Subj : 5 hidden features in iOS 26, including iMessage polls and faster To : All From : TechnologyDaily Date : Wed Sep 17 2025 13:45:09 5 hidden features in iOS 26, including iMessage polls and faster Reminders Date: Wed, 17 Sep 2025 12:32:09 +0000 Description: iOS 26 has almost too many features to keep track of, but these five are well worth learning about. FULL STORY ====================================================================== Theres a lot going on in iOS 26 , from the major visual overhaul to numerous new and improved features, but not all of the changes are obvious. In fact, there are some things you might never realize you can do at all if you dont read up on Apples latest operating system update. Its these small changes that weve focused on here five features that are a little bit hidden away, but very much worth knowing about. 1. Add Reminders from Control Center (Image credit: Apple / TechRadar) With iOS 26, Apple has added a new Reminders shortcut that you can add to either the lock screen or Control Center. From the lock screen, just long-press, then hit customize if you want to add this to your existing lock screen, or the + button to make a new one, and then tap on the circle on the bottom left or right of the screen. Then, search for the Reminders option to add it to that slot. Once done, you can just tap that icon any time on your lock screen to quickly add a reminder to the Reminders app. The process is similar for Control Center just long-press any empty space in Control Center, tap Add a Control, and search for the Reminders control. Then you can quickly add reminders from Control Center. 2. Change the snooze duration of alarms (Image credit: Apple / TechRadar) This is the sort of feature that you might have assumed you were always able to do, but until iOS 26, you couldnt change the snooze duration on alarms, with it always being set to nine minutes. Now, though, if you head into the Clock app and either create a new alarm or tap on an existing one to edit it, youll see a Snooze Duration option, where you can set it to anything from just one minute to 15 minutes. 3. Create polls in the Messages app (Image credit: Apple) One more well-known but still easily missed iOS 26 trick is the ability to add polls to chats. Just open a chat in the Messages app, tap the + button to the left of the text input field, select Polls, and fill in the options you want included. Then, type out a message to include alongside the poll, and hit send. Once done, everyone in the chat will be able to vote on the options in the poll, which could be handy if a group of you are deciding which restaurant to go to or movie to see, for example. 4. Use AirPods as a video recording mic (Image credit: Apple / TechRadar) With iOS 26, your AirPods are also getting more capable, as you can now use them as a mic when recording video. To do this, first wear your AirPods and make sure theyre connected to your iPhone, then head to the Settings app and tap the name of your AirPods near the top of the screen. From here, tap 'Camera Remote', followed by either Press Once or Press and Hold. That will get your AirPods ready to be used as a mic in videos, and the above process only needs to be completed once. After that, head into the Camera app (or another supported camera app), select the Video mode, swipe down to access Control Center, and then tap Camera Controls. From there, select your AirPods in the input section, and if you want, you can also change the Mic mode, with the options being Automatic, Standard, Voice Isolation, or Wide Spectrum. Then, simply press the stem on your AirPods to start recording and to use them as a mic. 5. Turn any photo into a Spatial lock screen image (Image credit: Apple / TechRadar) With iOS 26, you can also add a 3D effect to any photo. This can be done in the Photos app by simply tapping the Spatial Scene button in the top right corner of any image, but its arguably more useful for your lock screen wallpaper. To enable the effect there, simply create a new lock screen and tap the Spatial Scene button that appears near the bottom of the lock screen editor. Then, youll be able to see the image from slightly different angles as you move your screen around. Oddly, this Spatial Scene button didnt appear for us when we attempted to add this effect to existing lock screen wallpapers, so you might have to manually recreate your current lock screen if you want to add a 3D effect. But that annoyance aside, this is a cool feature that brings lock screen imagery to life. You might also like The Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max is the best iPhone I've ever tested and I love it even in Cosmic Orange The Apple iPhone Air is the sexiest iPhone Ive ever used it's really a new kind of Pro After a week with the iPhone 17, I'm convinced it's the best-value iPhone ever ====================================================================== Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/phones/ios/5-hidden-features-in-ios-26-including-ime ssage-polls-and-faster-reminders --- Mystic BBS v1.12 A49 (Linux/64) * Origin: tqwNet Technology News (1337:1/100) .