By now, most iPhone users have likely upgraded to iOS 26, and it’s a major update. Along with a sleek new design called Liquid Glass, the update brings a range of fresh and enhanced features — from an improved battery-saving mode to a mobile version of the Mac’s Preview app.

Figure 1. Using Visual Intelligence on iPhone with iOS 26.

Another standout addition in iOS 26 is the expanded Visual Intelligence tool, a core part of Apple Intelligence. This AI-powered feature can analyze whatever’s on your screen or in your camera view — helping you identify objects, extract information like dates and times from images or flyers, and instantly take action, such as adding events directly to your calendar. Figure 1 shows Using Visual Intelligence on iPhone with iOS 26.

Since Visual Intelligence is part of Apple Intelligence, you’ll need a compatible device to use it. That includes the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, as well as any iPhone 16 or iPhone 17 model, and the iPhone Air. Once you’ve confirmed your device supports Apple Intelligence and you’ve installed iOS 26, you’re ready to explore what Visual Intelligence can do.

Get Information from Screenshots

If you can take a screenshot, you can use Visual Intelligence to learn more about what’s on it. Simply press the Volume Up and Side buttons together to capture your screen. Once the screenshot appears, you’ll see your Visual Intelligence options along the bottom — these may vary depending on what’s displayed.

In the lower-left corner, you’ll find an Ask button. Tap it to ask ChatGPT questions about whatever’s visible in the image — whether it’s identifying a building in a photo, explaining a settings screen, or providing contextual information about what you captured. It works just like uploading a photo directly to the ChatGPT app, giving you quick, AI-powered insights right from your screenshots.

On the lower right corner, you’ll find the Search button. Tapping it opens a panel that displays visually similar images found by Google. If you want to narrow things down, you can scribble with your finger on a specific part of the screenshot — Google will then search for matches related only to that highlighted area.

This feature is especially handy when you want to track down a product you’ve seen online, identify an unfamiliar object, or even find more information about a person or place featured in your image.

If Visual Intelligence detects a time and date in your screenshot — say, on a poster for an upcoming concert — you’ll see an Add to Calendar button appear at the bottom of the screen. Tapping it lets you instantly create a calendar event, with the time, date, and location automatically filled in. You can also adjust any of the details before saving.

Depending on what’s in your screenshot, you might also see additional options like Summarize, which condenses long blocks of text into a quick overview, or Look Up, which helps you identify recognizable items such as company logos, landmarks, or animals.

Sometimes, Visual Intelligence will automatically recognize what’s in your screenshot — for example, identifying a plant species — and you can simply tap the label that appears to get more details.

Depending on the content, you may also see extra options like Read Aloud, which lets your iPhone speak the text in the image, or direct links to websites mentioned in the screenshot for quick access.

When you’re finished using Visual Intelligence, tap the checkmark (✓) in the top-right corner to save the screenshot to your photo gallery, or the cross (✕) in the top-left to discard it.

If you prefer not to see the full-screen preview every time you take a screenshot, you can turn it off by going to Settings → General → Screen Capture → Full-Screen Previews. Disabling it restores the old thumbnail-style preview, and you can still tap that thumbnail later to open the image with Visual Intelligence.

Source:POPULAR SCIENCE

Cite this article:

Priyadharshini S (2025), How to Use Visual Intelligence on iPhone Running iOS 26, AnaTechMaz, pp. 319