallpaper: Settings → Wallpaper → Add New Wallpaper → Spatial Scenes.
  2. Toggle Reduce Motion in Accessibility off.
  3. If it still fails, see our guide: Use Spatial Scenes step by step.

57) Hotspot not working on iOS 26/26.2

Symptoms: Hotspot turns on but shows “IP address assigned, cannot access Internet.”

Try this:

  1. Turn Hotspot off and back on.
  2. Reset Network Settings.
  3. Toggle cellular data off/on.
  4. Check carrier plan (some carriers break hotspot on major iOS releases).

58) Apple Intelligence not working

Symptoms: No access to Genmoji, Summaries, or other AI features.

Try this:

  1. Check device compatibility: iOS 26 requirements. Apple Intelligence only works on iPhone 15 Pro/Max and iPhone 17 series.
  2. Confirm Settings → Siri & Search → Apple Intelligence is enabled.
  3. Ensure device language and region is supported.

59) Apps crash frequently after iOS 26/26.2

Symptoms: Native apps and third-party apps quit, requiring frequent restarts.

Try this:

  1. Force restart iPhone.
  2. Update apps in App Store.
  3. If system-wide, Reset All Settings.
  4. Last resort: full restore and set up as new.

60) CarPlay contacts bug

Symptoms: When opening a contact in CarPlay, cannot go back to list; button unresponsive.

Try this:

  1. Disconnect/reconnect CarPlay.
  2. Forget the car and re-pair.
  3. Check for car firmware update.

61) SIM locked overnight after charging

Symptoms: After charging overnight, phone asks for SIM PIN every morning.

Try this:

  1. Go to Settings → Cellular → SIM PIN and confirm status.
  2. If PIN is enabled, either disable SIM PIN or re-enter and save.
  3. Reset Network Settings if issue repeats.

62) White screen of death on iOS 26/26.2

Symptoms: Phone stuck on a blank white screen.

Try this:

  1. Force restart.
  2. If unresponsive, connect to computer and restore via Finder/iTunes.
  3. If recurring, possible hardware fault triggered by update — contact Apple Support.

For more solutions, check out our separate guide on how to fix screen issues on iOS 26.

63) Music crossfade capped at 6 seconds

Symptoms: Even when set to 12 seconds, crossfade stops at 6.

Try this:

  1. Reboot iPhone.
  2. Reset Music app settings: Settings → Music → Crossfade → Off, then On.
  3. Likely a bug Apple needs to patch in 26.0.1.

64) Portrait mode conversion missing in Photos on iOS 26/26.2

Symptoms: On iPhone 16 Pro, photos taken in Photo mode can no longer be converted to Portrait in edit mode. The “Portrait” option is absent, even when depth data should be available.

Try this:

  1. Restart iPhone.
  2. Reset all camera settings: Settings → Camera → Preserve Settings → Reset.
  3. Test in both 1x and 2x zoom — Portrait depth data may fail at certain focal lengths.
  4. If ongoing, likely a depth-analysis bug in iOS 26/26.2. Consider staying on iOS 18.6 until patched.

65) PDFs defaulting to MyScans app and disappearing

Symptoms: PDFs automatically open in MyScans, and files vanish from original folder until re-saved.

Try this:

  1. Go to Settings → Apps → Default Apps and reset default PDF handler.
  2. Reinstall MyScans if it hijacked file associations.
  3. Test PDFs by opening directly in Files app.

66) Mail attachments not downloading

Symptoms: Attachments show “Downloading…” then revert to “Tap to download.”

Try this:

  1. Force quit Mail, reopen.
  2. Delete and re-add email account: Settings → Mail → Accounts.
  3. If on cellular, ensure Settings → Mail → Cellular Data is enabled.
  4. Could also be linked to iOS 26/26.2 Mail bugs reported under “apps not working.”

67) Health app undercounting steps

Symptoms: Step count is far lower than actual walking distance.

Try this:

  1. Check Settings → Privacy → Motion & Fitness → Fitness Tracking is on.
  2. Reset calibration: walk 20 minutes with GPS active.
  3. If still inaccurate, bug may be tied to motion sensor processing in iOS 26/26.2.

68) Health app date format incorrect

Symptoms: Health app shows US-style dates instead of regional format.

Try this:

  1. Go to Settings → General → Language & Region and confirm region is correct.
  2. Toggle to another region, restart, toggle back.
  3. If bug persists, likely a formatting bug in iOS 26/26.2.

69) Location missing in FlightRadar

Symptoms: iPhone no longer shows live location in FlightRadar after updating.

Try this:

  1. Check Settings → Privacy & Security → Location Services is on for FlightRadar.
  2. Reset Location Services: toggle off/on.
  3. If GPS works elsewhere, this may be app-specific compatibility with iOS 26/26.2.

70) Photos app share bug

Symptoms: Attempting to share a photo causes the screen to go white for ~1 minute, then returns without sending.

Try this:

  1. Force quit Photos.
  2. Reboot iPhone.
  3. Test sharing to different apps (Messages, Mail, AirDrop).
  4. If all fail, reindex Photos by leaving device plugged in and locked overnight.

71) Facebook notifications missing names

Symptoms: Notifications only show placeholders instead of sender names.

Try this:

  1. Update Facebook app.
  2. Reinstall app if data cache is corrupted.
  3. Likely Facebook app not yet optimized for iOS 26/26.2.

72) Facebook logoff/account info blank

Symptoms: User can’t log out, account info page shows empty fields.

Try this:

  1. Reinstall app.
  2. Clear Safari cache if login uses web overlay.
  3. Again, likely app compatibility issue rather than iOS core bug.

73) “Saved Today” feature in Photos hides images from Library

Symptoms: Photos taken or imported appear only in the Saved Today folder and don’t show in the main library.

Try this:

  1. Force-quit Photos and reopen.
  2. Check Albums → Recents to confirm if files are there but filtered.
  3. Restart iPhone.
  4. If persistent, this seems to be a Photos app indexing bug introduced in iOS 26. Use Search in Photos to locate missing images until Apple patches it.

74) Photos app corrupting imported images

Symptoms: Imported RAW + JPEG files sometimes appear corrupted after import. Some users lost entire sets of images, especially when “Delete after import” was enabled.

Try this:

  1. Do not use “Delete after import.” First verify files are intact, then format your SD card separately.
  2. Test importing with Image Capture (Mac) or a third-party app like Darktable to confirm whether corruption is Photos-specific.
  3. If you encounter corruption, re-import the original from the card.
  4. For now, consider a dual workflow: import with Darktable/Lightroom → cull/edit → then bring into Photos for viewing/sharing.

75) No sound for text messages, keyboard, and emails after iOS 26/26.2 update

Symptoms: Notifications and system sounds (texts, keyboard clicks, email alerts) are silent after updating, even though the volume is turned up.

Try this:

  1. Check the position of the Mute switch above the volume buttons. Flip it a few times to reset.
  2. Make sure Do Not Disturb / Focus mode isn’t active. Open Control Center and confirm the crescent moon icon is off.
  3. If sounds are still missing, go to Settings → Sounds & Haptics and toggle “Play Haptics in Ring Mode” and “Keyboard Feedback” off and on again.

If the above didn’t work, refer to our dedicated guide.

76) iOS 26/26.2 icons are out of focus or blurry

Symptoms: App icons on the Home Screen appear fuzzy or low-resolution after the update.

Try this:

  1. Restart your iPhone — some users report icons sharpen after a full reboot.
  2. Change the wallpaper or theme (blurry icons can happen with certain Liquid Glass layers). See how to customize Liquid Glass in iOS 26.
  3. If it persists, reset the Home Screen layout via Settings → General → Transfer or Reset iPhone → Reset → Reset Home Screen Layout.

For more solutions, take a look at our separate article on how to fix blurry icons.

77) iPhone 17 reboots when idle on iOS 26/26.2

Symptoms: Some iPhone 17 owners report that their device restarts unexpectedly after being left idle for a while. The reboot happens without user input and can interrupt background tasks like downloads or music playback.

Try this:

  1. Check for pending updates in Settings → General → Software Update. Apple may release a hotfix build (26.2.1) to address stability issues.
  2. Disable Background App Refresh temporarily (Settings → General → Background App Refresh) to rule out a runaway process.
  3. Reset all settings: Settings → General → Transfer or Reset iPhone → Reset → Reset All Settings (this won’t erase your data).
  4. If the reboots continue, back up your iPhone and reinstall iOS 26/26.2 via Finder or iTunes to rule out a corrupted system install.

And the list goes on…

Should you update now or wait?

In short, update now if you don’t depend on CarPlay daily, can tolerate short-term battery drain, and want the redesign/AI features.

Wait for 26.2.1 if you’ve seen camera, CarPlay, or connectivity bugs firsthand, or if your phone is essential for work. For more details, check out our separate article on whether you should update to iOS 26 or not.

If the update doesn’t show up, see fixes here.

Downgrade to iOS 18 (read before you try)

Rolling back from iOS 26 to iOS 18.x won’t restore a backup made on 26/26.2; backups aren’t backward-compatible. If you didn’t keep an older backup, you risk data loss. Here’s the safe downgrade guide.

we are continously updating the article with more bugs

85 thoughts on “All Reported iOS 26/26.2 Bugs and Issues with Fixes”

  • Whenever I change the size of an existing profile pic for a contact in the phone app, it goes back to the old size/position after you restart the app

    Reply

  • Email defaults to one of the Helvetica fractions fonts, and you can’t always change it. Changing it as a default doesn’t work…it keeps returning. Group messages have dropped me and the existing thread just says “outgoing”.

    Reply

  • On iPad Pro: Files icon consistently opens to one file only, not the list of all files or even what used to be iCloud, desktop, downloads, documents. And then you used to get a complete listing of all the files in that category. Even when I open a different file, this same one gets precedence the next time I click on Files. I’ve done a restart with no effect. I spend so much time trying to figure 26.2 out instead of being able to use it to complete my tasks.

    Reply

  • Regarding the ‘back arrow’ to exit options etc in Carplay (on the top left hand) not working: that is a ‘glass’ rendering error (like the ‘rounded corner’ on MacOS windows, try scaling them in the richt lower corner, it is hit or miss 😖). You need to tap a bit to the left of the arrow, then it will work. Some scaling and rendering error because it had to be ‘liquid glass’…🫣

    Reply

  • iPhone 13; just updated to iOS 26.2
    Might be a silly (or previous) question; if so, I apologize. After creating a spatial scene with Photos (directly from upper SS icon on the photo itself), there’s no way to share or do anything with them except an X to exit from the spatial. Is this a bug? I’d love to be able to share the spatial photo (if possible) or have the share icon to make it a wallpaper. (I know a workaround for the wallpaper by setting it as a wallpaper then making it an SS for some photos, but would like to do it this way if possible.)

    Also, is there any info why only certain photos allow a spatial scene to be made from them? I have some photos of people (family, actors in their respective art, etc.) but they don’t have the option. It’s not a huge deal, really, but a point of curiosity at least.

    Thanks so much to anyone who might be able to help me learn! I’m trying to enjoy the 26.2 update, though I will say, it’s a bit different from where I was before; I also think it would help users if they provided a few more help screens / walkthroughs built into the iOS updates or something.

    Reply

    1. You’re right! Currently, after creating a spatial scene directly from the Photos app, there’s no built-in way to share it or set it as wallpaper from that view, so the X to exit is normal, not a bug. Only certain photos allow spatial scenes because iOS requires depth data or compatible subjects (like people, pets, or certain objects) to generate the effect. For now, the workaround you mentioned—setting the photo as wallpaper first, then making it a spatial scene—remains the way to share or use it outside the Photos app.

      Reply

  • Urgent Reminders is broken from the start. It sets the alarm on a different device tied to the iCloud account and there’s no way to change of set the device the alarm goes off on.

    Reply

  • The reason why I didn’t upgrade to 26.1 until now was because I knew someone who had to add a new contact 3 times every time because of 26.0. I’m also noticing that some of us can no longer drag and drop apps in Edit Home Screen mode because whatever we click on becomes invisible.

    Reply

  • I have a folder of apps, it’s always the first one in the row, and it flickers light a light bulb at startup. And it goes into silent mode on its own. And if you tap an app, it zips right up and then goes right back down again.

    What fun.

    Reply

    1. They upgraded my iPad and I’m going crazy. I can’t type without manually opening the keyboard and will have to initiate closing it. it’s just a little tiny, mini keyboard. I’m getting pop-up ads that won’t go away. There’s no close box. I absolutely abhor how it’s reacting with my pencil, which I use as a stylus most of the time. laggy, unpredictable and nobody’s helping us figure out how to function with it. I asked to go back, and Apple said no, even though the highly rated tech who insisted I switch to it (because of my replacement pencil) told me I would be able to do that. It worked great before and this is a move backwards! Not letting it near my iPhone, but Sunday I got notifications for text from people who are not even alive! There were 14 different messages on my phone after church. The solution they say is to upgrade my phone to 26.2. I’m not stupid, but I may be looking for a burner phone. I haven’t been so angry at Apple since they throttled our batteries about a decade ago. Merry Christmas, Apple?!

      Reply

  • public beta 1 on my iPhone 13 was fantastic… updated to 2 and my screen was unresponsive. Hard restart fixed that. But mario kart sometimes has weird graphics (jerky and lower resolution)… and just now playing a video in full screen on the music app, then minimize the video down to the bar on the bottom and the screen will not respond. can swipe up and music will switch, but it will stop playing and crash in about 5 seconds.

    Reply

  • Never had an iOS update with that many bugs and problems!! Apple has clearly list his focus! Finally time for Cook to step back before this is the new apple…

    Reply

  • iphone SE 3 with iOS 26.01.
    Since iOS 26 update: camera ist black or blurred (no focus),
    sometimes the camera app freezes at all.
    (FaceID isn’t enabled)
    I hope this bug is fixed soon!

    Reply

  • Air tags cannot be located within the house unless I restart my iPhone. the restart fix only lasts a short while and then reverts back to “looking for a signal”. I can still track the car keys when they are on the road, but at home it will not give me a precise location unless I reboot.

    Gone through all the troubleshooting and am back to square one

    Reply

  • Screenshot doesn’t work anymore. Or at least it works but there is no visual feedback. No momentary white screen or thumbnail in the bottom left. Sloppy.

    Maps has a weird black bar at the top of the screen in landscape mode. You can make it go by swiping to another app and then back again.

    The parallax animation is horrific and the reduce motion isn’t much better. You still get weird effects in the screen corners instead of the nice cross-fade.

    Worst update for several decades.

    Reply

  • Also in CarPlay, when you press food, drinks, or gas stations, you are only able to see the information on the first three places shown. even though it has a full list of places, if you click on the fourth or beyond, it just keeps spinning and searching for data.

    Reply

  • In apps newly adapted to IOS26, with “reduce transparency” activated and in black mode, I have some buttons that appear dark (expected behaviour) that turn white while manipulating the app. Once they turn white, they stay that way.
    Example: Newsify app in article read.

    Reply

  • Strange cursor placement within Mail app which means the cursor blocks the latest letter you type and is not aligned to the next character input space.

    Reply

  • Bonjour à tous.

    Depuis la mise à jour IOS26, lorsqu’on active le partage de connexion, Internet ne fonctionne pas, message : “Adresse IP assignée XXXXX et ne sera pas en mesure d’accéder à Internet”

    Reply

  • I have some other problems:
    1. Steps in Health app are ridiculously low, like 29 steps all day when I walked around 10,000
    2. Date in Health app is incorrect, seems to show US day
    3. My location in Flightradar is not shown – worked before upgrade
    4. Cannot send photos from Photo application – screen turns white for about a minute or so and then returns to original screen
    5 .Facebook doesn’t display names in ‘Notifications’, only grey place holders of name and message
    6. Cannot logoff from Facebook as account information shows the same as Notifications – nothing

    … pretty sloppy testing, wouldn’t have happened under Steve …

    … all the above worked flawlessly before the upgrade

    Reply

      1. Agreed. Tim Cook is taking Apple BACKWARDS. Many, many people are becoming more and more frustrated with Apple products. Was never a problem when Steve Jobs was still with us. It appears that Cook is bending his knees to: Greed. Marxism. China. A younger generation that has no real clue on keeping the very basics of a product working and functioning properly. It appears somebody else is calling the shots. We don’t REALLY KNOW if iPhones are totally secure anymore!

  • Anyone have a fix for using the iPhone classic mode, which then puts the selection bar at the bottom, but it now covers the green phone button and the back button to delete an erroneous entry. Or was this deliberate by Apple to try and force people to use the POS new phone app?

    Reply

      1. I hear big talk about the great features in the upgrade to iOS 26.1. However, I have not upgraded to 26.1 and I already have the :Updates: they talk about. What’s REALLY going on here. It seems that updates are actually HEADACHES. And it’s obvious Apple is adding more and more TRACKING apps/features so, Big Tech and Government( and yes, China) can track every humans movement. This is the world we live in, now. Digital I.D. right from your iPhone. Welcome to Communist ChinAmerica. “IF IT’S NOT BROKEN, STOP “FIXING” IT” !! Apple should focus mostly on SECURITY for The PEOPLE !

  • I have an iPhone 16 Pro that now is an expensive brick/paperweight.

    After backing up my phone to my computer, it said an update was available, so I tried to update it. Update failed, into “restore mode”. Restore fails multiple times, then the phone will no longer turn on. Contacted Apple about it and they said since I had full warranty coverage, they could send a replacement in 3-5 business days. That was on 9/15. Still no replacement as of 9/20, not even shipped.

    I took it to an authorized repair dealer to see if they could at least get it somewhat working while I wait. No dice, I was told it was one fancy brick.

    Sure wish I had a phone, my old watch just doesn’t have the battery life for phone calls anymore.

    Reply

    1. Search for the name of the law firm that successfully sued crApple for refurbs as new, which they’re continuing to do. People need to recognize what the true reason for the trade-in program is.
      And since I’m a huge privacy need, my trust is gone where crApple is concerned. I know they can harvest data from the “restored” device. And, the iCloud… i have no trust with God reason.

      Reply

  • Mail attachments are not downloaded. Once you tap download it says „downloading“ and after a few seconds again „tap to download“ appears

    Reply

  • You cannot downgrade. You need
    a separate device and also a Mac
    with iTunes and the latest OS to
    open the IPSW file.

    Obviously; if you have the latest
    OS then you won’t have iTunes.
    So the process cancels itself out.
    Yes; you can find IPSW file “opener”
    online but it has a size limit. Which
    is rather pointless. So you then need
    to fork out to buy a program that can
    do this. Yes; you can go back to “set
    iPad as new” and lose everything in
    the process. But devices now won’t
    allow you to use them unless you get
    the latest OS.

    Conclusion? You’re stuck with iOS 26.

    Reply

    1. um,i know apple is trash right now but i think its been known since like right after they did it 3 mac os’s ago that the function are in “finder” when u plug into a mac . on pc itunes is still free u can also download 3utools for free

      Reply

  • Awful iOS upgrade, don’t do it! It looks bad, it renders poorly, if you use camera and photos etc. all the time expect countless issuse. Screen rotate doesn’t work, when you change iPhone wallpaper depth does not work and it always turns on do not disturb mode, then you have to turn it off manually and then your wallpaper is now broken. They got this very very wrong, no way was this ready for release hell no. Finally glass looks cack! The new icons are awful along with the new buttons, keyboard and fonts. It was absolutely iOS in version 18.7.. But this, no no no no…

    Reply

  • My PDF’s are opening with “MyScans” app for some reason and when I go back to my folder where i had my PDF’s – they are gone… I have to go back to “MyScans” app and save the PDF file back to it’s place and still… it wont open nicely like it used to !! So annoying !!

    Reply

  • Iphone 16 pro/ ios26 – Cannot convert photo mode photos to portrait anymore!
    Updated to ios 26 on 15th of September 2025.
    The ability to take photos in photo mode and convert them to portrait mode has worked flawlessly under the previous ios, all the way up to ios 18.6! I hve not updated to 18.7, went straight to ios 26!
    Ever since the ios 26 update, I’ve consistently noticed that the “portrait” option is not present when editing photos! I have taken tens of photos and this option is no longer available, as if there is an issue with depth perception analysis! For reference, my wife’s phone is an (identical) iphone 16 pro, purchased wt the same time, still running ios 18.6, and I have used it to take identical photos (same focal length, lighting conditions and subjects – photos taken side by side – and the portrait option on the photo talen in photo mode IS THERE as it should be!
    As a side note, on pressing the edit photos button, my 16 pro / ios 26 takes a while to load the photo, while I see a message saying “loading photo”, my wife’s phone loads the photo in edit mode instantly!
    File formats and camera settings between the two iPhones are identical!

    Reply

  • Messages and phone app freeze then release every 10~15 minutes, sometimes when you opened the apps, it showed white screen and saw nothing. When receiving call there was no ringing.

    Reply

  • Anyone getting the “white screen of death”?

    – White screen
    – will still snap screenshots – they show up on my iPad. Not of the whitescreen but rather the “Slide to power off” screen & the “SOS Emergency Call” screen
    – Continued long pressing of the Power and -Volume button will dial Emergency Services!
    – Have pulled out the SIM card to no avail

    Any suggestions?

    Reply

  • After switching to ios26, I leave my phone at charge before I sleep and when I wake up in the morning sim card is locked and asks for pin code.

    Reply

    2. Same thing here. It must be a bug in iOS 26, right? It never happened before!
      Furthermore, my iPhone 14 Pro is eSIM-only but a workmate of mine told me he is experiencing the same issue but his iPhone 14 Pro Max has physical SIM card.

      Reply

  • i have a macbook pro latest model with two users. in ios26 when i want to change to other user the mac crash. It is happening every time.

    Reply

    1. similar issue with iphone 16pro. installed update. phone restarted and has been in recovery mode ever since, ive been dealing with this for two days not being able to access anything

      Reply

  • Yesterday, when looking up a contact in CarPlay, I couldn’t leave the contact details and go back to the list. The button didn’t react.

    Reply

  • Apple keyboard (the one that pops up) keeps flickering/bouncing around. I have to try and expand it or use my bt keyboard. Not sure if it’s a bug persay or because of the new windowing, but my games which use to be landscape only now show in portrait mode.

    Reply

  • Messaging works for two hours at a time then quits. Message screen freezes. Even the setting options for message freezes. Spent two hours at the Apple Store and the problem persists. Apple needs to send the fix ASAP so my iPhone operates as Jobs and God intended.

    Reply

  • Downloaded overnight only to find my 16Pro was missing several icons (including my clock which didn’t go off so I was LATE!) That was a first for me! My local news app, and at least 5 others too!

    Reply

    1. NEW ISSUE- I downloaded 26, now when I type things in any search bar the mic picks up everything in the room and automatically starts typing it.

      Also, in some apps – I have a apple keyboard I use – however when I when I use the “hide” button, it keeps popping up

      HELP

      Reply

  • Carplay Audio bug , where spoken word sound distorted like the gain way too high , spotify podcasts , podcast app , only sound like that on spoken word , music is fine , can make it sound normal by opening the camera app , sucks cause i use carplay everyday to commute and listen to my podcasts …

    Reply

  • Lots more bugs than that!

    The icon/group labels on the home page do not adapt to the chosen color scheme correctly (white or black text as appropriate).

    Font scaling issues throughout the various built-in apps

    Puzzles leaderboards no longer show total # of players on the leaderboard

    Many web pages do not render properly on the iOS 26 version of Safari

    Reply

  • Map route turn by turn is not working on my 16 Pro since I installed IOS 26. Previously a tap on the destination box brought up the entire turn by turn directions.

    Reply

  • After the iOS 26 update for my 10th generation. iPad, the Logitech rugged folio keyboard suddenly ldoesn’t work. They’ve offered me a new keyboard at a 30% discount. Is anyone else having the similar problem?

    Reply

  • Iphone 13 pro Camera message after the update and on portrait mode the camera is zoomed 3x and you can’t zoom out and on cinematic mode the screen goes black

    Reply

    1. I’m having the exact same problem, I have entered the password for the ‘Apple Account Verification over and over and over and it just keeps asking. I cannot access or download my purchased TV shows because the verification pop-up appears over and over and blocks me.

      Additionally, it causes a notification that my TV shows failed to download on every single episode, I’ll be traveling soon and I’d really like to download the TV shows to my phone so I can watch for a while Even without Internet Access while on the flights.,

      I’m just shrugging with disappointment at this time.,

      Reply

  • My mail app and contact app on my ipad on iOS 26 have gone blank . I’ve restarted the iPad deleted and restored them both .. still blank . Mail works fine on my MacBook. I’m waiting for help .

    Reply

    1. If Mail and Contacts on your iPad running iOS 26 are opening but showing a blank screen even after reinstalling, it usually points to a sync or account issue rather than the apps themselves. First, check Settings → Mail → Accounts (and Settings → Contacts → Accounts) to make sure your email and iCloud accounts are listed and toggled on.

      If they are, try removing the affected account, restarting your iPad, then re-adding it — this often clears sync corruption. Also, make sure you’re updated to the latest iOS 26 build since Apple has been patching post-release bugs.

      If the issue persists, test in Settings → Mail → Accounts → Fetch New Data by switching to “Fetch” instead of “Push.” As a last resort, sign out of iCloud completely on the iPad, restart, and sign back in; this can reset Contacts and Mail syncing without touching your MacBook data.

      Reply

  • Earlier the physical SIM was working in my 14 Pro model but now after the update the physical SIM is not working and neither is the eSIM option coming.

    Reply

  • On Face ID issue, I tried restarting with no luck. What fixed it was toggling the Stolen Devices switch in the FaceID settings menu, no other steps required. Posting this Sept 2025.

    Reply

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