After plenty of announcements, the WWDC25 has arrived and despite all the talks about new products and technologies that Apple was hinting to, it seems like the product that has stolen the show is the new iOS 26. While a software update and upgrade might not seem like the most exciting product, this one is a bit different, and, for starters, is changing the image of the company, which has not changed in nearly ten years. It also has a new feature that anyone concerned with privacy and digital security, let alone with mental peace will appreciate, and that is a new and improved spam call filtering system.
Before talking about this new feature, let us take a look at the new software design. Called Liquid Glass, it is a new look and feel that will hopefully please users, mostly because that is the direction that the company has chosen to go on and it is too late to change it.
As the company describes “This translucent material reflects and refracts its surroundings, while dynamically transforming to help bring greater focus to content, delivering a new level of vitality across controls, navigation, app icons, widgets, and more. For the very first time, the new design extends across platforms — iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS Tahoe 26, watchOS 26, and tvOS 261 — to establish even more harmony while maintaining the distinct qualities that make each unique.”
But as great as this new feature seems, this is not the practical approach to technology that users are appreciating nowadays, while the new spam call filter is.
Apple’s new feature that customers cannot wait to use
It is not an exciting new feature that can do something revolutionary, except that it is exciting and revolutionary for those that have been dealing with an increase of spam calls. While a few years ago it seemed like the problem was dwindling down thanks to data protection laws, companies have smartened up and are now back to their old tricks and calling users and consumers without permission, respite or concern for the legality of the calls.
The new iOS 26 is reworking the call interface by combining missed calls, favorites, and voicemails into one spot, but the important and more useful upgrade happens when an unknown number pops up on your screen. There is a new ‘Call Screening’ feature that steps in, and while Apple has not revealed how they have managed to construct this feature, it seems similar to that of Google’s Pixel phones.
When someone calls from a number you do not recognize, your iPhone can now gather some extra info and display it on your screen to help you decide if it is worth answering or not. Instead of just a number with no name or context, you will see more background, which means fewer mystery calls and hopefully fewer interruptions. While “Call Screening” will not stop spam completely this new tool is Apple’s way of helping you dodge as many calls as possible before you even have to pick up.
Another new and appreciated call-related update is the ‘Hold Assist’ feature. This one is for when you need to make calls to automated services and contact a representative. If you have ever sat through minutes, or hours, of hold music waiting for a human to finally pick up, this one might be for you. Your iPhone will now detect when you have been put on hold and will take care of it for you. You can go off and do other things while the phone stays on the line, and once a real person comes on, your phone will give you a heads-up so you can jump back in.