UPDATE YOUR CORE

How to give your older phone new software powers

- J.D. BIERSDORFER

The tech season typically brings a lot of hot new hardware, but what if you're not getting a brand-new phone anytime soon?

Your current device can probably still get an internal makeover, because Apple's new iOS 26 software update runs on an iPhone 11 or later. And while only the newest phone models can run all the artificial-intelligence bells and whistles, older devices can take advantage of the other features.

Likewise, this summer's Android 16 software update can run on the older Google Pixel 6 and many other phones released over the past few years from other manufacturers.

If you haven't updated your phone's operating system — or just haven't found your way around the new software yet — here's a quick overview.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

The visual design of iOS 26 is probably the first thing you'll notice, as the "Liquid Glass" interface brings a translucent look to icons, notifications and other screen elements. However, if you're having trouble reading alerts or finding controls with the new see-through backgrounds, you can quickly improve the legibility.

Go to Settings, select Accessibility and open Display & Text Size. Tap the button for "Reduce Transparency" to get solid notification backgrounds. Alternatively, selecting "Increase Contrast" makes text in transparent boxes somewhat easier to read.