As part of Apple's Liquid Glass redesign announced at WWDC 2025, the new iOS 26 will recreate several native Apple features and apps.
The lock and home screens are getting updates that match the overall aesthetics of liquid glass. On the lock screen, Apple uses a custom font called San Francisco to display the date and time. The font then expands to take up the available space depending on the image selected on the lock screen. For example, if you have a photo of a dog with an sky in the background, it will take longer to fill the sky without obscuring the photo of the dog.
Lockscreen images are now more animated with 3D effects equipped with AI. This is described by Apple SVP of software engineering Craig Federighi as “making the most of my favorite memories.” When you move your iPhone to your hand, it appears that the background theme is pop out of the rest of the image.
On the home screen, Apple continues to provide users with a way to customize the appearance of app icons. As part of the Liquid Glass redesign, Apple has redesigned and deliberately designed many native app icons to look great in dark mode or in a new, perfect look.
When you lock the screen and listen to music, you may be able to see the animated representation of the music. This is similar to the feature you already have. For example, an artist may upload a short clip of a music video that loops seamlessly and then appear on the lock screen.
Native iOS apps like Camera, Photography, Safari, FaceTime, Phone, CarPlay, and more can also transform slightly in iOS 26.
The camera app is more streamlined to help people navigate between frequently used settings, such as adjusting photo brightness and openings, and switching between photo and video modes.
Apple is also updating its Photos app to back up tabs that switch between libraries and collections. Federighi said many users missed it when it was removed in a recent update.
In Safari's redesign, web pages are directed towards the edge on the screen.
FaceTime gets a new landing page that displays personalized contact posters for people who talk frequently. This includes video messages from contacts that autoplay when scrolling.
Updates to the phone app are similar to updating FaceTime. This is similar in that it emphasizes putting the person you are talking to in the front and center of most. Instead of having a favorite from your contact list to another tab, the new design combines two tabs to bring your favorites to the forefront.
These updates have also been extended to Apple CarPlay. Users can view widgets, tap messages, and pin conversations. These widgets may include, for example, flight status. For example, drivers can easily check their friend's flight status when driving to the airport.