My Thoughts on Apple OS 26: A Review

Introduction:

Apple’s iOS/iPadOS/MacOS 26 has been available for a little over two months, having been released on September 15th. This update features the most significant visual overhaul of Apple’s interface since Apple OS 7 in 2013, adding Liquid Glass, motion-based feedback, simplified apps, and updates to Apple Intelligence. For simplicity’s sake, I will refer to all of Apple’s operating systems collectively as Apple OS. This review will be divided into three sections: design/look, interactivity, and impact on devices, each rated on a scale of 1 to 5.

Design/Look:

The new home screen display, the biggest overhaul since OS 7 in 2013, over a decade ago, shows a significant shift from the previous design, featuring a gradient of colors that can be quite noticeable with red-on-white apps like Capital One or MaxPreps. While this might be annoying for some, I wouldn’t consider it a dealbreaker. The new look can take time to get used to, but it has grown on me. The more transparent design of app groups can blur the text on the wallpaper; however, this can be improved by adjusting the transparency settings. Overall, this transition from the previous flat design is a refreshing change that feels more modern and, depending on your perspective, slightly futuristic in the app design. Additionally, the keyboard for apps such as Safari, Messages, Mail, and other Apple applications has a new rounded design, which I find quite indifferent.

Score: 4/5

Interactivity:

OS26 has introduced several subtle but impactful changes to user interaction with apps and websites, with a noteworthy addition of the implementation of motion-driven feedback, which enhances the tactile experience when navigating between apps, allowing for interactions to feel more responsive while also adding a layer of engagement that was lacking in previous versions. I have noticed some web pages loading slowly, especially when multiple apps or tabs are open, negatively impacting performance for users who tend to multitask frequently. While some users have reported autocorrect glitches with the new keyboard, I personally have not experienced any issues. The Camera app has also received a refresh with the layout being updated for simplicity, which is always welcome; I used to accidentally switch between settings when trying to exit, leading to quick frustration. When clicking on an app group, instead of the group flowing out and expanding to fit the entire screen, it now just switches to the group without any animation, making opening an app in a group quicker and easier. The updates to Apple Intelligence are another feature, adding Live Translation for Messages, FaceTime, and Phone, both for spoken and text conversations, but Apple Intelligence is still locked behind the A17 Pro chips for phones and the M1 chip for iPads and Macs.

Score: 3.5/5

Impact On Devices

Here is where the rubber meets the road, with the update being massive at around 6 GB for phones. This can be a massive strain for phones that don't have large storage, and can easily stress out the device with the processing power needed. I often find my phone (iPhone 13 that I got 3 years ago this upcoming February) struggling to keep up with me, and getting hot fairly fast. The tradeoff between speed and looks isn't worth it for me, and I've been having this issue ever since I updated to iOS 18. The only reason I keep updating it is the security benefits, such as apps being allowed to only access the data they need, alerts to apps tracking and attempting to use sensitive data; and if I did it again, I'd hold off and update with my school iPad, which first has to have the school district approve the update.

Score: 3/5

Conclusion:

All in all, OS26 has been a great update, and no OS update is without its flaws. The visual change with Liquid Glass adds a refreshing change to the 12 years of the flat look of OS 7 to OS 18. While the update is optimized for the latest Apple designs, it isn't too overwhelming for older models. It does have major bugs (autocorrect issues), but they are easily remedied. The interactivity downsides of slower websites on older phones and autocorrect issues, as well as the taxing processing power, do cause it to score lower, which is slightly unfair, as it is one of the best updates from Apple in a while.

Overall Score: 3.5/5