The latest iOS 26 arrives with Liquid Glass design, a new Games app, a fluid Lock Screen, and more. While these big features are making headlines, Apple has silently pushed a bunch of smaller additions that can enhance your experience. Right from custom snooze duration to HDR screenshots, there’s a lot more to explore. We’ve shared 25 hidden iOS 26 features that Apple didn’t reveal on the stage, but you should definitely know about.
1. Reduce Transparency of Liquid Glass Design
If you like the new Liquid Glass Design but feel Apple went too far with transparency and blurring effects, you should know about this secret iOS 26 feature. Go to Settings > Accessibility > Display & Text Size and toggle on Reduce Transparency. It will keep the brand-new glassy look, but reduce the transparency and improve readability.
2. Double Tap to Bookmark in Safari
No more taps to bookmark a page in Safari. The latest iOS 26 introduces a new gesture for bookmarking in Safari. When you’re reading a page in Safari, just double-tap on the three-dot menu to bookmark it.
3. Playlist Folders in Apple Music
With iOS 26, you can organize all your Apple Music playlists into folders. Go to Playlists, tap the + icon in the upper right corner, and choose New Folder. This way, you can organize all your playlists into a genre-based library for a clutter-free experience.
4. Custom Length for Alarm Snoozing
If you’re someone who snooze alarms way too often, but don’t like being stuck on that default 9-minute delay, there’s a hidden iOS 26 feature that will make your life easier. You can now set a custom snooze duration of 1 to 15 minutes for each alarm in the Clock app.
5. Enjoy Smooth DJ-Style Transitions
The Apple Music app gains an interesting AutoMix feature with iOS 26 that lets you seamlessly blend one song with another like a DJ. When a song ends, it fades into the next with a seamless transition, so there are no gaps between the tracks. To do this, go to Apple Music Settings > Music > Automix.
6. Edit PDFs with the Preview App
We all know that the macOS Preview app is now coming to iPadOS 26. But how many of you know that it’s also coming on iOS? Yes, the Preview app is available on iPhones, too. Now you can edit PDFs, sign documents, and do a lot more on the go. The app comes pre-installed with iOS 26.
7. Use Focus to Silence SIM
If you use two numbers on your iPhone, you must know this cool iOS 26 trick. Apple has introduced a new Focus mode that lets you silence a particular SIM.
8. Adaptive Power Mode
To extend your iPhone’s battery life, iOS 26 offers a new Adaptive Power Mode that reduces brightness or slows down some apps when the battery consumption is higher than usual. At the moment, it seems this feature is exclusive to iPhones with Apple Intelligence. You’ll find this option under Settings > Battery > Power Mode.
9. Estimated Charging Time
The entire Battery section in the iPhone Settings app received a major overhaul with iOS 26. Thanks to the new estimated charging time feature, you can know how long your iPhone will take to charge. Plus, it will alert you if you’re using a Slow Charger.
10. Check Per-App Battery Consumption
If your iPhone dies faster than usual, iOS 26 makes it easier to spot the battery-draining app. Go to Settings > Battery > View All Battery Usage to check which app is consuming the most power. Besides, the battery section will also warn you if you’re using more battery than usual.
11. Lens Cleaning Alert
There’s a little but cool iOS 26 feature that can help you avoid blurry shots. When you’re using the Camera app, you will receive an alert if the camera lens needs to be cleaned. You can turn it on/off in Settings.
12. Keep Audio in Headphones
Do you also feel awkward when you’re listening to a song on your AirPods, and the audio automatically switches to car speakers? Well, this clever iOS 26 setting will reduce that mess. Go to Settings > General > AirPlay & Continuity and turn on “Keep Audio in Headphones”.
13. Enhance Dialog in Podcasts
In the Podcasts app, iOS 26 now offers an Enhance Dialog option to boost voices, so you can hear speech more clearly. You can enable this feature on a per-episode basis.
14. Call List Filters
Apple’s iOS 26 now lets you filter the call list by Calls, Missed, Voicemails, and Spam. When you’re on the call list, tap the three lines from the top-right to see Call Filters.
15. Capture HDR Screenshots
On iOS 18 and previous versions, you could only capture the screen in SDR. Now, there’s a new iOS 26 setting that lets you capture HDR screenshots and screen recording on your iPhone. Go to Settings > General > Screen Capture and select HDR. Here, you’ll also see a new CarPlay Screenshots toggle.
16. Start Recording Videos with AirPods
This new iOS 26 trick can turn your AirPods into a camera remote. If you own an AirPods 4 or AirPods Pro 2, you can press and hold the stem of the earbuds to start recording video in the Camera app. Isn’t that convenient?
17. Charging Notifications for AirPods
If you often forget to charge your AirPods, iOS 26 will now remind you to charge your AirPods when their battery life is low. Also, if you listen to audiobooks, AirPods 4 and AirPods Pro 2 will now automatically pause the audio when they detectdd that you’ve fallen asleep.
18. New Indicator Menu in Camera Settings
Now that iOS 26 brings a simpler Camera layout with just Photo and Video tabs, it offers new settings to fine-tune your shooting experience. There’s a new Indicators Settings for Flash, Live Photo, and more. So you can enjoy a clean layout or choose to keep some options.
19. Select Partial Text in iMessage Bubble
This is one of my favorite iOS 26 features. You can find a new “Select” option in the Messages app that lets you select a part of the message. That means you no longer have to copy the entire message and then edit it. Simply tap and hold the message bubble and choose Select.
Besides, you can set a custom background for your chats to add a vibe to your conversations.
20. New Background Sounds
If you love the Background Sounds feature on your iPhone, there’s a treat for you. This year, iOS 26 brings a set of new background sounds, including Airplane, Babble, Boat, Bus, Steam, Rain on Roof, Quiet Night, and Train.
21. Create Polls in Group Chats
Until now, you had to download an app if you wanted to do a poll in group chats. With iOS 26, Apple adds this long-overdue option to the Messages app. Just tap the + icon and select Polls.
22. Customize Music Haptics
If you enable Music Haptics on your iPhone, you can now customize the haptic feedback for supported songs and also choose the intensity. You can now feel every beat with iOS 26.
23. Check Password History
The new iOS version makes it easy to view and manage older passwords. The Apple Passwords app in iOS 26 now shows password history for each saved account.
24. Check Call History for a Contact
Apple’s iOS 26 lets you view the full call history with any contact in seconds. Simply tap the contact name and then tap “Call History”. You’ll see every call you’ve made or received with them.
25. Upgraded Boarding Passes
Last, but definitely not least, iOS 26 makes flying a lot more convenient. Your virtual boarding passes in the Wallet app can now guide you to your terminal and even help you locate your luggage with an AirTag. Also, you can now see the arrival gate number, flight progress, baggage reclaim, and more right from your virtual boarding pass.
Want to try all these features right now? Here’s how to download and install iOS 26 developer beta on compatible iPhones.