Apple’s iOS 26 refines the platform with a system-wide Liquid Glass UI, improved on-device Apple Intelligence, and streamlined app experiences. Messages and Phone gain call screening, Hold Assist, and pinned threads; Maps introduces private visited-places logging; and the new Games app consolidates Arcade and App Store titles. Security gets a bump with silent unknown caller filtering, expanded drafts in Messages, and more granular privacy settings.

The CarPlay overhaul is the standout. Apple has rebuilt the interface with the same Liquid Glass design language, plus widgets and Live Activities for at-a-glance data without touching your iPhone. Drivers also benefit from compact call banners (no more full-screen takeover), multitouch gestures in Maps for pinch-zoom and swipe navigation, and AirPlay video playback support when parked. Together, these features make CarPlay not just sleeker but more usable and safer in motion.

Key additions:

1. Liquid Glass UI across iOS and CarPlay
2. On-device Apple Intelligence: live translation, smarter context handling
3. Messages: drafts, pinned threads, streamlined UI
4. Phone: call screening + Hold Assist
5. Maps: visited-places log & richer routing
6. CarPlay: widgets, Live Activities, compact calls, multitouch gestures, parked video playback