Apple has confirmed iOS 26’s public launch this fall, following the release of beta 4 to developers and testers with major UI and Apple Intelligence updates.

With the iOS 26 public beta now out, you may have chosen to give the new software update a try ahead of its general release in the fall.

What these changes mean for you is that your technology experience may differ drastically depending on which type of phone you buy in the coming years.

Unlike last year, several iPhone models won't be eligible to download the newest iOS when it makes its debut this fall. This trio of models first released in 2018 won't be coming to the iOS 26 party:

Apple's Liquid Glass makeover and expanded Apple Intelligence tools arrive this fall, but not every phone can make the leap.

Visual Intelligence is getting a new screenshot search feature in iOS 26, giving the iPhone it's own version of Google's Circle to Search.

The fourth developer beta of iOS 26 introduces 12 new CarPlay wallpapers. The new CarPlay wallpapers are based on the official iOS 26 wallpaper

Apart from the selection tool, other interesting iOS 26 updates for the Messages app include Polls, Live Translation with Apple Intelligence, typing indicators for group chats, updated message filters, and natural language search.