Whereas the brand new glass-like design often is the most seen change inside iOS 26, the working system additionally has 5 options that is likely to be notably interesting for enterprise customers.
iOS 26 made its debut on June 9 at WWDC 2025, in a comparatively subdued keynote occasion. Whereas Apple put a robust emphasis on its cross-platform “Liquid Glass” design language, there’s extra to iOS 26 than meets the attention.
Among the upgrades and enhancements in iOS 26 help you categorical your creativity extra simply, like the brand new ChatGPT-powered kinds for Picture Playground. Different options, in the meantime, will show you how to get work accomplished, they usually is likely to be particularly helpful for these within the enterprise world.
Cellphone screening and voicemail spam reporting
With iOS 26, Apple is stepping up its struggle in opposition to spam calls and voice messages by way of enhancements and new choices within the Cellphone app.
iOS 26 has a brand new Name Screening function that helps you filter out spam callers.
The iPhone maker has rolled out a brand new Name Screening function, which saves you the effort of answering calls from unknown numbers. It makes issues simpler, as you needn’t manually confirm whether or not or not the individual on the opposite line is somebody you wish to communicate with.
As a substitute, when an unknown quantity calls, your iPhone will immediate the caller to supply a reputation and a cause for calling. That info is then relayed to the top consumer, permitting for fast decision-making with successfully no effort.
Apple’s Name Screening function helps filter interruptions, corresponding to telemarketers and scammers, with out blocking unknown telephone numbers indiscriminately.
The decision screening function is particularly helpful in case your telephone quantity is publicly accessible and affiliated with a enterprise, group, or different authorized entity.
The Cellphone app in iOS 26 additionally enables you to report spam voicemails on to Apple. In case you get a voicemail from an unknown quantity, tapping on the message now reveals a “Report Spam” button.
You now have the choice to report it and hold the voicemail or report it and delete it. Both means, the message is flagged and despatched to Apple for evaluate.
These stories do not robotically block the caller. You may nonetheless have to take that further step manually, similar to earlier than. However the info could possibly be used to enhance Apple’s filtering algorithms, particularly if a lot of customers flag comparable messages.
Polls in Messages
Whereas the Messages app additionally has an identical spam-detection function, it is not the one enchancment the app obtained with iOS 26.
The Messages app has a brand new ballot function on iOS 26 and iPadOS 26.
There’s now a brand new choice to create polls inside group chats. These in-app polls help you suggest choices and solid votes, with out the effort of downloading a separate app. It is all baked into iMessage.
With the brand new polling function, it is attainable so as to add a number of choices, and all members of the group chat can vote, with outcomes showing in actual time. The in-app ballot functionality is supposed to be fast and intuitive, that means that utilizing it’s pretty easy.
Apple’s polling function additionally leverages Apple Intelligence, the corporate’s on-device AI software program, accessible on the iPhone 15 Professional and newer. When Apple Intelligence detects plan-related questions, you may robotically see an choice to create a ballot.
For example, if somebody writes “What film ought to we see tonight?” the Messages app will immediate the consumer to arrange a ballot with instructed titles. This solely works with iMessage, nevertheless, because the in-app ballot function shouldn’t be accessible for SMS or cross-platform chats.
Whereas apps like Telegram and WhatsApp have had polling options for years, their presence within the Message app makes issues a lot simpler for end-users, who not have to cope with third-party apps only for polling choices.
The in-app ballot function will permit for near-instant choice making, whether or not you are discussing a enterprise technique with coworkers or planning with pals.
Stay Translation is now a system-wide function
Additionally accessible in Messages is Apple’s new Stay Translation function, which helps customers break down language obstacles in actual time.
Stay Translation is out there in FaceTime, Messages, and the Cellphone app.
The corporate’s Stay Translation function is powered by on-device AI processing fashions. It really works throughout first-party apps like FaceTime, Messages, and Cellphone. There’s even a brand new Name Translation API that builders can use for third-party functions.
For instance, the Stay Translation function can instantly translate textual content into different languages as you sort out a message in iMessage. As texts in different languages are available in, the Apple Intelligence function can immediately translate them for you.
In FaceTime, the function gives dwell captions throughout video calls. For audio-only calls, it could translate and communicate the dialog aloud.
The function gives real-time, on-device interpretation of conversations with out sending information to the cloud. Nonetheless, you will have an iPhone 15 Professional or newer to make use of Stay Translation, because the function requires an Apple Intelligence-compatible gadget.
Help for languages varies by app, regardless that Stay Translation is out there in three first-party functions.
The supported languages fluctuate by app. In Messages, dwell translation works with English (U.S., UK), French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish, and Chinese language Simplified.
For Cellphone and FaceTime, help is narrower at launch. It is restricted to English (U.S., UK), French, German, Portuguese, and Spanish. Apple says extra languages might be added by the top of 2025.
Stay Translation is a significant improve for enterprise customers working throughout borders. It is also nice for vacationers or for speaking with relations from totally different components of the world.
Not like current standalone apps, Apple’s answer is embedded in on a regular basis communication instruments which can be already current in iOS. The corporate’s Stay translation does not depend on cloud-based processing the best way Google and Samsung’s options do, both.
Messages now has typing indicators for group chats
Together with Stay Translation and enhanced spam-detection options, Apple’s Messages app has gained one other long-overdue enchancment — Typing indicators.
The Messages app in iOS 26 now shows typing indicators in group chats.
Whereas communication functions corresponding to Slack, Discord, Fb Messenger, and WhatsApp have all had typing indicators for years, the function was notably absent from iMessage.
With iOS 26, nevertheless, you may lastly have the ability to know who’s typing at any given second. It will make group communication considerably simpler, with interactions being seen in real-time. It additionally works in one-on-one chats.
This function is nice for enterprise customers with a number of iMessage group chats. It makes it simpler to regulate the circulation of a dialog, and affords perception into who’s actively taking part, or who is likely to be hesitating to supply enter, or an thought.
Shortcuts are actually extra highly effective with Apple Intelligence
iOS 26 brings Shortcuts and Apple Intelligence nearer collectively, permitting you to finish duties with AI rather more shortly.
The Shortcuts app in iOS 26 now helps Clever Actions, which leverage Apple Intelligence.
All the Apple Intelligence instruments up to now are actually accessible in what Apple calls Clever Actions.
Within the first and second developer betas of iOS 26, the principle actions are:
- Change the tone of textual content
- Make checklist from textual content
- Make desk from textual content
- Proofread textual content
- Rewrite textual content
- Summarize textual content
- Use mannequin
That final is probably probably the most vital as a result of it lets Shortcuts customers specify which mannequin of AI they wish to use. The choices listed here are:
- Non-public Cloud Compute
- On-System
- Extension
- Ask Every Time
Non-public Cloud Compute leverages Apple’s privacy-enabled cloud-based processing programs, whereas On-System makes use of the domestically saved Apple Intelligence LLM. Extension presently refers to ChatGPT, nevertheless it may permit for different AI mannequin choices sooner or later, corresponding to Google Gemini.
Ask Every Time understandably lets customers select a mannequin each time a specific shortcut is used.
Clever Actions can be utilized independently or alongside conventional Shortcut choices, which may vastly simplify workflows. As a substitute of getting to navigate to Writing Instruments at any time when textual content alteration or summarization is required, as an example, a shortcut might help you make a textual content extra concise in just some clicks.
Apple’s AI-infused Clever Actions can be found on iOS 26, iPadOS 26, and macOS Tahoe.
Apple’s instance is a powerful one which has a scholar sharing their notes and an audio recording of a lecture right into a shortcut. The shortcut then makes use of current actions to transcribe the audio, after which the brand new Clever Actions to check that to the notes.
Equally, a shortcut could possibly be used so as to add the date and time to textual content, then summarize all of it, and e mail the abstract to somebody.
The brand new-and-improved Shortcuts app affords countless prospects, and Clever Actions are certain to learn college students and enterprise customers alike, provided that conferences could possibly be processed like lectures in Apple’s instance.
Total, iOS 26 affords a large number of latest options that can show you how to get work accomplished extra simply. Whether or not it is the Stay Translation function for speaking with worldwide associates or the Name Screening functionality, which filters out spam callers, there’s one thing for nearly everybody.
Apple’s macOS Tahoe and iPadOS 26 share among the productiveness options with iOS 26, however the two opearating programs even have platform-specific enhancements which can be simply as spectacular.
