Quick Summary Google has updated Chrome for iPhone with a new look that adopts iOS 26’s Liquid Glass design. The new aesthetic allows you to see more content on the screen and it looks a lot better too.

Apple announced its latest iPhones at the beginning of September with all four models released last week. But it wasn’t just the new phones that arrived – the company also released the final build of its latest software, iOS 26.

There are a number of features that come with the new operating system, including Visual Intelligence that helps you do more with screenshots, and the ability to change the snooze time on your alarm. But the biggest change is the new Liquid Glass design.

Offering a whole new look, Liquid Glass is designed to mimic layers of glass and can be found on the iPhone’s home screen, as well as across all the native apps.

However, the first third-party app to take on the new look might come as a bit of a surprise.

Google’s Chrome has a new look ahead of other apps

Google’s Chrome has adopted Liquid Glass in its latest version (via 9to5Google).

Chrome for iPhone already has a couple of different features compared to the Android version, but the Liquid Glass look changes a number of elements.

Icons at the top have transitioned to being overlaid across the top of the content rather than occupying their own section. It means the search icon, incognito, new tab and tab groups all sit within a more transparent bar with rounder corners.

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The Edit and Done buttons at the bottom of Chrome have also transitioned to the new style, allowing for more content to fit on the screen.

Context menus have also had an update with slightly more rounded corners too, but more importantly, the background doesn’t get blurred, allowing you to see what you were looking at while you choose from the menu you have pulled up.

For now, Chrome is the first and only Google app to adopt the Liquid Glass design, but hopefully the others will follow soon. You’ll need Chrome for iPhone version 141 to see the changes.

Apple iOS 26: Top 5 iOS 26 Features You NEED to See!

iOS 26 new features you need to try and update

Customise alarm snooze duration

Create custom ringtones easily

Copy selective text in messages

Track visited places in maps

Recall a restaurant you loved while traveling.

Plan return visits to locations.

Track frequent routes for productivity or journaling purposes.

Battery charge time estimates

Adaptive power mode

Turn photos into 3D spatial scenes

Visual intelligence for screenshots

Apple Music lyric translations

Screen incoming calls

AirPods as camera remote

Custom backgrounds in messages

Edit PDFs with preview

Middle-screen swipe to go back

Check weather offline

Camera lens cleaning alerts

HDR screenshots

Passport in wallet

Refreshed Safari tabs and privacy

Reimagined FaceTime and call management

Apple’s iOS 26 introduces the eye-catching Liquid Glass design and new intelligence-driven capabilities, creating a visually stunning and highly interactive user experience. However, the most impactful upgrades are subtle, hidden across system apps, menus, settings, and notifications. These tweaks focus on enhancing productivity, personalisation, efficiency, convenience, accessibility, and overall usability in your daily iPhone use. While features like custom emoji, improved AI suggestions, or interactive widgets often get the spotlight, the hidden functionalities quietly make the iPhone smarter, more responsive, adaptive, and highly tailored to your individual habits, preferences, and routines, offering seamless integration across apps and daily tasks for an enhanced mobile experience.Explore 20 hidden iOS 26 features in depth, detailing what they do, how they work, and why they matter in real-life scenarios, improving overall user experience.The classic 9-minute snooze is a holdover from analog alarm clocks. iOS 26 now lets you customize snooze duration from 1 to 15 minutes, making alarm management flexible.Practical example: If you prefer short naps before waking fully, set a 5-minute snooze.If you like a longer pre-wake period, set it to 12 minutes.How it works: Open the Clock app → tap an existing alarm → select Snooze Duration. The customization applies individually to each alarm.Why it matters: Small, thoughtful changes like this save time, reduce frustration, and allow mornings to align with your personal rhythm.Before iOS 26, creating custom ringtones required GarageBand or a Mac. Now, any MP3 or M4A under 30 seconds can become a ringtone directly from the Files app.Step-by-step: Open the file → tap Share → Use as Ringtone → assign system-wide or to a specific contact.Use case: Assign a specific song snippet to family members so you instantly recognize who’s calling.Why it matters: Personalization enhances user experience and gives your device a unique identity.Previously, copying a text bubble meant copying the entire message, which was inconvenient for passwords, codes, or long conversations. iOS 26 allows selective copying.How to use: Long-press a message → tap Select → adjust handles to copy only the relevant text.Benefit: Saves time, avoids clutter in notes or emails, and enhances workflow efficiency when dealing with multiple tasks.Apple Maps now keeps a private log of visited locations, including dates and details.Access: Maps → Profile → Places → Visited Places.Practical applications:Why it matters: The feature enriches the Maps experience without relying on photos or notes. The privacy-first design ensures all data remains on-device.iOS 26 provides real-time estimates of charging duration, a long-overdue addition for planning device usage.Usage: Plug in your iPhone → check lock screen for “13m to 80%” or “1h 8m to 100%.”Benefit: Particularly useful for short charging sessions before commuting, workouts, or meetings. You no longer need to guess if your battery will last.Adaptive Power intelligently adjusts iPhone performance based on usage patterns.Example:Streaming music → reduces background activity for better battery efficiency.Gaming or video editing → increases performance for smoother operation.Why it matters: Automates power management, extending battery life while maintaining optimal performance without manual intervention.iOS 26 introduces Spatial Scenes, a feature that adds depth to regular photos, creating a 3D-like experience.How it works: Open a compatible photo → toggle Spatial → tilt or move the iPhone to explore the scene.Use case: Travel photos, family memories, or architectural shots become interactive, allowing you to revisit moments in a visually engaging way.Benefit: Provides an immersive photo experience without additional hardware.Screenshots are now smarter with iOS 26.Features include:Ask ChatGPT: Analyze screenshot content and get answers or summaries.Image Search: Identify visually similar items online.Selective input: Paint over areas to focus your query.Practical example: Take a screenshot of a product → use Image Search → compare prices or read reviews instantly.Why it matters: Transforms a static screenshot into an actionable tool, saving time and reducing steps.iOS 26 brings real-time translations of song lyrics.Usage: Tap Lyrics → Translate These Lyrics. The translation displays below the original text.Practical benefit: Understand foreign-language songs without losing rhythm, ideal for music exploration or learning new languages.Live call screening shows real-time transcripts of unknown callers.How to use: Phone app → Screen Call. Choose to answer, decline, or route to voicemail.Why it matters: Protects users from spam, scams, and unwanted interruptions while offering better control over call management.AirPods can now act as a remote shutter.Example: Double-tap an AirPod during a group photo → snap a picture without touching the phone.Why it matters: Enhances convenience for selfies, group photos, or tripod photography.Set custom backgrounds for individual chats.Steps: Open chat → tap name → Backgrounds → select color, gradient, photo, or AI-generated image.Benefit: Personalizes messaging, making conversations more visually engaging and fun.iOS 26 integrates Preview for PDF editing.Capabilities: Highlight, annotate, sign, or rearrange pages directly in Files or Mail.Why it matters: Eliminates the need for third-party apps, streamlining workflows for students, professionals, and anyone dealing with documents.You no longer need to swipe from the edge to go back.How it works: Swipe from the middle of the screen → navigate backward in apps like Safari, Mail, or Settings.Why it matters: Improves navigation efficiency, especially on larger iPhones.The Weather app now works offline via Apple’s satellite connectivity.Features: Basic forecasts, rain probability, and severe weather alerts.Use case: Hiking, traveling in remote areas, or during emergencies where cellular service is unavailable.The Camera app detects smudges or glare and reminds you to clean your lens.Why it matters: Ensures higher-quality photos without post-processing fixes, preventing blurred or hazy shots.Screenshots now preserve high dynamic range, retaining vivid colors and contrast.Benefit: Your screenshots match the display’s quality, useful for sharing media, documentation, or social posts.Digital passports are now supported in some regions.How it works: Wallet → + → Add Passport → use at supported checkpoints.Why it matters: Signals Apple’s move toward digital-first wallets and a more seamless travel experience.Safari now has rounded tabs, bottom navigation, and advanced privacy protections.Privacy feature: Advanced Fingerprinting Protection stops trackers from identifying your device across websites.Why it matters: Browsing is safer and visually intuitive, protecting user data without sacrificing usability.FaceTime now supports landing pages, live video previews, and improved unknown caller filtering.Benefit: Simplifies video communication while maintaining better control over your call interactions.While the Liquid Glass design grabs headlines, iOS 26’s real strength lies in its hidden, practical upgrades. From battery management and adaptive power to immersive photos and smarter Messages features, these hidden improvements subtly enhance daily iPhone use. Mastering these functionalities can save time, boost productivity, and make your iPhone feel uniquely personal.

Table of Contents Hardware Options Setup Experience Login Experience Included Apps Third-Party Software Compatibility Interface Customization Desktop and Window Management Dock vs. Taskbar Finder vs. File Explorer System Search Touch, Pen, and Dictation Apple Intelligence vs. Copilot Mobile Device Integration 3D, VR, and AR Support Accessibility Security and Stability Gaming

Hardware Options

Before you can run any OS, you need a computer and possibly some peripherals. Apple has some fine hardware options, including MacBooks with attractive industrial designs, the iMac with its 4.5K screen, and the massively powerful Mac Pro (starting at $6,999). However, these devices are pricey, and their variety pales in comparison with the many Windows PCs and tablets that are available from different manufacturers. You won’t find any convertible laptops or touch screens on any Macs, and if you’ve used one, you know it’s useful. Nontraditional options like the Raspberry Pi and VR headsets can all run Windows, too. Handheld gaming PCs make for an even wider selection of Windows devices.

As for internal components—things like the CPU, graphics card, and storage—there’s no contest. Windows gives you a lot more leeway in configuring a system with the components you want and more flexibility to upgrade later. Heck, you can even build your own PC with the parts of your choice. Both OSes have gotten to the point where support for keyboards, mice, printers, webcams, and other peripherals is a plug-and-play situation, so you shouldn’t worry much about that. Both come with excellent, seamless support for multiple monitors, too.

Winner: Windows

Setup Experience

Both OSes have clear and polished setup processes. You can use either without signing in to an account with Apple or Microsoft, though both make it hard to do so. If you do sign in, you get a richer experience on both. Not signing in means missing out on app roaming, data syncing, messages, voice assistants, and a whole lot of other goodies, with more coming all the time, like Apple Intelligence on Mac and some more-advanced Copilot AI features in Windows. I have yet to hear of a Mac user who doesn’t sign into an Apple account on their computer, and doing so is the very first thing mentioned in Apple’s Getting Started guide.

Both initial setup processes are straightforward, letting you replicate a previous computer. Microsoft allows you to install the OS with your voice and differentiates the process based on whether you’re setting up the computer for personal or business use. Both OSes automatically recognize and install drivers for standard hardware peripherals, such as mice, keyboards, and hard drives.

Winner: Tie

Login Experience

Both systems have login options that go beyond the traditional act of simply signing in on your desktop. If you have a recent MacBook or a Magic Keyboard, you can easily sign into your Mac using your fingerprint. Or you can log in through your iPhone or Apple Watch if they are close enough to the computer. In my experience with a recent MacBook Air, however, I had to enter the computer password more often than seemed necessary; the fingerprint simply isn’t an option in some instances.

Windows 11 relies on the Hello system for biometric logins, and you have a few options. Face login with a depth-mapping-capable webcam is probably the coolest and quickest, and it’s available on most higher-end PCs, including all Surface devices. Windows Hello also supports fingerprint readers, available on laptops such as the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon. If you don’t have hardware that’s compatible with either of those features, Windows will also accept a PIN, which is more convenient than a full password. A PIN is specific to a machine—Microsoft doesn’t store it online like a standard account password—and four incorrect entries temporarily lock you out, so it’s quite secure. Unlike my experience with the MacBook, Windows Hello works nearly every time for me.

Once you boot the OS, Windows has a Start button and menu that lets you access the apps, documents, and settings you most frequently use. There’s nothing similar in macOS, but you can pin frequently used apps to your Dock, head to the Applications folder, or set up your desktop with icons for programs and files you access often. The macOS Launchpad formerly offered a way to page through and start apps, though few used it, and Apple discontinued it with Tahoe.

Winner: Windows

Included Apps

Both operating systems come with a wealth of utilities and apps, from calendars and mail clients to photo and video editors. Both come with screenshot tools, voice recorders, and web browsers, not to mention camera, contacts, news, and weather apps. Both even now offer AI image generation in their drawing apps.

Microsoft throws in the handy Sticky Notes and Teams chat. It also has the Xbox gaming app (see Gaming section below). macOS has FaceTime and Stickies, but it stands out most for its superior video editor, iMovie, the Preview utility, and the outstanding Apple Music streaming service. It also has the awesome GarageBand music composition app and the relatively full-featured iWork office suite.

Winner: macOS

Third-Party Software Compatibility

Both platforms have had time to develop rich ecosystems of software and services. Windows is more likely to support custom business applications, and macOS is prevalent in creative fields. That said, you can find plenty of good general business software for Macs. And Windows actually boasts more options in some creative areas, such as photo and video editing software.

macOS and Windows have app stores that manage installation and updating, but app developers sadly haven’t given attention to these desktop stores the way they have to their mobile counterparts. On a related note, I still find it odd that some macOS apps make you drag a disk image to the Applications folder; that’s just one of at least three different ways to install apps on a Mac.

Windows app installation is more straightforward. For a few years now, Windows’ default web browser has let you install many app-like websites as progressive web apps (PWAs). They can appear in the Microsoft Store and get Start menu entries; you can uninstall them just like any other application. Apple avoids the industry-standard term PWA, instead offering what the company calls a web app capability, but these can’t appear in the Mac App Store. Finally, Windows PCs can still run software programmed decades ago, while macOS version updates regularly make older apps obsolete. This is important for businesses that previously spent a lot of money on custom code.

Winner: Windows

Interface Customization

Both operating systems give you decent leeway for customizing their appearance. You can personalize the desktop backgrounds, interface colors, screen item sizes, and screen savers. Both OSes have good wallpaper options, with macOS adding Live Wallpapers that change throughout the day and Windows 11 adding HDR wallpaper support.

The quality of an operating system’s dark mode is a point of contention for some users. macOS’s version is a bit more consistent. Despite regular updates, some older Windows dialogs are still not dark when the mode is active. Windows has a Custom option, which lets you decide whether you want dark or light mode for apps, system elements, or both. Both systems use slick, rounded window corners. macOS Tahoe introduces Liquid Glass, which uses transparent elements, much like 2006’s Windows Vista. I find this interface design less obtrusive on macOS than on Apple’s mobile platforms, but if you want translucent or monochromatic icons in the Dock, you should enjoy it.

When it comes to widgets, the two OSes differ markedly in implementation. Windows 11 offers widgets that live in a panel that optionally pops up when you hover over its Taskbar icon. Recently, Microsoft added the ability to choose widgets for the lock screen, too. Until recently, Apple restricted macOS widgets to the Notification Center panel, but ever since Sonoma, you can place them anywhere on the desktop, just like in Windows Vista more than a decade ago. What’s more, you can use iPhone widgets on the macOS desktop, thanks to Continuity (see Mobile Device Integration section below). A major difference is that widgets you create with the iPhone show information only; they’re not interactive.

Winner: Tie

Desktop and Window Management

Whenever I work on a Mac, I’m frustrated by how the system manages and arranges program windows. Even with Sequoia’s shameless copying of Windows’ Snap Layouts feature (see below), Microsoft’s OS still makes it easier to arrange windows on the screen the way you want, not the way the OS wants. The 2024 Sequoia update also copied Windows’ ability to snap a window to fill exactly half the screen by dragging its title bar to the side edge—something that’s been around since 2009’s Windows 7.

But there’s a problem: In macOS, you can’t use these techniques with all window types. I was recently very frustrated by Tahoe when trying to show a dialog box alongside a web page for a serial number entry. (Another UI functionality issue: The copy and paste function in macOS works only with numbers before a hyphen, so I had to copy and paste multiple times for a long serial number with several four-digit numbers separated by dashes.) Each time I switched to the web page to enter part of the serial number, the dialog with the number slunk back to a small Stage Manager card (see below).

Windows 11’s Snap Layouts let you choose a window arrangement from any program’s maximize button. The same thing works on a tablet’s touch interface if you drag an app’s top bar to the top of the screen to see layout choices. You can even reuse these layouts from Taskbar icons, and they carry over to a secondary display.

Apple put some effort into improving its windowing game with Stage Manager, available since Ventura. When enabled, it displays diagonal 3D tiles to the left of the active program window for easy switching. Some find the accompanying animations jarring, but at least they make window management somewhat clearer than before.

You can create multiple virtual desktops in both Windows and macOS, and they do an equally good job of letting you switch between them with touchpad gestures or keyboard shortcuts.

Confusingly, in macOS, there are two different ways for an app to run full-screen. The default is as a separate virtual desktop, which you get when you click the green maximize button (which also serves as a Resize button). But there’s another full-screen mode that maintains the system menu across the top. Sometimes, I don’t want macOS to switch me to another virtual desktop when I didn’t specifically opt for one.

Finally, my favorite window-management trick in Windows is holding and shaking the mouse key on a window title bar to minimize everything else (in Windows 11, you have to turn this “Title bar window shake” feature on in Settings). It’s a great way to clear out distractions and focus on the window you’re working in. macOS Tahoe doesn’t have anything similar.

Winner: Windows

Dock vs. Taskbar

The macOS Dock has made strides over the years, with its ability to display the icons of recently used apps and a nifty mouse-over magnifying animation. You can easily change the placement of icons in the Dock and enlarge or shrink the whole thing at any time, which is good for accessibility. One thing I find frustrating about macOS is that when I click on a running app’s Dock icon, sometimes its window doesn’t appear on the screen. That’s because macOS is document-based, whereas Windows is application-based. When you click on an app’s icon in the Dock, you may just see its menu at the top, but no program window. In Windows, tapping a taskbar icon always brings up the associated program’s window.

The Windows taskbar shows a thumbnail miniature of the program window when you hover the mouse cursor over its icon. Taskbar Jump Lists let you see recent files you opened in the app or jump to frequently needed actions in that program; macOS’s Dock works similarly. In Windows 11, the Taskbar took a step backward, but the company has restored its previous appeal. The default center alignment means that the Start button isn’t always in the same place, but you can set it to left-justified. Microsoft also brought back the ability to choose a wider, more informative view of the app buttons, which more clearly shows which apps are running than the dot you get in macOS.

Winner: Tie

Finder vs. File Explorer

Windows File Explorer has improved in recent OS updates. It now includes a Gallery view for photo folders and native support for 7-Zip and RAR archive files. You can finally have multiple tabs in a File Explorer window, something the macOS Finder has offered for years. File Explorer’s Home folder lets you show Recent, Recommended, and Favorite files. The macOS Finder’s Recents folder works similarly. Finder also has a Favorites section, though I find it much harder to use than File Explorer, especially for getting from one place to another on a drive. For example, it doesn’t let you easily navigate up and down a drive’s folder tree.

File Explorer also has nice color-coded main folders. To PCMag contributor Edward Mendelson’s great joy, macOS Tahoe finally brings the ability to change folder colors from that ghastly blue; in Windows, you can change the icon for any folder, but it doesn’t work as simply as the Finder color-changing capability. Both OSes show previews of documents on the right side of the Explorer/Finder windows, let you choose which app to open a file with, and let you easily share files with a right click.

Winner: Windows

System Search

Windows has a permanent search box in the Taskbar, which I find convenient. Both OSes have magnifying glass icons and simple keyboard shortcuts to summon the search feature. Both can find local and web content, as well as do conversions and math. Both let you filter results by category (app, document, folder, etc.)

But macOS’s Spotlight search gets the edge. The Tahoe update brings the ability to undertake Actions such as “Create Folder,” “Send Email,” or “Start Timer.” Note that Copilot now lets you search your computer’s folders.

Winner: macOS

Touch, Pen, and Dictation

In terms of alternative input, Microsoft’s operating system has the edge. Windows has had full touch screen support for more than a decade, and it has a touch-optimized interface when you switch from keyboard to touch or stylus input. A good selection of convertible laptops and tablets is available on the market to take advantage of it. After decades of obdurately refusing to entertain the idea of bestowing its computers with touch screens, rumor has it that Apple might finally offer this capability.

Stylus input is another win for Windows. The support for styluses like the Surface Slim Pen 2 on touch screens is robust, with incredibly good handwriting-to-text conversion and pressure sensitivity. You can use a pen anywhere you enter text. To me, the metal Stylus Pen feels better than the plasticky Apple Pencil for iPads.

In both Windows and Mac, you can use your voice for text input in any app. To do this in macOS, you have to specifically enable it. Once voice dictation is on, you can access it by double-tapping the Fn key. In Windows, just press Windows Key-H (for hear), and you’re off and dictating.

Winner: Windows

Apple Intelligence vs. Copilot

With 2025’s Tahoe update, Apple macOS is slowly getting more AI capabilities courtesy of Apple Intelligence. These include Image Playground, which generates cartoon-like images based on your text prompts; Writing Tools, which can summarize or rewrite selected text. AI features also make cameos in Apple programs like Photos (remove objects), Mail (summarize and prioritize), and Safari (summarize web page). The improved Siri has been woefully limited and slow to arrive, but you can now enable it to use OpenAI’s ChatGPT for more powerful functionality.

Microsoft added Copilot to Windows in 2023, a full generative AI chatbot that can create text and images and answer research questions. Copilot, which uses OpenAI GPT technology, just keeps getting more impressive, with things like Copilot Vision, which lets you have a natural voice conversation about items on your screen (see video above). It can even highlight an area on the screen while telling you how to complete a certain action. Copilot also now supports the “Hey Copilot” wake-word option, in a nod to dear old Cortana. Copilot+ PCs get even more AI features, with things like Click to Do, Live Captions with translation, and Recall.

Winner: Windows

Mobile Device Integration

With Phone Link, Microsoft has reached near parity with Apple’s mobile-to-desktop integration story if you connect an Android phone. And connecting an iPhone to Windows gets you calls, notifications, and texts on the desktop. Connecting some higher-end Android phones lets you run multiple Android apps on a Windows screen simultaneously. But the Apple desktop-mobile connection continues to be tighter and slicker. The iPhone Mirroring feature lets you show and control the mobile interface on your computer screen, but supports just one app at a time.

You can use an iPhone as an external webcam (Windows now has this feature, too, for Android phones), and you can use an iPad as a secondary screen. The macOS Notifications panel lets you send text messages by syncing with a nearby iPhone, and you can share all your photos across devices in Apple Photos. You can transfer almost anything to another Apple device using AirDrop. Finally, you can even engage in video calling with FaceTime between devices. Apple Watch is yet another piece of the integrated ecosystem that Windows can’t match. For example, you can unlock your Mac when your watch is in proximity, and the same notifications flow to both.

Winner: macOS

3D, VR, and AR Support

VR, AR, and the metaverse might not be the hot topic they once were, but they’re still valid criteria to consider when comparing OSes, especially with Apple finally getting into the space with its Vision Pro headset. That device doesn’t require a Mac but can connect with one for a virtual flat display. The most popular VR headset, the Meta Quest 3, works only with Windows, not Macs. The same is true for SteamVR gaming headsets, which run only on SteamOS and Windows.

Apple does provide some VR support: You can edit 360-degree video content in Final Cut Pro with external enclosures for VR-capable graphics cards. Apple’s ARKit system works with some iPhone and iPad models to let app builders create augmented reality applications.

Winner: Windows

Accessibility

Both operating systems include a good deal of support for users with disabilities, but Microsoft has consistently made it a top priority. Both OSes offer Braille support, screen magnification, sticky and slow key entry, text narration, and voice input. But with Windows, a blind person can set up the system by voice. Microsoft has even added the ability to control the computer with your eyes and has come out with a line of Adaptive Accessories for alternative input.

Microsoft has customer support in American Sign Language by video call. It works with the free BeMyEyes app, which “connects blind and low vision people with volunteers for visual assistance through a live video call.” The company’s Seeing AI tech can describe people’s emotions in real time based on their expressions. Microsoft has even published a highly rated Seeing AI app for Android and iOS.

Copilot+ PCs include a Live Captions feature that displays text captions for any spoken words playing on the PC. This feature can translate other spoken languages into English. It is all done with local PC computing resources and leverages the neural processing unit (NPU) on these PCs.

Even on non-Copilot+ PCs, Windows 11 can display live captions for any spoken audio from any source on the screen. Windows 11 also made its Narrator voice sound more natural when reading screen text, while an improved Voice Access feature lets you control everything on the PC (now in preview). The company staffs a Disability Answer Desk for both consumers and businesses.

In its favor, Apple continues to improve and add accessibility features, such as Personal Voice, which lets people at risk of losing their voice create a digital voice that sounds like theirs in phone or video calls. The company also launched Live Captions to match Windows’ equivalent.

Winner: Windows

Security and Stability

Windows PCs have historically been more vulnerable to malware than Macs, including ransomware, spyware, botnets, and good old-fashioned viruses. For its part, Microsoft is constantly beefing up its security, pushing Microsoft Defender updates, and even introducing anti-ransomware measures.

macOS has a much cleaner record, but it’s by no means immune from the baddies out there. Vulnerabilities occur in it, too. Apple is pretty good about issuing patch updates to address these, but PCMag’s principal writer for security, Neil Rubenking, still recommends using antivirus software on Macs.

Both operating systems include built-in VPN support, and all of PCMag’s top VPN service choices are available on both platforms, so that category is a wash.

And then there’s the issue of stability. macOS wins on this count, too, mostly because Apple controls the hardware ecosystem (third-party drivers are a major cause of instability on Windows PCs) as well as the software. Stability has improved with Windows 11, but it’s still not rock-solid. Those looking for the ultimate stability should check out Linux.

Winner: macOS

Gaming

Hardcore gamers don’t even need to look at this section. While there are plenty of excellent games available for macOS, and there’s even a version of Steam for the platform, Macs typically don’t allow the game catalog and the level of internal component customization possible with PC gaming.

As for game selection, there are far more AAA titles on Steam that are compatible with Windows than macOS. You can even stream games to your PC through the Xbox app. With Play Anywhere, you can load games you buy on the Microsoft Store on either your PC or your Xbox console.

Apple does have a Game Porting Toolkit for converting Windows games for use on Macs, and more AAA titles continue to arrive on the OS, including Cyberpunk 2077.

Windows Game Bar, which you can summon with the Windows key + G combination, lets you record your gaming activities, see system resource usage, and interact with fellow gamers. You can easily use an Xbox game controller with a Windows PC. You can play some casual games right inside the Microsoft Store on Windows. Windows’ Game Mode optimizes the system while gaming, Auto HDR improves graphics, and DirectStorage lets you load those enormous games faster. Microsoft recently announced Gaming Copilot, which provides assistance during your quests. Both OSes now support ray tracing for more lifelike lighting in games.

Winner: Windows

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Apple/ Zooey Liao/ CNET

The wait is over. Apple released iOS 26 on Sept. 15, about three months after the company announced the free iPhone update at its Worldwide Developers Conference in June. So you can download the free iPhone update now.

Since Apple first announced iOS 26, I’ve been living with the beta software on two iPhones: my iPhone 16 Pro and 14 Pro. I would have downloaded it on my iPhone XR, too, but that device doesn’t support the software (sorry to anyone who still has an XR).

After using the iOS 26 beta, I found a lot of the new features to be fun and useful. The Liquid Glass redesign looks clean and is visually impressive. Call screening, a true game-changer, manages to protect you from robocalls while still allowing other folks to reach you. And iOS 26 brings other hidden upgrades to my iPhones that still manage to surprise me.

While most of these upgrades are good, iOS 26 takes half-measures at times. Some features are moving in the right direction but need work. The new Games app feels as though it hasn’t been fully built out yet, and Visual Intelligence’s ability to add information to your Calendar could use improvement.

But the Liquid Glass redesign helps usher in a more immersive visual experience for Apple users, and overall, the update adds more functionality to your phone. It’s not a fundamental reworking of the iPhone’s operating system, but it offers nice quality-of-life upgrades that help Apple stay apace with its competition.

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Call screening and Liquid Glass are the biggest (but not only) improvements in iOS 26

Call screening is the one feature I didn’t know I needed

I’ve never heard someone say, “Oh boy, a spam call! I love these!” So when Apple announced call screening at WWDC, I was interested to see how effective this feature was. And let me tell you, it’s awesome. It might be my single favorite feature in iOS 26.

Call screening is my favorite new feature in iOS 26. Apple/CNET

There are two options for call screening: Ask Reason for Calling and Silence.

Apple describes the Silence option like this: “Calls from unsaved numbers will be silenced, sent to voicemail, and displayed on the Recents list.” The Silence setting means only numbers you have saved in your Contacts will cause your iPhone to ring.

That’s a little extreme for me, so I opted for the Ask Reason for Calling option. When a number outside of my Contacts tries to call me, the caller gets a prompt asking why they’re trying to reach me. When the caller responds, my device pings me and transcribes the person’s answer so I can decide whether to accept or not. Most spam calls don’t leave a response and therefore don’t bother me, which I love. Leave me alone! Thanks to call screening, these spam calls aren’t wasting my — or the spam caller’s — time.

Liquid Glass looks good after tweaks during the beta process

The most dramatic change iOS 26 brings to your iPhone is the new redesigned Liquid Glass visual interface. This is the biggest visual update to your iPhone since the company released iOS 7 in 2013… back when Henry Cavill first put on Superman’s iconic suit and cape and I had just graduated from college with a twinkle in my eye.

People were divided over the Liquid Glass design when Apple announced it. Some liked it, while others — myself included — thought the glass effects made things hard to read. But after trial and error during the beta process, I think Apple found the right balance of glass and frosted effects to make this design work.

I’m impressed with the overall look of Liquid Glass. Everything appears to squish and wiggle when you interact with it, which is fun, and the way the light refracts through the affected items looks excellent. These affected items blend into Safari, Photos and other apps like chameleons, and items change font colors depending on what’s behind them. This makes for clean graphics and animations that are more immersive and less visually disruptive.

Liquid Glass elements can adjust themselves when they go over darker and lighter objects on your screen. Apple/CNET

Apple also builds on the tinted app icons feature introduced in iOS 18, but now with clear icons. The clear option removes all color, giving your icons a translucent, ghostly look. While I was initially hesitant, the feature has grown on me. Some icons that are pretty busy still don’t play nice with this option, but I think Apple has struck a nice level of frostedness.

I used to be team dark mode, but the clear icons have won me over. Apple/CNET

Many of the Liquid Glass changes are focused on aesthetics rather than function. So while menus look different and the controls in your Control Center have a polished look, almost everything should feel familiar when you use it.

I just wish Apple would address the transition between lock and home screens. When you unlock your iPhone and swipe up to get to your home screen, you can see the Liquid Glass layer move up the screen but not the wallpaper beneath it. In past iOS versions, your lock screen wallpaper would roll up the screen as you switched to your home screen. With Liquid Glass, if your home screen wallpaper is different from your lock screen’s, it might look like your iPhone is glitching because your lock screen is seemingly not moving.

Otherwise, I like Liquid Glass in its current state. It appears that Apple took user feedback to heart in the beta process for iOS 26. If you still don’t like it, you can reduce the transparency in the Accessibility section of Settings.

Lock screen updates and big clock

Apple continues to make the lock screen more customizable and functional with iOS 26. The most significant change is the big clock. Note that “big clock” is not the official name of this feature, but it takes up almost half of your lock screen, so what else am I supposed to call it? As a visually impaired person, I really appreciate the big clock. Now, when I take my glasses off at night, I don’t have to bring my iPhone up to my face to check the time.

Big clock is cool, but I don’t know if it’s cooler than that pup. Apple/CNET

My one complaint about the big clock is that you can only use it with one clock font, and I’d like to spread the love to other fonts. Otherwise, you can change its color to match your background, make the numbers thicker or change its design between Glass (more transparent) and Solid (a more standard-looking clock).

I also appreciate being able to move my widget bar to a new home. You can house your widgets near the top of your screen, right underneath the clock, or you can move them to the bottom of the screen, just above your controls. This is partially an extension of the big clock option because if you enable that feature, your widgets automatically move to the bottom portion of your lock screen to accommodate the large numbers, though you can also move them around without it.

Just having the freedom to move widgets to another location on your lock screen is a huge plus for me. I’ve wanted the ability to move widgets and controls around the lock screen for years, and this change brings my iPhone one step closer to that reality.

iOS 26 has more upgrades below the surface

Apple has a lot of upgrades in iOS 26, some of which didn’t get a lot of airtime during the WWDC keynote. But that doesn’t make them any less important or helpful.

With iOS 26, you can adjust your alarm’s snooze length to anywhere from 1 to 15 minutes. This change makes me so happy. The old snooze length was 9 minutes — not 10 or even 5 minutes — which always irritated me because I think 9 is such an ugly number. So being able to adjust the snooze length is satisfying.

Sometimes it’s nice to have 15 extra minutes of sleep. Apple/CNET

When you charge your iPhone with iOS 26, your lock screen will show how long it will take and whether your charger is working slowly or not. I have a charging pad that lets me charge two devices at once. When I had my phone on it with another device, my iPhone would say that it was plugged into a slow charger, and it would take at least an hour to charge fully.

Speaking of battery, iOS 26 also brings a new adaptive power feature that’s truly helpful, especially for gaming. It can detect when your iPhone is using more power than usual — say, to play a game like Retro Bowl ’26 — and it will make performance adjustments to extend your battery life. It saves power in small ways, like lowering the screen brightness or decreasing the power the processor is using, which can make some activities take longer.

The update is also close to making me an Apple Music subscriber. The biggest new feature in the streaming service is its lyric translation and pronunciation guides. These can be helpful when listening to popular artists like Bad Bunny (who raps in Spanish) and your favorite K-pop artists, if you’re curious about the lyrics. But these features aren’t available on every song or in many languages, so I’m stuck wondering what German bands like Rammstein are singing about.

iOS 26 introduces new filters to Messages, such as for spam and messages from unknown senders. My favorite filter is for drafts. With it, you can easily see messages you were working on but accidentally didn’t send or messages you were going to send, but a push notification distracted you.

While those changes are more functional, some iOS 26 changes are more concerned with form and aesthetics. The new spatial scenes feature turns almost any picture in your Photos app into a 3D image, where elements shift and change perspective. You can also use spatial scenes on your lock screen to give your wallpaper some depth.

Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhones also get an upgraded Genmoji app that can now combine standard emoji into new ones. Previously, you had to either describe an emoji or use the Genmoji suggestions to create a new custom emoji. But using pre-existing emoji simplifies the process of creating a new emoji, like this Cincinnati Bengals emoji I made, which I’ll be using this football season.

I’m not giving up on the Bengals any time soon. Apple/CNET

Games and Visual Intelligence have some catching up to do

While there’s a lot I like about iOS 26, there are some things that I didn’t find that impressive or thought could use some more work. You might like these features, but they aren’t for me, at least not until Apple works on them some more.

Games app feels unfinished

When Apple announced the new Games app at WWDC and after I used the beta for a while, I was pretty excited about it. It can keep track of all the games you download, offer quick access to Apple Arcade, help you stay in touch with friends and compete with others in those games. It’s similar to a gaming console home screen. I liked the Games app at first, but I found some aspects of it annoying the more I used it.

My biggest issue is that you can’t delete games from the app’s library, even if those titles aren’t available to download and install from the App Store anymore. Once you download a game to your device or another device with your Apple ID, it becomes attached to your library seemingly forever. For example, Sega removed support for the mobile version of Crazy Taxi a few months ago. I stopped playing the game and deleted it from my device to make space, and now it sits in my library.

I can’t redownload Crazy Taxi from the App Store because Sega no longer supports the game. When I see Crazy Taxi in Games, it’s like I’m being taunted. You can filter out uninstalled games in the app, but I want to see all the games I’ve played in case I want to return to one in the future. Though I’d love to revisit Crazy Taxi and its awesome soundtrack, I can’t on my iPhone. So I wish I could just remove it and other unplayable games.

Playing Crazy Taxi on the Dreamcast is one of my core memories. Apple/CNET

I also want a menu that shows which of my contacts have certain games on their device or connected to their account, so I can challenge them to play. I can still challenge or invite people to play a game like A Slight Chance of Sawblades but if they don’t have access to the game or have never played it, my invite feels like peer pressure.

I wish the Games app worked with other gaming apps, too. As of now, it works with games from mobile services, like Apple Arcade and Netflix Games, as well as any game you buy or download through Apple’s App Store, like Clash Royale or Roblox. But if you have the iOS Steam app, it won’t show up in Games. So it’s not a comprehensive hub for gaming on your mobile device.

I also want Apple to make it easier to connect a controller through the Games app. You can still connect an 8BitDo or Xbox controller through the Bluetooth menu, but it would be helpful if there was a shortcut button in the Games app that can search for connectable controllers nearby.

The Games app seems like a good start, but it leaves a lot to be desired. I hope Apple expands this app in the future and adds more functionality.

Visual Intelligence can be improved

Apple introduced Visual Intelligence with iOS 18 in the iPhone 16 lineup in 2024. It lets you do an image search with Google or start a prompt with ChatGPT about whatever your camera is pointed at. iOS 26 upgrades the feature to support screenshots. This is a nice touch, but the Google Search menu wouldn’t always immediately disappear when I wanted it to after searching for a screenshot online.

Adding events to Calendar from Visual Intelligence could also be frustrating if you’re using a picture or screenshot with multiple listings — while you can edit and customize calendar events, Visual Intelligence defaults to picking the first listed item. When you take a screenshot or use Visual Intelligence on a concert poster, a button appears to Add to Calendar. When you tap it, your iPhone creates an event based on the first entry in the list or on the poster which you can add to your Calendar by tapping Create Event. You can edit the information if it’s not correct by tapping Edit, but at that point, you might as well manually input it. Also, there didn’t appear to be a way to select a different date and location for Visual Intelligence if various options were available.

Happy to see Franz Ferdinand are still performing, but Orlando is not near Cincinnati. Apple/CNET

Final word on iOS 26

Overall, I like the changes Apple introduces with iOS 26. Call screening is super helpful, and the Liquid Glass design is aesthetically pleasing without being cumbersome. The update builds on aspects of iOS 18, in particular the ability to change app colors and customize your home and lock screen more. In that regard, iOS 26 feels like the natural next step after iOS 18. Just know that some new features feel incomplete, but maybe Apple will improve on these features in subsequent updates.

For more on iOS 26, here’s how to enable call screening, how to make your home screen’s app icons clear in the update and all the new ringtones on your iPhone. You can also check out our iOS 26 cheat sheet for other tips and tricks.

If you’re anything like me, you’re typically excited about new operating systems being released, but also approach with a little hesitation. After diving right into iOS 26 on iPhone, I regretted it for various reasons including some Liquid Glass annoyances, sluggishness, and battery drain (though my opinions are rapidly evolving, more on that separately!), and so I am taking a much more cautious approach regarding installing MacOS Tahoe 26 on my MacBook Air.

I’m certainly intrigued by MacOS Tahoe 26 and its newness, but my Mac is used almost exclusively for work and productivity, and I am going to sit on the sidelines a bit longer to wait and see. I’ve seen enough feedback, gripes, complaints, social media threads, forum posts, and reviews, and this article is going to discuss how I arrived at my currently paused position on MacOS Tahoe.

1: Liquid Glass & Interface Changes can make usability difficult

MacOS Tahoe 26 adopts the new Liquid Glass interface and visual overhaul, which features a lot more transparency, translucency, motion, animations, reduced contrast, frostiness, and sort of a cartoonish look in places, that, all combined, to my eyes make the interface less usable. I already find this to be the case with iOS 26 and it’s partly why I’m frustrated with Liquid Glass in iOS 26 for iPhone, but I don’t want to deal with this on my Mac.

There are many stories, gripes, and complaints online of Mac users who are frustrated with MacOS Tahoe and Liquid Glass and who express challenges with usability, and I’m just not interested in that frustration right now.

What is your opinion here, do you find Liquid Glass and the interface changes to make usability more difficult on the Mac? Leave a comment at the bottom of this article and share your thoughts.

2: Liquid Glass can reduce legibility for some

Another common theme of complaints about Liquid Glass, not just for Tahoe by the way, is that general legibility is reduced, text is harder to read, and that visual elements are more cluttered. Low contrast interface elements and heavy transparency, plus visual clutter, can make everything blend together and harder to differentiate.

Look, my eyesight isn’t perfect, and I already use corrective lenses. My eyes tire easily when looking at screens already, and a reduction in contrast, blurry interface elements that seem to blend together, and text that is harder to read because of design language decisions, just sound like more friction in my digital interactions, and it’s not something I want to deal with on my Mac at this point.

Some of the typical tweaks to fix text legibility issues are not effective in MacOS Tahoe, like “Increase Contrast” which, EclecticLight describes as “the predominant effect is the outlining of controls within each window, rather than any change in contrast.”. I actually do like outlining of controls, but what I like more than that is contrast of those controls and any text on the screen.

What do you think, do you find Liquid Glass on MacOS Tahoe to reduce legibility of text and interface elements? Let us know in the comments at the bottom of the article!

3: Mixed reports of apps crashing and incompatibilities

A notable number of online complaints for MacOS Tahoe have to do with app incompatibilities, or equally frustrating, with certain apps just outright crashing in MacOS Tahoe. This is likely more situation depending on the apps you use, and your specific hardware, but again I need to use my Mac for productivity on a daily basis and I can’t afford to have major app issues right now. These reports are scattered around social media and the web, and cover many different apps, including some default apps from Apple.

What has been your experience, have you encountered any major app incompatibilities or problems with apps crashing in MacOS Tahoe? Whatever the case, share your experiences in the comments below the article!

4: Miscellaneous complaints about bugs, performance, battery life, wi-fi, etc

If you wade into the waters of Apple Support forums, MacRumors forums, reddit, X/Twitter, Bluesky, Mastadon, and the like, you’ll inevitably find the usual complaints that come with any new operating system release; general bugs, problems with performance, reduced battery life, wi-fi connection issues, internet connectivity issues, bluetooth dropping, etc etc. Some of these complaints might be because of Tahoe, some of them might be standard behavior after any major update (like temporary slowdowns and battery performance drops are), and some could even be due to bugs in MacOS Tahoe itself.

I don’t know about any of this, but again my primary usage of a Mac is to work and be productive, and right now MacOS Sequoia is rock solid so I don’t see any need to tempt fate quite yet.

If you have jumped onto Tahoe already, do you have any major complaints or issues, bad bugs, or has it been smooth sailing? Share those with us in the comments at the bottom of this article, we want to know.

I am waiting for MacOS Tahoe 26.1

Since I am holding off on updating my Mac right away, my current plan is to wait for MacOS Tahoe 26.1, which I assume will fix any of the major issues and bugs that are impacting early Tahoe users. I suspect we will also see some changes introduced to help issues around legibility and accessibility for the Liquid Glass interface too.

Trying MacOS Tahoe without commitment

I will continue to explore and use MacOS Tahoe 26, but just not as my primary operating system. The safest way for me to tinker with Tahoe is to use a virtual machine, which is so easy to setup on an Apple Silicon Mac that it offers a really easy way to try out MacOS Tahoe without having to fully commit to replacing Sequoia with it.

Articles we have covered in the past for running Tahoe in virtual machines that could be helpful are:

How to run MacOS Tahoe 26 in UTM (article was written for the beta but it works the exact same with final release)

How to run MacOS Tahoe with tart VM (also written with the beta in mind, but works the same on final, but tart uses the command line to setup)

You’ll want the final macOS Tahoe 26 installer file or IPSW for this, which you can always grab from here.

Using MacOS Tahoe 26 in a virtual machine allows you to try out Tahoe without fully committing to the upgrade as your primary operating system, and for me this is a perfectly adequate solution as I wait for the first major update to Tahoe to address some of the common user complaints out there.

Final thoughts

MacOS Tahoe 26 has many bright spots and some nice new features, and the new interface change to Liquid Glass can be really quite aesthetically pleasing in some scenarios, but for me right now, I need to wait until MacOS Tahoe has a bit more polish applied. As it is right now, it feels like Apple prioritized the new visual look over functionality, and that’s enough to make me hold off for the time being. As Apple continues to iterate on Tahoe, it’ll undoubtedly be improved, and the concerns that I have will hopefully be allayed, otherwise I might just have to update in resignation.

And who knows, maybe I will throw caution to the wind and jump aboard MacOS Tahoe 26 on my Mac, just like I put iOS 26 on my iPhone, and initially hate it, but then quickly grow to appreciate it? That’s basically how my experience with the new OS and Liquid Glass interface on iPhone was for me, and I’ll cover that little rollercoaster of a journey in another article.

What about you? Where do you stand on MacOS Tahoe 26, Liquid Glass, the new interfaces, any bugs or major issues, or perhaps it has been a fantastic trouble free experience for you that has improved your workflow? Tell us your experiences and thoughts in the comments, we are always interested in learning from you too!