Apple’s next phone operating system arriving this fall, iOS 26, includes a transparent aesthetic mimicking the look of glass and making apps and buttons blend in with content on the screen. Google is doing the opposite with its newly released operating system, Android 16, which emphasizes brighter, punchier colors.

To enable Priority Notifications, go to Settings > Notifications > Prioritize Notifications and toggle the feature on. Notifications like missed calls, text messages and important emails will fill up this section, as well as notifications from third-party apps that you use frequently.

Apple also already released an iOS 26 beta geared toward developers. To get started, you need an iPhone 11 or newer running iOS 16.5 or later and an Apple ID used in the Apple Developer Program. ZDNET's guide provides step-by-step instructions on downloading the beta.

With the iOS 26 public beta likely on the horizon, let’s break down everything that Liquid Glass has to offer users.

1. On the iPhone's lock screen, touch and hold anywhere on the display until you see the Customize button. You'll need to unlock the phone using Face ID, Touch ID or your passcode. If it opens the home screen, swipe down from the center-top of the screen (not the right edge, which brings up Control Center.

After a month of beta testing, Apple is expected to release iOS 26 public beta on Monday. Here's how to download it.

There are ways to make Android look more like iOS 26, but your phone might end up looking like a cheap knock-off instead.

Your iPhone is about to get several new reasons to take screenshots in iOS 26 thanks to the infusion of visual intelligence.

That's still possible in iOS 26 Photos, though now the button at the bottom of the Collections tab is called Reorder. But you gain other organizational skills in the new iPhone software, and you access them by tapping the More menu — those three dots — at the top of the screen.