Apple hasn’t forgotten the humble phone call in iOS 26. The Phone app is being redesigned with an optional Unified Calls tab that combines favorites, recents and voicemail into a single view. More importantly, the update adds smart tools that take the pain out of answering unknown numbers.
Call screening
Unknown callers will be greeted by an AI assistant that asks who is calling and why. You can listen to the response and decide whether to answer. This feature should reduce spam calls and make it easier to screen important calls.
Hold Assist
Being put on hold is frustrating. Hold Assist waits on the line for you and alerts you when a human picks up. That means you can set your phone down while dealing with customer support.
A smarter phone app
- AI voicemail summaries so you can glance at messages rather than listening to them.
- Live Translation during calls when participants speak different languages.
- Unified Calls tab for quick access to all call-related lists.
Together, these enhancements make the basic act of calling more efficient and less intrusive.