As part of Apple’s Liquid Glass redesign, announced at WWDC 2025, the new iOS 26 will rework some native Apple features and apps.
The Lock Screen and Home Screen are getting updates that align with the overall aesthetic of Liquid Glass. On the Lock Screen, Apple is using a custom font called San Francisco to display the date and time. Depending on the chosen Lock Screen image, the font will stretch to fill the available space. For instance, if your Lock Screen photo features your dog with the sky in the background, the time will stretch to fit the sky without covering the dog’s photo.
Lock Screen images can also appear more animated now with an AI-powered 3D effect, described by Apple SVP of Software Engineering Craig Federighi as “bringing favorite memories to life.” When you move your iPhone, the background subject will seem to pop out from the rest of the image.
On the Home Screen, Apple will provide users with options to customize app icons’ appearances. As part of the Liquid Glass redesign, Apple will revamp many native app icons to ensure they look good in dark mode or a new all-clear look.
When listening to music with a locked screen, animated representations of the music may be visible, similar to a feature in Spotify. For example, an artist could upload a looping clip from a music video that displays on the Lock Screen.
Native iOS apps like Camera, Photos, Safari, FaceTime, Phone, and CarPlay will receive updates in iOS 26.
The Camera app will become more streamlined to assist users in navigating common settings, such as adjusting photo brightness or aperture, or switching between photo and video modes.
Apple is also updating the Photos app to reintroduce tabs for toggling between the library and collections, a feature many users missed when it was removed in a recent update.
In the Safari redesign, web pages will now expand edge to edge on the screen.
FaceTime will feature a new landing page displaying personalized contact posters for frequent contacts, including autoplaying video messages as you scroll.
The Phone app updates will focus on prioritizing the people you talk to most. The design combines favorites with the contacts list, bringing favorites to the forefront.
These updates also apply to Apple CarPlay. Users can now display widgets, tap back on messages, and pin conversations, including widgets like flight status for easy access while driving to the airport.
