The best iOS 26 features you haven’t tried yet

Not only does iOS 26 bring a noticeable visual redesign, but it also introduces a number of small yet useful changes. Some of these changes are easy to miss, but they save time in everyday scenarios.

TechRadar writes about overlooked updates that make everyday tasks faster, smarter, and more fun on your iPhone.

Adding reminders from the lock screen and Control Center

In iOS 26, there is a separate quick action for Reminders. From the lock screen, press and hold to select Customize, then create a new screen and add a Reminders shortcut to one of the corner slots. In the Control Center, tap an empty area, select Add a control, find Reminders, and then create tasks with one tap.

Change the snooze duration for an alarm clock

Previously, the snooze time was always 9 minutes. Now, when you create or edit an alarm, you can choose from 1 to 15 minutes in the Clock.

Polls in Messages

In a chat, click the + sign to the left of the input field, select "Poll," and add answers. Once you send the poll, each participant in the conversation can vote — perfect for making shared decisions, like choosing a restaurant or movie.

AirPods as a microphone for video

Connect your AirPods, open Settings, tap on the name of your headphones, and select "Camera Remote." Then, set the action to "Press once" or "Hold." Next, open the Camera app in Video mode, scroll down to Control Center > Camera Controls, and select AirPods as the input. If necessary, select a microphone mode: Automatic, Standard, Voice Isolation, or Wide Spectrum. Once set up, press the AirPods' foot to start recording with their microphone.

Create a spatial wallpaper from any photo

In the Photos app, tap the Spatial Scene button in the upper right corner to give your photo a 3D effect. To apply this effect to your lock screen, create a new screen and turn on Spatial Scene in the editor. The image will "come to life" when you move your smartphone. If the button does not appear for existing wallpapers, you will need to recreate them.

Read more:

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iOS 26 lets you control iPhone camera with AirPods