After a summer spent in beta testing, iOS 26 is finally available for everyone. The latest Apple iPhone operating system launched this past Monday (September 15) with a new Liquid Glass redesign, some new apps and updated features for existing apps.
You don't even need to buy an iPhone 17, iPhone Air, iPhone 17 Pro, or iPhone 17 Pro Max to enjoy the update. Several older iPhones, dating back to the iPhone 11 models of 2019, will be able to download iOS 26 — if you choose to.
That's because in spite of the new look and updated features, not everyone who's upgraded to iOS 26 has been happy with that choice.
The most common complaints
- Liquid Glass backlash
- Degraded battery life and performance
- Confusing and dizzying dark mode
- Keyboard isn't unified across apps
- Performance on older phones is hit or miss
What iPhone owners are saying
It all starts the top with the Liquid Glass redesign which may not be to your liking. Backlash against the new aesthetic was nearly immediate when iOS 26 betas launched after WWDC 2025.
The complaints about the new look did not go unnoticed by Apple, as it spent the summer tweaking the redesign in beta tests. Apple users shared their frustration on Reddit, with one poster saying, "Design and aesthetics at the expense of usability and functionality. Not over. Not instead of. It is a sad day."
While Liquid Glass may be divisive, there are options to adjust it, including reducing the transparency effects. That may not be enough to sway some people, especially when it comes to dark mode.
Dark mode received scrutiny across several Reddit posts with one post calling it an optical nightmare. As Mac Observer reported, people are complaining that the slight glow around icons in dark mode is distracting, and in some cases, dizzying.
Several comments said the icons look blurry or "tilted" in dark mode like the icons are falling over. "This visual style was designed and approved by a bunch of people that do not use dark mode," said a user named Tegras.
Apple has already had to warn iPhone owners that upgrading to a new version of the operating system can cause temporary issues affecting battery life and performance. It can take a day or more for the update to index your files, download assets and more. Once that's done, those temporary issues can abate, but it's still proven frustrating for some.
We noticed several comments complaining about the keyboard in iOS 26. It appears that some apps, mostly Apple-made ones (though not all) have the updated keyboard aesthetic, but third-party apps like Reddit are using the old keyboard.
The look isn't that different but the disconnect when switching between apps can be frustrating. Especially since we're seeing people say that the newer keyboard is nice to type on than the older one.
Older phones
We have seen some people on Reddit reporting that updating their older iPhone has been a mixed bag. One post about the iPhone 11, for example, showed some people getting "smooth and fast" performance. Others reported "weird bugs" and terrible performance.
To be fair, the iPhone 11 is at the bottom of the list of compatible iPhones, and will likely be cut off from iOS 27 next year along with the original iPhone SE.
Not everything is doom and gloom
In the Tom's Guide iOS 26 review Phones Editor Philip Michaels found that there was a lot to like, even has he's still learning to tolerate the Liquid Glass interface. "On the whole, it’s been a positive experience, with iOS 26 introducing some welcome improvements to the mix," he wrote.
On the iOS subreddit, we found a friendlier thread with people complimenting the new operating system.
People are loving the new lockscreen and one user said that native Apple apps like Safari feel more full-screen. Others praised the redesigned camera app.
The common thread among even the compliments and our own review is that Liquid Glass is a huge change and it will take some time to get used to it. Those who tried it out during the beta test said they were shocked by the redesign at first but have come around in the last few weeks.
"It continues to get better as you use it," one commenter said.
Should you upgrade to iOS 26?
If you're not quite ready to upgrade to iOS 26, you don't need to panic. iOS 18 will still get security updates, so your iPhone won't be at risk for the foreseeable future. And Apple isn't going to force you to install the new iOS.
That said, updating does guarantee a longer window for security updates, an important need as more breaches happen across the world.
Additionally, iOS 26 comes with some great new features, including Call Screening, which blocks spam calls. It also gets Live Translation for messages and voice. Many Apple apps like Maps, Music, and Wallet are getting improvements that won't be in iOS 18.
Plus, any temporary battery life and performance should resolve soon or will be smoothed out by future updates. Still, iOS 26 may not be for you, and you can hang out with iOS 18 for a bit longer.
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More from Tom's Guide
- Apple iPhone Air review: What I like (and what I don't)
- 6 CarPlay upgrades arriving with iOS 26 — what you need to know
- Watch the iPhone Air survive 130 pounds of pressure in extreme bend test
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