I didn’t think I’d be talking about iOS 26 before the year 2032, but here we are. At WWDC 2025, Apple will likely announce the latest update for iPhones, complete with new features and a fresh naming scheme.
We won’t know for sure what Apple is planning until they officially announce it, but there’s reason to believe some leaks and rumors are accurate. I’ve been following those leaks and rumors closely as they’ve trickled in, and have a good sense of what to expect with iOS 26. Not all of the rumored features are winners—cough cough, Apple Intelligence—but there are others I’m genuinely excited for. Here are six of the features I hope really do make it to iOS 26.
RCS End-to-end encryption
RCS support was probably my favorite new feature of the iOS 18 era. For the first time since iMessage launched in 2011, iPhones and Android could text each other natively without resorting to SMS. The bubbles might still be green, but at least group chats are intact.
One major RCS perk has been missing since it launched on iOS, however: encryption. While RCS currently supports high-quality images and videos, your messages sent with this protocol are as unprotected as they are over SMS. End-to-end encryption (E2EE) guarantees that only the devices involved in the chat can decrypt and read the messages that are sent. No one else, not even Apple, can read E2EE. It’s a bummer, because RCS does support encryption (though even Android devices need to deal with some quirks here, as well).
Luckily, we know that E2EE is coming to RCS on iPhone—we just don’t know exactly when. Apple confirmed back in March that RCS encryption is on its way “in future software updates,” which could mean iOS 26, but also iOS 26.1 or any other number of updates. Personally, I hope it’s sooner rather than later.
Live Translate for AirPods
Picture this: You’re talking to someone who speaks a language you don’t. But as they speak, you hear their words translated to your language in your ear. It sounds like the future, but it’s very much the present—and it might be coming to AirPods.
That’s according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, who reported in March that certain AirPods models would be getting this “live translate” feature. While Apple is apparently trying to keep this feature as secret as possible, Gurman says that AirPods will translate your conversationalist’s words in your ears, while your iPhone will translate your words in the other person’s language.
And actually, the feature is nothing new: Google’s Pixel Buds have had live translation for years at this point, via Conversation mode in the Translate app. It works the same way as Gurman describes Apple’s vision, so there is a clear precedent here. Still, I’d love if this feature really did ship with iOS 26.
A new look for iOS
If you know anything about iOS 26, you might know that Apple is planning a visual overhaul for the iPhone. If the rumors are true, the changes go beyond the mobile device: Apple is reportedly working on a design change across all of its products, to unify the look of iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and visionOS.
The main UI inspiration seems to come from Apple’s newest product of the bunch, Apple Vision Pro: Icons and elements are rounded, windows and menu bars are floating and translucent, and there are fresh animations.
You can see an example of what this might look like from this Jon Prosser video, which showcases an iOS 26 mock-up based on leaked designs:
It’s not necessarily the design itself I’m excited about, but the change in general. While Apple has mixed up its UI a bit over the years, the general design language has been building off iOS 7, which dropped over a decade ago. While my nostalgic side would love to see Apple bring back the skeuomorphic design of iOS 6 and earlier, I welcome any new UI that looks good. And if I get a similar experience across my iPhone, Mac, and iPad, all the better.
A Stage Manager-like interface
If you have a compatible iPad, you can plug it into an external monitor, and extend your display like you would with a laptop. It’s part of a feature Apple calls Stage Manager, and it’s a cool way to make your iPad a bit more useful for serious computing tasks.
Rumor has it Apple is working on something similar for the iPhone. Should the leaks be true, you’ll be able to plug your USB-C iPhone into a monitor, and while you won’t be able to use it like a computer, you’ll be able to extend your screen space to match the display.
This is a great idea, and something that would make the iPhone a portable presentation station. If you have a slideshow, a video, or any type of demonstration on your iPhone, you could share it full-screen on any connected monitor. It’d pale in comparison to something like Samsung DeX, which turns your Galaxy phone into a true desktop experience, but I feel this could be the start of something similar on iOS.
Fewer glitches
I don’t need much from Apple when it comes to the iPhone, but if I had a single request, I’d ask for a more stable experience. In general, thing are good, but I do run into a lot of small issues day to day, and I’m willing to bet you do too if you have an iPhone.
According to Mark Gurman, reducing glitches is a high priority for Apple. He says the company is “pushing engineers to ensure that this year’s releases are more functional and less glitchy. Past upgrades were criticized for bugs and features that sometimes didn’t work properly.”
Sounds good to me, Apple.
AI-powered battery life enhancements
I might not be excited for any of Apple’s new generative AI features, but I’d be lying if battery life improvements powered by AI didn’t pique my interest. We all want our iPhones to last longer between charges, after all.
In the same report that spilled the beans on the “less glichy” goal, Gurman says Apple is working on a feature that will analyze your iPhone usage, and make changes to conserve battery life when possible. Maybe the AI notices that you don’t take advantage of intensive features in certain apps, and as such, reduces the performance of those apps to prioritize energy conservation.
What I like even better, though, is that Apple is reportedly working on a Lock Screen utility that tells you how long it’ll take to finish charging your iPhone. These are the small yet mighty changes I want to see from Apple.
This articles is written by : Nermeen Nabil Khear Abdelmalak
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