Apple said it's bringing Visual Intelligence, its AI-powered image analysis tech, to the iPhone screen in iOS 26.

Not only did Apple delay its AI toolset until after the launch of the supposedly AI-packed iPhone 16 line in September, but the Apple Intelligence features that have since arrived on the best iPhones are, by and large, novelties rather than needle-movers.

A new Visual Intelligence feature in Apple's iOS 26 seems a lot like Circle to Search. However, Apple's looks awful in comparison.

Apple announced new artificial intelligence features at the Worldwide Developers Conference keynote June 9. The company launched testing versions of live translation, visual search and a workout assistant. Apple Intelligence will also be a part of the Reminder, Messages and Apple Wallet apps.

With iOS 26, Apple has introduced some major changes to the iPhone experience, headlined by the new Liquid Glass redesign that's available

The biggest new feature is Liquid Glass, Apple's new cohesive design language across all of its devices, with a transparent, lens-like aesthetic. Live Translation is integrated in

Beta testing then gets underway, before a full release later in the year—typically September for iOS to coincide with the launch of the new iPhones. Then the next year, the same timetable repeats. At WWDC 2025,

OS 26 introduces a revolutionary "Liquid Glass" design, enhancing customization and giving key apps like Safari, Camera, and Photos a fresh look. The update is available for iPhone from iPhone 11 to iPhone 16,