- Apple has launched iOS 26 on its series of iPhones
- Not everyone is satisfied with the changes iOS 26 brings
- Fortunately, you don’t have to update your iPhone yet
The wait is over as iOS 26 is now officially available with its floating glass nest and fist of other changes. It is probably the most significant iOS update for many years, and the difference is night and day compared to iOS 18.
But while Apple may be celebrating, not everyone who has installed iOS 26 is happy with the new look and feeling. In fact, there have been plenty of complaints from Apple users about what happened to their devices.
In particular, even Apple Chimet has on the topic and issued a warning that upgrading to a new version of the operating system may adversely affect your device’s battery life and performance.
This has been common knowledge among some iOS users for years – the new operating system has to index your files, download assets and more after all. It is worth remembering that this is usually a temporary problem and the life of the battery and performance must return to normal after a while. But it can nevertheless be frustrating when you experience it.
On a similar theme, the size of iOS 26 has even caused some dismay-with the update required anywhere between 6 GB-12 GB of space before you can install it, depending on your model. This is down to a combination of new visual assets, security fixes and functional updates, but of course you get some of it back when the temporary update package is installed.
Elsewhere, some users have expressed their dissatisfaction with Apple’s fluid glass design, especially when it comes to the readability of text. This is something that Apple seems to pay close attention to as the fine -tuned liquid glass several times while iOS 26 was in beta. Still, it seems that not everyone is satisfied with the end result, although Apple is likely to continue to make adjustments when time goes on.
Are you going to upgrade?
If you are unsure of upgrading to iOS 26, there is no need to rush. Apple’s iOS 18 operating system will continue to receive security updates for the time being, so your device is not at risk at the moment. If you don’t like iOS 26, Apple doesn’t force you to install it.
Your mileage may also vary depending on which model you have and its current state. For example, some iPhone 11 owners have reported on Reddit that the performance is “smooth and fast”, while others with the same model claim “performance is terrible”.
That said, iOS 26 comes with a lot of useful new features, including call screening that block spam calls, live translation to when you need a quick way to translate messages and voices, improvements of apps such as short, wallet and music and more. These new features are not available in iOS 18.
While the liquid glass design in iOS 26 appears to be a pain point, it can be adjusted, while its transparency effects can be greatly reduced by opening the setting app and going to accessibility> Display & Text size> Reduce transparency. And as mentioned, any negative impact on the life of the battery and performance is likely to be temporary and should be leveled over time.
Still, iOS 26 isn’t for everyone and you can stick to iOS 18 if that’s what you prefer. Just be aware that you will eventually need to update as Apple does not provide security fixes forever.
