--- title: "8 useful iOS 26 features you may have missed, and how to turn them on" url: https://protergates.com/tips/ios-26-features-worth-turning-on/ published: 2026-11-09 updated: 2026-11-09 --- # 8 useful iOS 26 features you may have missed, and how to turn them on > Apple added call screening, message filtering, smarter battery management and more in iOS 26 and its updates. Here is where each setting lives and which iPhones get it. - URL: https://protergates.com/tips/ios-26-features-worth-turning-on/ - Section: Tips - Author: James Anderson, Senior Technology Consultant (https://protergates.com/expertise/#james-anderson); Giorgi Beridze, Technology Solutions Architect (https://protergates.com/expertise/#giorgi-beridze) - Published: 2026-11-09 - Last updated: 2026-11-09 - Topics: iphone, ios 26, settings, phone security, scam calls - Reading time: 4 min - Cite as: James Anderson and Giorgi Beridze, "8 useful iOS 26 features you may have missed, and how to turn them on", Protergates, November 9, 2026, https://protergates.com/tips/ios-26-features-worth-turning-on/ ## The tip iOS 26 and its updates added several features that quietly make an iPhone safer and less annoying, but most of them are switched off by default or easy to miss. Spend ten minutes on the eight below. The most useful for most people are **Call Screening** and **Screen Unknown Senders**, because they cut down on scam calls and texts. **Which iPhones:** Apple lists iOS 26 for iPhone 11 and later and iPhone SE (2nd generation and later). Features that need newer hardware are marked below. Apple has since released iOS 27 with [Siri AI](https://protergates.com/tips/ios-27-siri-ai-features-to-turn-on/); if you already updated, these features are still there, but a menu may look slightly different. If you cannot find a setting, swipe down on the main **Settings** screen and search for its name. First, make sure you are up to date: go to **Settings**, then **General**, then **Software Update**. Apple lists iOS 26.7.2, released on October 26, 2026, as the latest iOS 26 update, and it contains security fixes. Better still, [turn on automatic updates](https://protergates.com/tips/turn-on-automatic-updates-on-your-phone/). ## 1. Let your iPhone screen unknown callers Call Screening answers calls from numbers that are not in your contacts and asks the caller for their name and reason for calling before your phone rings. You then decide whether to pick up. 1. Open **Settings**, tap **Apps**, then tap **Phone**. 2. Scroll to **Screen Unknown Callers**. 3. Choose **Ask Reason for Calling**. Choose **Silence** instead if you want those calls sent straight to voicemail. Apple notes that screening pauses for 24 hours after you call emergency services, and calls are not screened while roaming. Scam callers often impersonate banks or family members, so pair this with a [family safe word](https://protergates.com/hints/agree-a-family-safe-word/). ## 2. Move texts from unknown senders out of the way **Screen Unknown Senders** is off by default in iOS 26. Turning it on moves messages from numbers you have never messaged into a separate filter, so they do not land next to your real conversations. 1. Open **Settings**, tap **Apps**, then tap **Messages**. 2. Scroll down to **Unknown Senders** and turn on **Screen Unknown Senders**. Nothing is deleted. Check the Unknown Senders filter in Messages when you are expecting a delivery or sign in code from a new number. ## 3. Let Adaptive Power stretch your battery Adaptive Power learns how you normally use your phone and makes small automatic adjustments on heavy days to help the battery last. Apple says it needs iOS 26 or later and an iPhone 15 Pro or newer. 1. Open **Settings**, then tap **Battery**. 2. Tap **Power Mode** and turn on **Adaptive Power**. On the same screen you can turn **Adaptive Power Notifications** on or off. ## 4. Choose your own snooze length You no longer have to accept the fixed snooze time. iOS 26 lets each alarm snooze for between 1 and 15 minutes. 1. Open the **Clock** app and tap **Alarms**. 2. Tap an alarm time to edit it. 3. Make sure **Snooze** is on, then set **Snooze Duration**. ## 5. Make Liquid Glass easier to read iOS 26 introduced a see through design called Liquid Glass. If text over the glass effect is hard to read, iOS 26.1 added a **Tinted** option that makes it more opaque. Search **Liquid Glass** in Settings and choose **Tinted**. iOS 26.4 also improved **Reduce Motion** so it more reliably calms the Liquid Glass animations, which helps people sensitive to on screen movement. ## 6. Ask about anything on your screen Visual Intelligence lets you learn more about whatever is on your screen. Press the same buttons you use to take a screenshot, then use the options that appear to search, highlight something specific, or ask a question about it. It needs an iPhone that supports Apple Intelligence, which Apple lists as iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, or an iPhone 16 model or later. ## 7. Check your old passwords The **Passwords** app now keeps a **Password History** for each account: a timeline of changes, including past passwords and strong passwords it generated. Open **Passwords**, tap an account, and look for its history. It is handy when a site rejects a password and you need to know what changed. If you are still memorizing passwords, read why [a password manager does the job better](https://protergates.com/hints/let-a-password-manager-remember-your-passwords/). ## 8. Get a flash for alerts and safer AirDrop Two smaller additions from iOS 26.2 are worth knowing: - **Flash for alerts.** In **Settings**, tap **Accessibility** and turn on the option to flash the screen when a notification arrives. Useful in loud places or if you have hearing loss. - **AirDrop codes.** When you AirDrop with someone who is not in your contacts, the receiver's iPhone now shows a code that the sender must enter. This adds a check against unwanted files from strangers. There is nothing to switch on. ## Common mistakes - **Skipping updates.** Several of these features, and many security fixes, only arrive with point updates such as 26.1 and 26.2. - **Choosing Silence for unknown callers and forgetting about it.** Doctors' offices and delivery drivers often call from unsaved numbers. Ask Reason for Calling is the gentler choice. - **Ignoring the Unknown Senders filter.** Screened texts are kept there, not deleted. Using an Android phone too? See [the most useful Android 17 features](https://protergates.com/tips/android-17-features-and-where-to-find-them/). ## Frequently asked questions **Q: Which iPhones can run iOS 26?** A: Apple lists iPhone 11 and later, plus iPhone SE (2nd generation and later). Some features, such as Adaptive Power and Visual Intelligence, need an iPhone 15 Pro or newer. **Q: What is the latest version of iOS 26?** A: Apple's update notes list iOS 26.7.2, released October 26, 2026, as the latest iOS 26 update. It contains security fixes. Apple has also released iOS 27 for supported iPhones. **Q: Does Call Screening answer calls from my contacts?** A: No. It only applies to numbers that are not saved in your contacts. Calls from saved contacts ring as normal. **Q: Will screening unknown senders hide important texts like delivery codes?** A: Screened messages are not deleted. They move to a separate Unknown Senders filter in Messages, so check that list if you are waiting for a code from a new number. **Q: How do I find a setting if the menu looks different on my iPhone?** A: Swipe down on the main Settings screen to reveal the search bar and type the feature name, such as Liquid Glass or Adaptive Power. ## Sources 1. [Apple Support: About iOS 26 Updates](https://support.apple.com/en-us/123075) 2. [Apple Support: How to download iOS 26](https://support.apple.com/en-us/123705) 3. [Apple Support: Manage unknown callers on iPhone](https://support.apple.com/en-us/111106) 4. [Apple Support: View conversations from unknown senders in Messages on your iPhone](https://support.apple.com/en-us/125068) 5. [Apple Support: If the battery in your iPhone or iPad drains too quickly](https://support.apple.com/en-us/120745) 6. [Apple Support: How to set and change alarms on your iPhone](https://support.apple.com/en-us/118444) 7. [Apple Support: Apple security releases](https://support.apple.com/en-us/100100)