Sorry Apple, but I don’t think iOS 26 is fit for purpose

While I wasn't blown away by Liquid Glass, lots of new features and updates Apple looked ready to take iOS 26 caught my attention.

I was waiting for the full release, not wanting to reveal my iPhone 16 pro max to any digital gremlins lurking in the beta versions of iOS 26. And so, not long ago, I downloaded the full version of the next generation iPhone. operating system and hoped for great things.

iOS 18.o The latest update seems to have made things a little smoother, but I ran into a bug that was driving me crazy and I still can't find a workaround.

The details of this error are related to iOS contacts retrieving a contact from whatsapp – this is usually a quick process, but I wanted to add a last name to the contact. I went to do this on the updated contacts situation and found it to be a nightmare.

Not only did this result in multiple contracts appearing under the same name, but I was also unable to merge contacts – the contacts list was simply storing duplicates, only without any key information. I also couldn't remove them.

When you delete and add a contact name in WhatsApp, the correct data and format are added to Contacts, duplicates remain; For someone who fusses over neatness, this is infuriating.

Oddly enough, when I try to reproduce this bug, it doesn't seem to show up. I've read all over the internet that this isn't just a problem for me or iOS 26. And as I was writing this article, I found myself needing to dig into it. iCloud on your desktop and delete your contacts there. Regardless of whether it was caused by iOS 26, it happened on the watch of that OS version.

others report somethingI don't think this version of iOS is up to the standards I've long expected from Apple.

Of course, I'm not looking forward to fireworks, but I've already written about it. iPhones are boring but brilliantdue to the fact that they “just work” despite being much more restrictive than best android phones.

Although I can't say that the launch of iOS 26 was unsuccessful, as Apple IntelligenceThere are enough complaints to make Apple take a step back and not feel the need to religiously release new versions of iOS every year.

Of course we get new iPhones, that's a given, and it makes sense that people upgrade their phones periodically; There will always be some demand for a new iPhone, even if it's recurring. But I don't think software should be that iterative.

We now live in a time where iOS and Android seem to be user-friendly, feature-rich mobile operating systems; Essentially, there's little that can be added other than security patches to truly improve the performance of any platform in day-to-day use. However, there is an opportunity to add something more through AI integration.

Now, while AI is very much in tune with the technology zeitgeist, I believe a cautious approach is needed when integrating it into the technologies and tools we use every day. I think this means it will take longer to add. Google Gemini And ChatGPT elements for Android and iOS, even if this means waiting 18 months to two years for a new version of the respective mobile platforms.

We live in a time when AI can be a step forward in consumer technology if approached carefully and integrated well. And if you take the slow step to really consider new software versions, it will help avoid things like the negative experience I had with iOS 26.

Do you agree with me? Was your experience with iOS 26 similar to mine, or did everything go smoothly? Let me know in the comments below.

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