iOS 26 Includes These Five Smaller Features You Might Have Missed

Max Headroom 2025.06.21 2 min read

While the dust is beginning to settle on the first iOS 26 beta, we continue to take a closer look at new features coming with the update.

Below, we recap five smaller changes that you might have missed.

Emoji Game

Apple News+ subscribers in the U.S. and Canada can play a new Emoji Game, which tasks players with completing words and phrases with emoji.

This is the fifth game that is available with an Apple News+ subscription. The others are Crossword, Crossword Mini, Quartiles, and Sudoku.

Weather via Satellite

iOS 26 will offer Weather via satellite, allowing you to view up-to-date weather forecast information while outside of Wi-Fi or cellular range.

This feature is referenced within the code for the first iOS 26 beta, according to MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris, but it is not live yet.

Look for this feature to be enabled in a later iOS 26 beta version.

Custom Ringtones

iOS 26 allows you to set custom ringtones on the iPhone without using the GarageBand app.

To set a custom ringtone on iOS 26, open the Files app and tap on an MP3 or M4A audio file that is less than 30 seconds long. Next, tap on the share button in the bottom-right corner of the screen, tap on More, and tap on Use as Ringtone. Then, that audio file will be listed as a ringtone option in the Settings app under Sounds & Haptics → Ringtone.

Apple continues to sell 30-second song ringtones for $1.29 each through the iTunes Store app.

Digital Passport

iOS 26 lets you create a digital version of your U.S. passport on your iPhone.

After creating a Digital ID the Apple Wallet app, based on your U.S. passport, you can present it in person at select TSA checkpoints for identity verification purposes during domestic travel. However, Apple says it is not a replacement for a physical passport, and it cannot be used for international travel and border crossing purposes.

Apple says the Digital ID feature is secure, private, and compliant with REAL ID.

The passport-based Digital ID can also be used for age and identity verification in apps, online, and in stores, according to Apple.