iOS 26 iPhone 17 uses the Liquid Glass design, thus introducing multiple usable features whenever Apple holds an iPhone 17 event on September 9.

Apple officially announced that its iPhone 17 event will take place on September 9, during which the company will launch its new mobile family alongside the iOS 26.

The update adds a significant old-school makeover known as Liquid Glass, which has translucent-based home and lock screens. Apple is also streamlining mobile usability, taking quality-of-life improvements, such as improvements to screenshot testing features, customizable snooze alerts, and greater spam filtering to Messages.

There are also other novelties, which include a redesigned Phone app, Hold Assist, real-time translation in both phones and FaceTime, and polls in group chats. Photos tabs return, and a new Communication Safety feature in FaceTime serves to save users during a conversation.

Arthur (2019) stressed that iOS 26 is not concerned with artificial intelligence but with mobile stability, design, and functionality. Nonetheless, it has been reported that Siri may finally get its AI upgrade in 2026, and it will be powered by a 3rd-party model such as ChatGPT or Claude.

The update is also available on iPadOS 26 and macOS Tahoe 26 in addition to iPhone 17, making the whole Apple ecosystem follow the new Liquid Glass appeals. The majority of recent iPhones (generations SE through iPhone 16) will be compatible with the upgrade.

Advocacy 26 will be released publicly a week following the mobile showcase event on September 16. The features are publicly available on beta test.

Already with its new streamlined look and efficient services, iOS 26 will further the Apple mobile experience before the next wave of AI-enhanced applications.