All the IOS 26 Features Apple Barely Mentioned at WWDC 2025

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iOS gets so many new features with each version update that it’s impractical to squeeze everything into a single keynote. While the major features of iOS 26 , including those that Apple borrowed from others , got all the attention, I think some of the most exciting features were buried during the WWDC 2025 keynote. Apple briefly showed off a slide containing all of these hidden features, and I’ve compiled them here:

36 Hidden iOS Features 26

Credit: Apple

The slide above is all we need for these features. Some are obvious from the title, but others are less clear. I’ve tried to add context where I can, but some assumptions are needed here until we know more about iOS 26:

What do you think at the moment?

  1. Custom Snooze Duration : If you want to snooze your alarm for more or less the standard nine minutes, this feature can be very useful.

  2. Automatically switch AirPods with CarPlay : Automatic switching lets you quickly connect your AirPods to the Apple device you’re actively using. It looks like Apple is expanding this to CarPlay, too.

  3. Enhance Dialogue : This feature should mean that Apple Podcasts can boost vocals in podcasts and suppress background noise. All the best podcast apps should have this feature.

  4. Using Focus to Mute a SIM Card : It looks like iOS 26 will allow you to use Focuses to mute one SIM card, which is great for those who use two numbers on their iPhone.

  5. Communication requests : Screen Time may gain support for requests to use messaging apps. This could give parents more control over who their children communicate with.

  6. Add Contact button in Groups : This can make it easier to add people to your contacts from a group in the Messages app.

  7. Enhanced entry layout : The Journal app is getting an improved layout for starting a new entry, but we don’t know what it is yet.

  8. Photos App Events : It looks like iOS 26 will bring support for Photos app events.

  9. Lens cleaning tip : If your iPhone or iPad’s camera lens is dirty, the Camera app in iOS 26 will prompt you to clean it.

  10. Correct spelling with dictation : A handy way to reduce typos when using dictation to type.

  11. Automatic categorization : Reminders will be able to automatically sort your tasks.

  12. Manage credit card autofill in the Wallet app : It looks like Apple is moving saved credit card information to the Wallet app.

  13. Security Check When Blocking a Contact : Security Check prevents other people from accessing shared iPhone data, such as your location. Apple appears to be adding Security Check prompts when blocking a contact as another way to keep you safe.

  14. Photo previews : The Messages app will get the ability to show previews of images on the iPhone, although it’s unclear how this fits with the current system.

  15. Relevant video thumbnails in search results : Based on this description, search results in Photos can now include specific parts of a video that are relevant to the search query.

  16. Arabic Calculator : The calculator app gets a new mode.

  17. Access Braille : Your iPhone will now have a tool for taking notes in Braille.

  18. AirPods pause media during sleep : Your AirPods can detect when you’ve dozed off and pause media accordingly. This detection is likely linked to the Apple Watch.

  19. Easier controller pairing : Apple is making it easier to pair game controllers with iPhone and iPad.

  20. Suggested Reminders : iOS 26 can suggest reminders based on your activity on iPhone.

  21. Select part of a text bubble : In iOS 18, the Messages app lets you copy all the text you’ve sent or received, but it doesn’t let you select part of the message. That’s set to change with iOS 26.

  22. More playback speeds : Apple Podcasts in iOS 18 supports playback speeds from 0.75x to 2x. iOS 26 will bring more speed options, though we don’t know which ones or how many yet.

  23. Multilingual keyboard for Arabic/English : For easier switching between two languages.

  24. New monogram styles : The Phone app now supports more monogram options.

  25. Natural language search : It can be easier to search through messages. Natural language can allow you to narrow your search even if you don’t remember the correct search operators.

  26. Adaptive Power : Your iPhone will make small changes, like lowering the brightness, to extend battery life.

  27. Password history : Apple Passwords remembers old passwords you used for any sign-in item.

  28. Accessibility Reader : Makes it easy to read small text in any application .

  29. Estimated Charging Time : This is the amount of time you need to wait for your iPhone battery to be fully charged.

  30. View your entries on a map : The Journal app will save location metadata to help you find entries by location.

  31. Export notes to Markdown : Apple Notes is gaining support for exporting to Markdown .

  32. Create multiple journals : The Journal app now allows you to create more than one journal.

  33. Screen sharing and SharePlay during a phone call : It appears these features are no longer exclusive to FaceTime calls .

  34. Create reminders with the Action button : The Action button gets another useful action.

  35. Blocked contacts list in settings : This appears to be an improvement to the way blocked contacts are handled.

  36. New incident report types in Maps : If you want to report an incident in Apple Maps, you’ll find more report types in the iOS 26 app.

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