Apple has released new software for the iPhone and all of its other products.

The company’s latest updates – iOS 26 for the iPhone, as well as new operating systems for the Mac, iPad, TV and Watch – are now available to download. For the first time, they all have the same version number, since Apple has shifted to naming them after the year following their release.

The new update bring a host of new changes. But chief among them is the new “Liquid Glass” update, which is reflected across the whole system.

That is a new look that changes everything from the app icons on the Home Screen to the way notifications appear. Some apps have also undergone major changes to reflect the new look.

Overall, the look is intended to to reflect Apple’s ideal of its devices as a slab of glass for showing users’ content. In practice, that means that notifications, labels and menus have a virtual glass effect that means they are see through and are made to get out of the users’ way.

But through the beta programme over the summer, in which users are able to try out early versions of the software, that redesign has proven controversial. Some have objected to the new look on aesthetic ground, while some developers have argued that the operating system is not fully ready and has caused issues for their apps.

As well as the redesign, the new update brings a host of new features. A new phone app includes the ability to have the phone answer potential scam calls itself, for instance, and the update aims to offer more intelligence features such as automatic translation and recommendations of places to visit.

The new update is available on all of Apple’s platforms now. It can be downloaded by heading to the Settings app and clicking to the software update option.

--Agencies