I Have an IPhone Pro Max and IOS 26 Makes One-Handed Operation Much Easier
It’s usually the flashiest software features that grab the headlines, but in my opinion, it’s the functional ones that deserve the most attention. Case in point: iOS 26 , where Liquid Glass is on everyone’s lips, but fewer people are talking about Apple’s decision to move the iPhone’s search bars and other control buttons to the bottom of the screen. This small tweak makes the Settings, Phone, and Messages apps much easier to use, as are the call controls during FaceTime video calls. It may seem like a small change, but I love that I no longer have to stretch out my fingers or hold the phone with both hands to perform everyday tasks on my iPhone.
This change has been a long time coming.
Since my first iPhone, the iPhone 5s, I’ve been trying to make it easier for my thumb to access the apps I care about most. This was difficult in early versions of iOS because you couldn’t customize your home screen the way you can today. I’d still do my best to arrange my favorite apps in an inverted L shape near the bottom right corner of the screen so I could easily tap them with one hand, but my options were limited. These days, you can place an app icon almost anywhere on the home screen, and even Control Center is customizable, but there’s still room for improvement.
For example, all my careful planning always went to waste as soon as I opened any app. Many apps still follow Apple’s lead and place their search bars near the top of the phone’s screen, where they’re hard to reach. Some third-party apps place their Compose/Write buttons near the bottom right corner of the iPhone, but Apple’s own apps weren’t optimized for ergonomics, and it set a bad precedent. This wasn’t such a big issue on my tiny iPhone 5s, but since I upgraded to the Pro Max model, it’s become more important to me. Luckily for me, in iOS 26, Apple has finally started to address this issue.
The updated back gesture is great
As a right-handed person, I’ve never used the iOS back gesture, which requires me to move my thumb to the left edge of the screen and swipe right. In iOS 26, many Apple apps now let you go back by swiping right from anywhere on the screen . It’s a welcome change.
Search lines are now easier to reach
When you open the Mail, Messages, Notes, Podcasts, Phone, or Settings apps in iOS 26, you should notice one nice change. Yes, the search bar/button is now at the bottom of the display. I use the search feature a lot in all of these apps, and it now takes much less effort to reach the button with my thumb. Hopefully, other developers will follow suit.
The “Write” button is where it should be.
Some apps include a button that helps you create a new file, write an email, start a new chat, etc. In iOS 26, many of Apple’s own apps have moved this button to the bottom right corner of the display, taking a cue from those third-party apps I mentioned earlier. Examples include the “Create Reminder” button in Reminders, the “Compose Email” button in Mail, and the “New Message” button in Messages. Apple is finally catching up with the rest of the App Store.
Safari’s new compact layout is quite ergonomic
While Safari moved its address bar to the bottom of the screen in the previous version of iOS, the version of the browser included in iOS 26 adds a new compact layout that makes it even more ergonomic. You can now hold down the address bar and swipe up to use the Copy feature, which is a much easier way to copy URLs than tapping the Share button and tapping Copy. You can also double-tap the three-dot button to quickly bookmark pages. That said, I hope Apple finds a way to keep the Share and Tabs buttons visible in future iterations of the compact layout. Those two buttons are now hidden under the three-dot button, which isn’t ideal.
To switch to a more familiar layout, go to Settings > Apps > Safari in iOS 26, scroll down to Tabs , and select Bottom .
New FaceTime Video Call Controls Are a Huge Step Up
FaceTime video calls used to have call controls at the top of the screen, but that changed in iOS 26. Now you’ll see these buttons lined up near the bottom-right corner of the screen. This makes it easy to mute the sound, turn off the camera, change the audio device, or just end the call.