The latest iOS 26 update brings the new Liquid Glass design, along with several Apple Intelligence features. Here's how to install it on your iPhone.

Right on cue, Apple’s latest OS, iOS 26, has arrived. Is it worth downloading or should you hold off for now? Another version, iOS 18.7, is also available for those who want to hold off iOS 26 for now.

Apple released iOS 26 on Monday, a few months after the company announced it at the Worldwide Developers Conference in June. The update introduces a handful of new features to your iPhone, like call screening, new ringtones and more. And the biggest change iOS 26 brings to your device is a new Liquid Glass design.

Apple announced the release date of iOS 26 earlier this month. Now that it's finally here, here's what iPhone users need to know before downloading

Based on previous iPhone software releases, iOS 26 will likely be available around 1 p.m. ET. Since millions of iPhone users may be trying to download it at the same time, you may want to wait till tomorrow morning at least, or even a few days.

OS 26 is packed with changes, but some of the best updates are tucked away in Settings and apps. Here’s how to find them once you update your iPhone.

Looking at the home screens, the primary difference you'll find is that in iOS 26, the dock background and the search option that sits between the dock and the home screen icons are more transparent and have a sheen to the edges, whereas in iOS 18, these are slightly darker.