IS iOS 26 WORTH UPGRADING? REAL BUGS, REAL FRUSTRATIONS
Look, I'm not going to sugarcoat this: iOS 26 is Apple's messiest software launch in years, and your iPhone probably runs worse now than it did two months ago.
Released on September 15, 2025, iOS 26 promised a stunning "Liquid Glass" redesign and next-gen features. What we got instead was a buggy nightmare that made Reddit threads explode with complaints, turned Twitter into a meme factory, and left thousands of iPhone users wondering if they should've just stuck with iOS 18. Two months and two emergency updates later (iOS 26.0.1 and 26.1), some issues are fixed. Most aren't.
If you're debating whether to hit that update button, here's the unfiltered truth you won't get from Apple's marketing team.
The Camera Disaster Nobody Saw Coming
The biggest shock? iOS 26 straight-up ruined iPhone cameras.
Multiple users on Reddit ran side-by-side tests comparing iPhone 16 Pro photos on iOS 26 versus iOS 18. The results were damning: images on iOS 26 look blurry, soft, and lack detail—especially in facial features and skin tones that appear "smudged or unfocused". One user described it perfectly: "They resembled photos taken with my S20 Ultra instead of my 16 Pro".
Even worse, some users can't take photos at all. The camera app turns completely dark the moment it opens, making both front and back cameras unusable. Camera freezing, photos not saving, and the camera activating randomly in pockets round out this dumpster fire.
Apple's spent years marketing iPhone cameras as the best in smartphones. Then iOS 26 showed up and made ₹1,30,000 Pro Max cameras perform like budget Android phones from 2020.
Battery Drain That'll Make You Panic
Remember when your iPhone lasted a full day? Yeah, iOS 26 doesn't.
The initial release caused "severe battery drain and overheating issues" that hit Pro Max models especially hard. Users reported phones running noticeably warmer and battery percentages dropping rapidly with minimal use. Some saw battery health drop from 95% to 85% within days of updating.
iOS 26.1 (released November 3) finally addressed the worst battery problems through "deep system optimization". But here's the kicker: it took Apple nearly two months to fix what never should've shipped in the first place. And even now, users on iOS 26.0.1 complain it's "draining my battery rapidly".
The culprit? iOS 26 is a heavy update with aggressive animations and background indexing that older iPhones (without vapor cooling chambers) can't handle efficiently. Translation: Apple optimized for iPhone 17 and left everyone else to suffer.
UI Design That Feels Like a Knockoff
The "Liquid Glass" redesign looks pretty in Apple's promotional videos. In real life? It's a usability nightmare.
Reddit user BurgerKhaega summed it up: "Extreme invisibility of texts in Widgets. Photos app is greyed out in both Clear and Tinted Modes. Dark theme feels like [a] cheap Redmi device with a fake iOS theme installed". Battery widgets are "hard to see," charging indicators blend into backgrounds, and border radii inconsistencies make the interface feel unpolished.
Then there's the lag. "Lags in every transition" became a common refrain across forums. One user reported the UI stuttering is so bad it causes headaches and nausea: "The flickering, distortion, and shifting colors are overwhelming, almost like experiencing motion sickness".
iOS 26.1 fixed battery drain but "definitely failed to address the most visually jarring and widespread flaws" including "persistent UI stuttering and lag". So you've got better battery life on a phone that's still janky to use. Progress?
The Bugs That Keep on Giving
Beyond the headline issues, iOS 26 shipped with a laundry list of problems that make you wonder what Apple's QA team was doing:
- Wi-Fi and Bluetooth randomly disconnect on iPhone 17, Air, and Pro models
- Cellular network connection failures after updating
- Keyboard misalignment with right padding "nearly vanishing"
- Apps occupying more system space and feeling less responsive
- Third-party app crashes due to poor optimization
- Photos appearing with "recurring black squares"
- Unresponsive screens on iPhone 16 Pro
Some users joked that "every day there's a new bug" with iOS 26. They're not far off.
iOS 26 vs Android 15: Speed Wins
If you're considering jumping ship to Android, here's what matters: Android 15 is significantly faster.
iOS 26's animations look gorgeous with glass transparency effects, but Android 15's reduced animation duration makes menus and actions feel snappier. You can reduce animations on iOS 26, but it converts them to fade effects with similar duration—basically fake speed.
Android 15 also offers true customization (not just interactive widgets) and open ecosystem flexibility that iOS can't match. Apple's catching up, but "Android still leads" in personalization.
The trade-off? iOS still gets creative tools and camera apps first, plus stronger ecosystem integration if you own other Apple devices. But when your iOS camera quality tanks and battery drains in hours, those advantages feel hollow.
The Fixes (And What's Still Broken)
Apple scrambled to patch iOS 26 with two emergency updates:
iOS 26.0.1 (September 25): Addressed some Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and cellular issues but barely improved camera or battery problems.
iOS 26.1 (November 3): Finally fixed battery drain and overheating through system optimization. Also closed security vulnerabilities including Mail app privacy leaks and memory flaws that let apps access private data without consent.
What's still broken? Camera quality degradation, UI stuttering, text visibility issues, and app crashes. iOS 26.2 is in beta (as of November 18), but there's no timeline for when these core issues get resolved.
Should You Update?
Here's my brutally honest take:
Skip it if: You're on iPhone 11-14 with iOS 18. The performance hit, battery drain, and camera issues aren't worth Liquid Glass eye candy. Stay on iOS 18.6.2 until iOS 26.2 or later proves stable.
Update with caution if: You own iPhone 15 Pro or newer and want Apple Intelligence features (only available on iOS 26). But expect bugs, update to iOS 26.1 minimum, and be prepared to troubleshoot.
Definitely update if: You're experiencing security vulnerabilities on older iOS versions. iOS 26.1's privacy fixes are critical, especially in India where intrusive lending and third-party apps frequently overreach data permissions.
For everyone else: wait. Apple will eventually fix iOS 26's problems—they always do. But right now, you're beta testing software that should've stayed in development for another month.
The Bigger Picture
iOS 26 represents everything frustrating about modern Apple. The company that once "just worked" now ships half-baked software and fixes it in public while users suffer. Reddit threads shouldn't be flooded with complaints about basic functionality breaking. Amazon reviews shouldn't echo "persistent bugs and camera glitches." Yet here we are.
The irony? Apple charges premium prices—₹79,900 for iPhone 16 base model, ₹1,44,900 for iPhone 17 Pro Max—then delivers software updates that make those expensive devices perform worse. Imagine buying a luxury car and the manufacturer installing firmware that reduces acceleration and breaks the backup camera. That's iOS 26.
Android 15 launched with glitches too (gesture navigation bugs, screen artifacts), but Google pushed hotfixes quickly without the widespread performance degradation iPhone users experienced. When a free OS update outperforms your premium ecosystem, something's fundamentally wrong.
The Verdict
iOS 26 is Apple's boldest visual redesign in years—and its buggiest launch in recent memory. The Liquid Glass interface looks stunning until you can't read widget text. Interactive widgets add functionality until apps crash. Live translation impresses until your camera stops working.
Two months post-launch, iOS 26.1 finally fixed battery drain but left UI lag, camera quality, and usability issues unresolved. This isn't the polished Apple experience you're paying for.
Rating: 5/10 - Ambitious vision, broken execution. Check back in February 2026 when iOS 26.3 might actually be ready.
For Indian users, my advice: if your current iOS version works, don't fix what isn't broken. iOS 26 isn't worth the frustration until Apple finishes what should've been finished before September 15.