Today, Apple released iOS 26, its latest operating system for iPhones. This year, Apple changed up their version numbers, allowing them to standardize the version across all their products. That means that every Apple device is receiving a “26” update, including the Apple Watch, Macs, iPad, etc.
This update includes a major redesign, only the second major redesign in iPhone history. Its major selling point is the new “Liquid Glass” effect, which is carried throughout the OS in UI elements that bring the content front and center. Although arguably, the buttons themselves and the content within them are more challenging to read.
While there are a lot of new features, such as updates to the UI, the camera app, Photos, and much more, here we’ll be focusing on how these changes impact the Tesla app.
App Icons & Widgets
The new glass effect on iOS 26 also affects app icons and widgets. In addition to the standard app icons that the developer has created, you’ll now be able to choose new Clear and Dark Clear icons. They’re sleek and modern, but do come at the cost of easily locating the app you’re looking for.
Apple has also reworked its app icon tinting feature. The whole app icon now changes your selected color and has a user-selectable level of transparency, making it a lot more attractive than the previous iteration. In the photo above, you can see the clear icons on the left and a blue-tinted version on the right.
Control Center
The Control Center also gets the glass effect, which affects any Tesla functions you’ve added. In last year’s update, Tesla added the ability to add your own functions to Control Center, such as Lock or Unlock your vehicle, or precondition the cabin.
Lock Screen
The lock screen includes a couple of new features, notably a new font for the clock that could be stretched vertically. It’ll automatically resize depending on the content being shown. It’ll shrink down if you start a Live Activity, such as beginning a Tesla Supercharger session.
You’ll also be able to add a depth 3D effect to any photo, such as the one of the Model X above. Whenever you tilt your phone, the object and background will have a subtle 3D effect.
In addition, you can also choose to have the time partially hide behind the object, creating a more interesting look.
In last year’s update, Apple added the ability to place different buttons on the lock screen, replacing the flashlight and camera buttons with almost anything you’d like. Tesla offers several buttons that can be placed here or in Control Center, such as pre-conditioning the cabin.
Improvements to Web Apps
Apple has improved web apps, allowing you to treat a website like an app. You can add a site like ours to your home screen for easy access. Open our site in Safari, then tap the more button on the bottom right and choose Share. On the modal that pops up, scroll down and tap ‘Add to Home Screen.’
Battery Usage
iOS 26 also features a redesigned battery usage section, which lets you pick a specific app, like the Tesla app, and see specifically how much energy that app has used over the past week. To see this on your phone with iOS 26, navigate to Settings > Battery > View All Battery Usage and then scroll down and tap a specific app.
Multi-Windows
The iPad is also seeing its most significant update ever. Apple has added a true windowing system to the iPad with iPadOS 26. This means that you can now not only view multiple windows at once on a screen, but you can also resize and tile them however you’d like, much like on a Mac or Windows.
There’s no limit on which apps you can run, and they don’t need to be updated to support the feature.
Live Activities on Mac
Similar to how Apple added support for getting iPhone notifications on your Mac last year, you can now view your phone’s Live Activities on your Mac as well if you’re running iOS 26 and macOS 26.
Tesla currently uses Live Activities for Supercharger in the Tesla app and for trip information for its Robotaxi app, which recently became available in the App Store.
This update to Apple devices is the biggest in years, and while it doesn’t add a lot of new functionality to the Tesla app like last year’s version, it does add a bit more customization and a whole new look.
