8 Essential Settings to Change After Installing iOS 26

8 Essential Settings to Change After Installing iOS 26.

Apple has released iOS 26, packed with subtle adjustments and improvements that enhance the iPhone user experience. However, there’s one important caveat: many of these new features use an “opt-in” approach, meaning you’ll need to manually enable them to take advantage of their benefits.

Here are the settings you should enable immediately after updating to the latest OS. Note that some features require “Apple Intelligence” and are limited to iPhone 15 Pro and later models.

8 Essential Settings to Change After Installing iOS 26.

1. Let AI Handle Your Battery Worries: Adaptive Battery Mode

Like many users, you might find yourself constantly debating whether to switch your phone to low power mode. If you have an iPhone 15 Pro or later, you can now let your iPhone make that decision for you.

Apple’s new “Adaptive Power Mode” uses Apple Intelligence to intelligently detect when battery usage is higher than normal and makes fine adjustments to reduce power consumption automatically.

2. Say Goodbye to Unknown Number Anxiety: Revolutionary Call Screening Feature

Honestly, I rarely answer phone calls anymore. For unknown numbers, I typically wait for the call to end, then call back if it turns out to be from someone I know or if they leave a voicemail. While this approach usually works fine, it can feel somewhat inconsiderate to keep callers waiting, especially for urgent matters.

This is where Apple’s new “Call Screening Feature” comes in handy. This feature doesn’t require Apple Intelligence, so it’s available on all iPhones running iOS 26.

To set it up, go to: Settings > Apps > Phone > Screen Unknown Callers

You’ll find three options:

Don’t Screen: Works as before – the phone rings, and if you don’t answer, it goes to your missed calls list
Ask for Call Reason: This is the most exciting new feature. When selected, your iPhone will answer the call on your behalf and ask the caller about their purpose. Their response is transcribed in real-time on your screen, allowing you to decide whether to take the call
Silence: Turns off ringtones for calls from unsaved numbers, forwards them to voicemail, and displays them in your missed calls list. Essentially, it saves you the trouble of waiting for the caller to give up

This is a clever system that should help alleviate some of the guilt associated with not wanting to talk on the phone.

3. Fresh Sounds for a Change: New Default Ringtones

iOS 26 introduces several new default ringtones. Six are arrangement versions of the classic “Reflection,” but there’s also a completely new one called “Little Bird.”

Personally, “Buoyant” is my favorite, though my colleague Jake Peterson prefers “Dreamer.”

4. Not a Fan of “Liquid Glass” Design? Here’s How to Adjust It

With iOS 26, Apple adopted a new design language called “Liquid Glass” that emphasizes transparency, but not everyone is thrilled with this change.

Fortunately, you can basically revert to the previous appearance using existing accessibility settings:

Settings > Accessibility > Display & Text Size > Reduce Transparency (ON)

This will return your iPhone’s backgrounds to solid colors. For example, you won’t see blurred album artwork showing through the play button in the Music app. If you prefer a flatter, higher-contrast appearance, this is worth trying.

5. Make Conversations More Fun: Custom Backgrounds in iMessage

This is a purely enjoyable feature. iMessage now allows you to set custom backgrounds for individual chats.

In addition to presets like “Water” and “Sky,” you can choose solid colors or select photos from your library. Furthermore, with iPhone 15 Pro and later, you can use Apple Intelligence to generate backgrounds.

6. AI-Powered Notification Summaries: News App Feature Returns

Limited to iPhone 15 Pro and later models, iOS 26 brings back the notification summary feature for news and entertainment apps that was previously removed.

This feature was initially introduced in the iOS 18.3 beta but was quickly withdrawn after Apple’s AI incorrectly reported major BBC headlines, including those about the United Healthcare shooting suspect.

Apple appears confident about reviving this notification summary feature, though they’ve added a new warning: “Summaries may change the meaning of original headlines. Please verify information.”

7. Turn Your Home Screen into Art: New Transparent Icon Settings

If you’re enjoying the “Liquid Glass” design and want to take it a step further, you can make your app icons transparent to show the background through them.

To make app icons transparent in iOS 26:

Long-press your home screen background and wait for apps to start wiggling
Tap “Edit” in the top-left corner
Select “Customize”
Choose “Clear”

You can choose between “Clear Light” and “Clear Dark,” with the latter providing more subdued tones in dark mode. This gives your app icons a frosted glass appearance, similar to the new lock screen clock in iOS 26.

8. Express Yourself More: Enhanced Lock Screen Customization

iOS 26 gives you even more detailed control over your locked smartphone’s appearance.

First, lock your smartphone, press the power button to display the lock screen, then long-press the screen and tap “Customize.”

From here, you can adjust various elements including widgets, fonts, colors, and more to create a truly personalized lock screen experience that reflects your style.

These eight settings represent just the beginning of what iOS 26 has to offer. Take some time to explore these options and customize your iPhone experience to match your preferences and usage patterns.