iOS 26 has arrived

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FineWine

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Nurse (R)

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#322726 16-Sep-2025 15:48

iOS26 has arrived today. This is a huge update and UI change. I personally am going to hang off updating till the first or second minor release.

iOS 26 Features: The Ultimate Mega Guide for a look at all the changes and new things.

There are also updates to all the rest of the Apple hardware. Watches, AirPods, HomePods, Vision and Apple TV

Whilst the difficult we can do immediately, the impossible takes a bit longer. However, miracles you will have to wait for.

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#3415413 16-Sep-2025 16:01

Meh. I've updated, it's much the same just looks a little difference.

mattwnz

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#3415414 16-Sep-2025 16:01

I have been using it since the release candidate. It is overall a nice update with lots of good new features. Spatial photos is cool, including for lock screens, not sure if Samsung phones have that. Call screening is a good new feature. I have noticed that battery isn't lasting as long and the phone doesn't feel quite a snappy as it did, which shouldn't really occur with what is essentially a final release. It does feel a bit like the old iOS before the flat iOS 7 redesign.

RunningMan

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#3415417 16-Sep-2025 16:08

Seems really hard to read home screen icons and labels, can't find anything in accessibility that makes it better either.

alasta

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#3415421 16-Sep-2025 16:22

I am really keen on the call screening feature but, like you, I will hold off until the early adopters have ironed out the final bugs for the first minor update.

As an endurance sport enthusiast I'm usually more interested in the latest features on WatchOS, but there isn't really much happening in that space this year other than the awful 'workout buddy'. The sleep score and redesign of the workout app might be nice improvements.

mattwnz

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#3415423 16-Sep-2025 16:29

alasta:

I am really keen on the call screening feature but, like you, I will hold off until the early adopters have ironed out the final bugs for the first minor update.

As an endurance sport enthusiast I'm usually more interested in the latest features on WatchOS, but there isn't really much happening in that space this year other than the awful 'workout buddy'. The sleep score and redesign of the workout app might be nice improvements.

I think there are quite a few new features on the apple watch I have found. Activity and controls now appear on the iphone screen as you do a workout, such as walking or hiking. These didn't all appear the old version a[part for some activities like cycling..

I have found the updated carplay to be significantly better. Seems higher resolution or something, and fits better on the screen. But still can't add custom wallpapers

FineWine

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#3415424 16-Sep-2025 16:32

Forgot to add in original post that I have been following all the beta's on reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/ios26beta/new/

Whilst the difficult we can do immediately, the impossible takes a bit longer. However, miracles you will have to wait for.

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RunningMan

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#3415426 16-Sep-2025 16:37

Can you display heart rate (from the watch) on the iPhone screen when doing a workout?

josephhinvest

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#3415428 16-Sep-2025 16:51

mattwnz:
alasta:

I am really keen on the call screening feature but, like you, I will hold off until the early adopters have ironed out the final bugs for the first minor update.

As an endurance sport enthusiast I'm usually more interested in the latest features on WatchOS, but there isn't really much happening in that space this year other than the awful 'workout buddy'. The sleep score and redesign of the workout app might be nice improvements.

I think there are quite a few new features on the apple watch I have found. Activity and controls now appear on the iphone screen as you do a workout, such as walking or hiking. These didn't all appear the old version a[part for some activities like cycling..

I have found the updated carplay to be significantly better. Seems higher resolution or something, and fits better on the screen. But still can't add custom wallpapers

The new CarPlay has a “scale to fit” type option in settings. It looks good but I’ve disabled it as it makes the icons smaller and a bit harder to tap IMHO. Dark mode and dark icons CarPlay looks great! At last!

FineWine

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#3415429 16-Sep-2025 16:52

RunningMan:

Can you display heart rate (from the watch) on the iPhone screen when doing a workout?

A quick google of your exact wording gave this result:

Yes, you can display your Apple Watch's heart rate on your iPhone screen during a workout using Workout Mirroring. To do this, start a workout on your Apple Watch, and a prompt will appear on your iPhone to mirror the workout. Tapping "Start Mirroring" will show your watch's real-time workout data, including heart rate, on your iPhone screen.

How to Mirror Your Apple Watch Workout to Your iPhone
1 Start a workout: on your Apple Watch.
2 Look for the Mirroring prompt: on your iPhone.
3 Tap "Start Mirroring": to view your watch's screen on your phone.

What You'll See
Once mirroring is active, you'll see detailed and accurate stats on your iPhone, including your heart rate, all from your Apple Watch's sensors.

To Stop Mirroring
You can stop mirroring at any time during your workout.

Important Notes
• This feature allows you to see the live data on the larger phone screen, which can be easier to read than the smaller watch face during a workout.
• If you don't want the "Start Mirroring" prompt to appear automatically, you can adjust the "Run Controls" settings on your Apple Watch.

Whilst the difficult we can do immediately, the impossible takes a bit longer. However, miracles you will have to wait for.

mattwnz

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#3415431 16-Sep-2025 17:03

RunningMan:

Can you display heart rate (from the watch) on the iPhone screen when doing a workout?

yes

RunningMan

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#3415434 16-Sep-2025 17:13

@mattwnz can you advise how please? Tried the method from @FineWine above and no mirroring prompt comes up on the phone. Not sure if that is just Google's AI trash response or it's actually verified.

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mattwnz

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#3415435 16-Sep-2025 17:15

RunningMan:

@mattwnz can you advise how please? Tried the method from @FineWine above and no mirroring prompt comes up on the phone. Not sure if that is just Google's AI trash response or it's actually verified.

I just start a work out on the watch, eg walking workout, and it appears on the phone lock screen. Then I tap the workout on the lockscreen and it opens it up in full screen. You need both ios26 and watch OS 26 . There maybe a mirroring option I enabled a long time ago in teh watch settings, not sure.

FineWine

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#3415436 16-Sep-2025 17:17

RunningMan:

@mattwnz can you advise how please? Tried the method from @FineWine above and no mirroring prompt comes up on the phone. Not sure if that is just Google's AI trash response or it's actually verified.

Control Apple Watch with your iPhone

Whilst the difficult we can do immediately, the impossible takes a bit longer. However, miracles you will have to wait for.

MrGadget

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#3415465 16-Sep-2025 19:31

I know we all got to see this but most usually click past. The “meh” post above inspired me to share the list of changes in iOS26.
https://share.icloud.com/photos/0293xUkftZkTgpq9Ov4hm3xkQ
(Warning - Long skinny image😂)

I’ve been using the beta since early in the dev version and have been pretty impressed with it. I like the Liquid Glass look, the spacial photos on the wallpapers etc along with a number of other changes. I’ve also found it to be generally very responsive (iPhone 15 Pro).

Any comment made here is my own and should not be taken as that of my employer.

Handle9

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#3415471 16-Sep-2025 20:08

MrGadget:

I know we all got to see this but most usually click past. The “meh” post above inspired me to share the list of changes in iOS26.
https://share.icloud.com/photos/0293xUkftZkTgpq9Ov4hm3xkQ
(Warning - Long skinny image😂)

I’ve been using the beta since early in the dev version and have been pretty impressed with it. I like the Liquid Glass look, the spacial photos on the wallpapers etc along with a number of other changes. I’ve also found it to be generally very responsive (iPhone 15 Pro).

It's nibbling around the edges with enhancements and minor changes. There's nothing there that's going to make a significant difference to the way I use my phone.

It's fine, it nothing I find particularly exciting so, meh.

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