12 new features Apple quietly added in iPhone updates

https://www.popsci.com/diy/iphone-26-minor-updates/

Publish Date: 2026-05-22 10:08:00

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The major refreshes that Apple gives its software each year get a lot of attention—you can read our round-up of new iOS 26 and macOS 26 features—but there are also plenty of minor updates that appear during the rest of the year as well.

These minor updates don’t often include big changes that will significantly affect how you use your devices, but they regularly feature small improvements and tweaks that are well worth knowing about.

Listed below you’ll find all the notable upgrades included in iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4, the two most recent updates pushed out by Apple, besides the usual slew of tweaks and bug fixes. To check for new updates on your iPhone, head to Settings, then select General Software Update.

iOS 26.3

Switch over to Android more easily. Screenshot: Apple

Limit precise location: iOS 26.3 lets you limit how closely your carrier can track your location, though the carriers themselves also need to add support for the feature. Apple says it’s like the difference between knowing which neighborhood you’re in, and which address you’re at: Choose Mobile Service Mobile Data Options from Settings to find it.

Transfer to Android: Apple is lending Google a hand and making it a little more convenient for you to switch over to Android, if you’ve had enough of Apple phones. When an iPhone is in a transfer state, an Android handset can move data over from it, and you can find this from iOS Settings by selecting General and then Transfer or Reset iPhone.

Weather and Astronomy wallpaper: Wallpaper options get a refresh in this update as well, with Weather and Astronomy breaking out into their own categories so you can get to these types of backdrop more quickly. Open Settings, then select Wallpaper to make changes—you can either customize the existing iOS…

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