While Apple’s latest mobile operating system update, iOS 26, introduces a wide array of enhancements across the iPhone lineup, several key features, particularly those leveraging advanced artificial intelligence capabilities, will be exclusive to newer iPhone models. The significant “Liquid Glass” redesign, a major highlight of the release, will be available on all devices capable of running iOS 26. However, a closer look at the new functionalities reveals a clear dependency on the processing power and AI engines found in the iPhone 15 Pro and later generations.
A core component of these exclusive features is Apple Intelligence, the company’s foray into system-wide AI integration. This intelligence underpins several of the most anticipated new tools in iOS 26, limiting their availability to the most powerful iPhone hardware.
One prominent example is the expansion of Visual Intelligence. Initially introduced as a camera-specific feature with the iPhone 16 line, this AI capability is now integrated system-wide in iOS 26. For users with an iPhone 15 Pro or newer, taking a screenshot will unlock an option to utilize visual intelligence to analyze the content of the captured image. This analytical power extends to diverse applications, such as streamlining online shopping by identifying products in screenshots, or automatically suggesting calendar events based on information within an image.
Live Translation is another significant feature in iOS 26 that requires the processing prowess of the iPhone 15 Pro or newer. Apple has invested considerable effort in enabling seamless, real-time translation across its key communication applications: Messages, FaceTime, and the standard Phone app. This aims to dissolve language barriers in various communication scenarios. Within Messages, Live Translation can automatically translate incoming messages and even translate the user’s typed text as they write, delivering it in the recipient’s preferred language. During FaceTime calls, the feature provides translated live captions while still allowing users to hear the original audio. For standard phone calls, the translation is audibly spoken throughout the conversation.
While many of the new AI-powered features are restricted to the latest Pro models, a visual enhancement to the Lock Screen, the 3D effect, has broader device compatibility. This effect, which complements the new Liquid Glass design, is available on the iPhone 12 and newer models. Apple describes this feature as dynamically adapting the time display to interact with the user’s photo, keeping the subject prominent. Furthermore, when the iPhone is moved, the photo comes to life with a new, subtle 3D effect.
The Shortcuts app, a powerful automation tool on iOS, is also gaining new capabilities through AI integration. In iOS 26, new actions have been introduced that can leverage existing AI features. These include actions to generate images, summarize text, and, crucially, tap directly into Apple Intelligence models. This direct access allows for responses from Apple Intelligence to be incorporated into custom shortcuts, significantly expanding the potential and functionality of the Shortcuts app for users with compatible devices (iPhone 15 Pro or newer).
The Reminders app sees two new AI-driven features in iOS 26: Suggestions and Organization. Both of these functionalities are exclusively available on the iPhone 15 Pro and newer models due to their reliance on Apple Intelligence. The Suggestions feature utilizes AI to scan on-device data, such as iMessages and emails, and proactively suggest the creation of new tasks or grocery items based on detected content. On the organizational front, Reminders can automatically categorize existing task lists into different sections, leveraging AI to intelligently group related items.
Apple Wallet’s order tracking feature, which has existed for several years but lacked widespread merchant adoption, is set to become significantly more useful in iOS 26 thanks to AI. Historically, merchants needed to integrate with Apple’s system for order tracking details to appear in the Wallet app. In iOS 26, Apple leverages AI to extract order tracking information directly from emails within the user’s inbox. This eliminates the requirement for merchants to explicitly support Apple’s system, meaning that users with an iPhone 15 Pro or newer should see a much broader range of their online orders automatically tracked within the Wallet app.
Two existing Apple Intelligence image tools, Genmoji and Image Playground, which were introduced last year, are receiving substantial upgrades in iOS 26. These enhanced versions, with their new features, are also limited to the iPhone 15 Pro and newer devices. Genmoji now allows users to create new emoji-like characters by mixing two existing emoji, or by providing a written description alongside an emoji mix. Additionally, users can customize aspects like hairstyle and clothing when a Genmoji is inspired by a friend or family member. Image Playground now integrates the image generation capabilities of ChatGPT, offering a wealth of new style options for created images, including Anime, Oil Painting, Print, Vector, and Watercolor. A versatile ‘Any Style’ option is also available, allowing users to describe virtually any type of image they wish to generate.
The Messages app, a central part of the iPhone experience, also receives several notable new features in iOS 26. Two of these features, Polls and Backgrounds, have AI aspects that are exclusive to the newer iPhone models. While the basic functionality of creating a poll in Messages is available on all iOS 26 devices, users with an AI-capable iPhone will benefit from suggestions for easily drafting polls powered by Apple Intelligence. For custom chat backgrounds, in addition to the stock image options available to all users, owners of newer iPhones can create custom backgrounds directly within the Messages app using the built-in Image Playground integration.
