iOS 26 allows users to set custom backgrounds in conversations, and it introduces the ability to create polls for voting.
In the Messages app, users can now screen messages from unknown senders. Apple says messages from unknown senders will appear in a dedicated folder, where users can mark the phone number as known, ask for more information, or delete it. These messages will remain silenced until a user accepts them.
In group chats, users can now see typing indicators, plus send and receive Apple Cash.
A new Live Translation feature in the Messages app, powered by Apple Intelligence, can translate text and audio on the fly.
Tuesday October 20, 2026 9:04 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
In a support document that it has since deleted, Australian carrier Telstra said RCS support would be available starting with an iOS update coming in December. If this timeframe remains accurate, then iPhone users with Telstra will likely be able to use RCS in the Messages app starting with iOS 27.3.
RCS has many benefits over the traditional SMS standard for text messaging with Android users, ...
Tuesday October 27, 2026 5:16 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
Among the flurry of iOS 27.2 releases on Monday, Apple also pushed a wave of software updates for its older operating systems, including a fix for a CoreGraphics vulnerability that Apple says may have been exploited in targeted attacks.
The releases include iOS 26.7.2, iPadOS 26.7.2, iOS 18.7.11, iPadOS 18.7.11, macOS Tahoe 26.7.2, macOS Sequoia 15.8.2, and tvOS 26.6.1.
iOS 18.7.11 and...
Sunday November 8, 2026 7:42 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple has made a change to its development process for iOS 28, macOS 28, and corresponding software updates, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
In his Power On newsletter today, he said Apple separates development of each year's new operating systems into three major stages. Typically, he said each stage consists of four weeks of coding followed by a four-week "convergence" period where...
