Apple Rolled Out iOS 26 With Liquid Glass, Then Added 26.4.1 and More
Updated
Updated · CNET · May 9
Apple Rolled Out iOS 26 With Liquid Glass, Then Added 26.4.1 and More
11 articles · Updated · CNET · May 9
September 2025 brought iOS 26, giving iPhones the Liquid Glass interface—Apple’s first major design shift since iOS 7 in 2013—along with call screening and other new tools.
Subsequent releases through iOS 26.4.1 expanded and refined the software, adding features such as new emoji, video podcasts, privacy controls, Studio Display support and security improvements.
Apple also made iOS 26 more customizable after launch, including settings that let users tone down or adjust the Liquid Glass look.
With WWDC due in June and iOS 27 expected, the guide frames iOS 26 as the current baseline while tracking the updates that shaped Apple’s latest iPhone software.
Will iOS 27's AI features make recent iPhones obsolete by requiring the newest hardware?
Is Apple's privacy-first AI a strategic advantage or a sign it's falling behind rivals?
Is Apple's walled garden still inescapable despite new regulations forcing it to open up?