iOS 26 there is a lot of new things functions For iPhonebut the large showcase is its new look. Liquid glassOf course, this is the most noticeable change, but there is another visual improvement that not everyone sees. In fact, this is a small addition carried over from iOS 18.
This is updated Siri and its rainbow shimmers around the edges of the screen when you activate the virtual assistant. It sounds silly to prioritize, but Siri's new look isn't just a facelift. As part of Apple Intelligence features such as notification summaries, Genmoji And Cleaning tool Siri also gets new features in Photos.
But don't panic if you don't see colors and the familiar Siri ball appears instead at the bottom of the screen. You may still need some help to make it work. If you recently updated to iOS 26 and don't know how to activate the new Siri glow, here's what you need to do.
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Siri's new design features a glowing frame that briefly distorts everything.
Check this out: How to turn on the Siri glow on your iPhone
Your iPhone may not support Apple Intelligence
You may need new phone to get Apple Intelligence to work correctly. Most likely, you will just need to quickly update the software.
The latest system update is intended for all owners of iPhone 11 or later. Since most AI calculations are performed on the device, only a few models can currently use the new technologies:
- iPhone 15 pro
- iPhone 15 pro max
- iPhone 16
- iPhone 16 plus
- iPhone 16e
- iPhone 16 pro
- iPhone 16 pro max
- iPhone 17
- iPhone 17 pro
- iPhone 17 pro max
- iPhone Air
Apple Intelligence will also work on Macs and iPads with M-series processors, as well as the latest iPad Mini (which runs on the A17 Pro chip).
If you have any of these models, you'll see a new shimmering look when you call Siri. On a Mac, the Siri search box gets the same effect, rather than all the edges of the screen. If you have a different model, you'll see the same Siri ball.
Siri in iOS 18 looks the same to many as it did in iOS 17.
You may need to re-enable Apple Intelligence
When Apple Intelligence features first appeared in iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, and macOS Sequoia 15.1, they weren't automatically enabled. You had to register and wait a few hours or days to gain access.
The latest updates (iOS 26.0.1, iPadOS 26, and macOS Tahoe 26) now automatically enable Apple Intelligence. Even if you just upgraded from an earlier version of iOS to 26, Apple Intelligence should be enabled and the new Siri interface should appear.
However, if at any time you had Apple Intelligence installed on your device, but turned it offThe latest updates don't toggle the switch to turn it back on. Go to Settings > Apple Intelligence and Siri and make sure that Apple Intelligence The toggle switch is turned on.
Check Siri's language settings
Apple Intelligence is currently not available worldwide and only uses English-language models. IN Settings > Apple Intelligence and Sirimake sure Language set to one of the following values:
- English
- French
- German
- Italian
- Portuguese (Brazil)
- Spanish
- Chinese (simplified)
- Japanese
- Korean
Also, if you switched your language setting to something else (chatting with Siri in another language may be more fun than with Duolingo), selecting one of the languages ​​above may not automatically turn on the new Siri. But there is a simple solution: Settings > Apple Intelligence and Siriturn Apple Intelligence turn it off and on again. Then restart your iPhone. This reloads the required language model.
More information about what's new in iOS 26 can be found here. the right way to backup your iPhone before installing iOS 26 and the settings you want to change first in iOS 26. And don't miss my six favorites Apple Intelligence features.
Check this out: Apple redesigns Siri with artificial intelligence and glowing borders
