iOS 26 rollout offers iPhone users two complimentary applications at no cost
Apple has announced the release of iOS 26, a significant update for iPhones and iPads that brings two new apps to the forefront: the Games app and Preview app. These new additions aim to streamline gaming experiences and document handling on iOS devices.
The Games App: A Centralized Gaming Hub
The Games app serves as a one-stop destination for all gaming activities on iPhone, iPad, and Mac. It organizes all your installed games in a Library, showcases Apple Arcade titles, and offers personalized game recommendations based on your gaming habits.
Key features of the Games app include:
- Game Mode: Access Game Center settings and social features without leaving your game.
- Play Together: Invite friends to multiplayer challenges and track scores in real time.
- Home tab: Quick access to favorite games, highlights, live events, and personalized suggestions.
- Arcade tab: Dedicated to Apple Arcade games.
- Social tools: Manage friend requests, view achievements, and challenge wins.
Developers can create multiplayer challenges and activities visible in the app for better game discovery. However, it's important to note that the Games app only supports gameplay and social features among Apple device users, not cross-platform with Android.
The Preview App: Bringing macOS Features to iOS
The Preview app, previously exclusive to macOS, is now available on iOS. This app allows you to create, view, and annotate PDFs, as well as edit images through simple adjustments like cropping, flipping, rotating, resizing, and more.
With the Preview app, you can conveniently handle PDFs and images natively on iPhone and iPad without the need for third-party apps. The Preview app will open PDFs and images by default within the Files app on iOS 26.
A Step Towards Easier iPhone and iPad Life
The Games and Preview apps are expected to make iPhone and iPad life easier by providing centralized, easy-to-access experiences for gaming and document handling. Apple is expected to release iOS 26 alongside the new iPhone 17 in early September.
The Preview app on iOS 26 works for files saved in iCloud, but it's unclear if it applies to files stored locally on the device.
The Games app has four tabs: Arcade, Play Together, and Library. The Arcade tab is a space that displays gaming content similar to the App Store's Arcade tab. The Play Together tab shows challenges, multiplayer options, and data about friends from the Game Center. The Library tab makes all installed games available and collates achievements.
In summary, the new iOS 26 update brings the Games and Preview apps to enhance gaming and document handling by creating centralized, easy-to-access experiences on iOS devices.
The Games app introduced in iOS 26 operates as a unified platform for all gaming activities, encompassing various functions such as Game Mode, Play Together, and a Library, offering personalized recommendations. Meanwhile, the Preview app, previously confined to macOS, is now compatible with iOS devices, empowering users to manage PDFs and images effortlessly on their iPhones and iPads.
