Hold on, Apple's just changed its always-on display for iPhone and you might not like it

iPhone users will already have a lot of new goodies to look forward to. With the introduction of iOS 26, new features are starting to roll out across devices.

Just last week, we reported on a pair of new apps destined for the devices. That included a dedicated app for gaming, as well as the introduction of the Preview app from the MacBook range.

Now, it looks like another change has been made – and this one is more likely to split opinions. The brand has changed the way its always-on display works, which could render your old settings a bit more useless.

By default, the new iOS 26 version will blue your background. That might be a good thing for you – it makes it easier to read the clock and see the widgets displayed on the home screen. But if you've deliberately set a photo to be your lock screen because you like the look of it, you're out of luck.

Fortunately, there's a solution – and it's actually remarkably simple. In the settings menu for the always-on display, there's a toggle switch to turn the blue on or off. So, really, there's not too much of a difference.

Still, it's a neat update for users, who can now enjoy more choice and freedom over how their device looks. I can see the appeal of a blurred background if you want a perfect look at your carefully curated set of widgets, but it feels like a waste of a good image to just blur it out, too.

If you haven't spotted it on your device already, that's because the iOS 26 software isn't yet publicly available. Users can already enjoy the features if they're signed up to beta testing, though, which is how we're already seeing them.

If you're keen to hang on for the public release, that's expected to be available this autumn, around the same time as the launch of the iPhone 17 family.