iOS 26, iPadOS 26, watchOS 26 and macOS 26 introduce a host of new features in addition to the Liquid Glass design makeover that will bring glossy, translucent harmony to Apple’s software ecosystem this fall. However, not all of those advanced features will make it to every compatible device when Apple releases its next-gen operating systems.
If you own an old iPhone or Intel-based Mac, you will miss out on several improvements. Here’s a look at what won’t make the cut.
Your old iPhone or Mac won’t get these iOS 26 and macOS 26 features
Apple did not talk much about Apple Intelligence during WWDC25 last week, when it introduced Liquid Glass to the world. The company did not even introduce any major new AI features. However, it did the next best thing possible: Apple integrated AI into many of its apps.
That means several new features in iOS 26, iPadOS 26 and macOS 26 won’t come to older iPhones and Macs, since they lack support for Apple Intelligence. For iPhones, only iPhone 15 Pro models and the iPhone 16 lineup support Apple Intelligence. For Macs and iPads, models with an Apple M-series chip qualify, as does the iPad mini with A17 Pro processor.
Some other features won’t make it to older models due to other hardware constraints.
Table of contents: iOS 26 and macOS 26 features that won’t make it to older devices
- AI polls and custom backgrounds in the Messages app
- AI-powered features in the Reminders app
- Genmoji and Image Playground improvements
- AI actions in the Shortcuts app
- Lens cleaning warning
- Live Translation
- 3D Lock Screen effect
- Visual Intelligence improvements
- AI order tracking in Apple Wallet
- Wrist flick gesture in watchOS 26
AI polls and custom backgrounds in the Messages app
Screenshot: Apple
iOS 26 will bring two major improvements to the Messages app: support for AI-powered Polls and custom backgrounds generated by Image Playground. Since both features partially rely on Apple Intelligence, older iPhone models won’t gain full access to them.
You can still make polls on older iPhones, but without the AI suggestions. Likewise, you will be limited to choosing from one of Apple’s stock images for the Messages app background.
AI-powered features in the Reminders app
Like the Messages app, iOS 26 will add a couple of AI-powered features to the Reminders app. This includes using AI to provide suggestions for items to add to a reminder based on your iMessages conversations and emails. Similarly, the iOS 26 Reminders app can smartly categorize your task list into different sections.
Since both these features rely on Apple Intelligence, they will only come to iPhone 15 Pro or later models.
Genmoji and Playground improvements
Genmoji and Image Playground are only available on iPhone 15 Pro, M1 Macs and iPads, and later devices. Unsurprisingly, the improvements coming to them in iOS 26 — the ability to mix Genmoji and emoji together, and ChatGPT integration in Image Playground — remain exclusive to these devices.
AI actions in the Shortcuts app
iOS 26 supercharges the Shortcuts app with AI-powered actions. Apple will allow you to directly use the Apple Intelligence models “to provide responses that feed into your shortcut.” Since the improvement relies on Apple Intelligence, it won’t come to older devices that don’t support Apple’s suite of AI features.
Lens cleaning warning
The Camera app in iOS 26 shows a warning to clean your iPhone camera lens when it’s dirty. While a simple and much-needed feature, it appears Apple will only bring it to the iPhone 15 Pro and later models.
Live Translation
Image: Apple
Live Translation is one of the big improvements in iOS 26. It automatically translates text in Messages, FaceTime captions and the unified Phone app, breaking down language barriers in real time. Again, since the feature relies on AI to work, only owners of iPhone 15 Pro and newer models can enjoy it. On Macs and iPads, it will only come to Apple Intelligence-compatible models.
Additionally, Live Translation in Phone and FaceTime calls will only work for one-to-one calls. It will support the following languages: English (U.S., U.K.), French (France), German, Portuguese (Brazil) and Spanish (Spain).
3D Lock Screen effect
iOS 26 makes the iPhone’s Lock Screen more vibrant by allowing the numbers that indicate the time to dynamically adapt to the background image and the surrounding space. There’s also a 3D effect when you move your iPhone around. Since this feature is resource-intensive, Apple will only bring it to iPhone 12 and later models.
Visual Intelligence improvements
Screenshot: Apple
Apple Intelligence-powered Visual Intelligence is only available on the iPhone 15 Pro and later models. Unsurprisingly, the Visual Intelligence improvements in iOS 26 — the ability to analyze screenshots and pull relevant contextual information — will only come to iPhone 15 Pro and later.
AI order tracking in Apple Wallet
Photo: Apple
Apple will use AI in iOS 26 to pull order tracking information from the Mail app and show its status in the Wallet app. Since the feature relies on Apple Intelligence, it will be available on the iPhone 15 Pro and newer models.
Wrist flick gesture in watchOS 26
watchOS 26 introduces a new wrist flick gesture for the Apple Watch, enabling you to dismiss incoming notifications and calls, and silence timers or alarms. The feature relies on machine learning and data from the device’s accelerometer and gyroscope.
Apple will bring the new wrist flick gesture to the same Apple Watch models that support the double-tap gesture: Apple Watch Series 10, Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2.
Older iPhones will miss out on more iOS 26 features, too
Apple will keep adding new features to iOS 26 in future point releases. And like the features mentioned above, most of them won’t come to older iPhones. This likely includes the enhanced, AI-powered Siri, now slated to arrive sometime in 2026 after multiple delays.
Apple also might introduce certain new iOS 26 features exclusively for the iPhone 17 lineup when it launches this fall.
Rajesh has been closely following and writing about the latest happenings in the world of mobile for nearly a decade now. While he prefers Android, he does not deny the superiority of Apple’s products and ecosystem.
