{"id":57598,"date":"2025-08-19T00:23:05","date_gmt":"2025-08-18T22:23:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.apfelpatient.de\/?p=57598"},"modified":"2025-08-19T00:23:13","modified_gmt":"2025-08-18T22:23:13","slug":"ios-26-previews-apples-frameless-iphone-generation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.apfelpatient.de\/en\/news\/ios-26-gibt-ausblick-auf-apples-rahmenlose-iphone-generation","title":{"rendered":"iOS 26 previews Apple's frameless iPhone generation"},"content":{"rendered":"

With iOS 26, the iPhone not only gets a new operating system, but possibly also the first clear glimpse of the next major design revolution. The update brings a redesign with Liquid Glass, which at first glance appears to be merely a visual update. But a closer look reveals that Apple is already thinking about future hardware. Hints from the developer community suggest that it could be an iPhone with a bezel-less display and an all-glass design.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the past, Apple has often hinted at where its hardware is headed in its software. A good example is the safe zones introduced with iOS 11. At the time, it wasn't clear why they were necessary\u2014until the iPhone X appeared with its notch and home indicator. It's a similar story now with iOS 26: App designers like Craig Hockenberry recognize patterns in the new design framework that point to future devices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Liquid Glass means in iOS 26<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The most striking new feature in iOS 26 is Liquid Glass. For most users, it presents a modern, elegant look. However, developers see clear limitations here, and these limitations are not accidental. Hockenberry, one of the first iPhone app designers, described in a blog post that apps under iOS 26 must be designed so that no controls or containers directly touch the edge of the display. This principle is very reminiscent of the change in iOS 11, which only made sense with the new hardware.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hints of a bezel-less iPhone<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Hockenberry describes<\/a> how Apple is placing a lot of emphasis on "concentricity" in iOS 26. While this approach may seem controversial, it demonstrates Apple's desire to retain full control over UI elements that come into contact with the physical hardware. He speculates that iOS 26 will pave the way for an iPhone with a screen that blends seamlessly into its physical edge. Flexible OLED panels could play a key role in this. They allow the line between pixels and bezels to be blurred. The new safety zones on the device's vertical edges suggest Apple is working on a "wraparound" display\u2014similar to the iPhone X, only now on all sides.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Patterns in Apple strategies<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

This approach fits with Apple's previous strategy. The company repeatedly introduces design frameworks or developer guidelines whose purpose only becomes apparent years later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n