“Lifesaver” or risk?

The iOS 26.1 update helps iPhone 13 operate more stably with cool temperatures and without common blue screen errors

Apple has officially released the iOS 26.1 update for supported devices, including the familiar iPhone 13. I know that the current iPhone 13 user community is quite cautious every time there is a new update announcement because of concerns about the screen. Therefore, I have directly installed and experienced this version to send you the most honest reviews to see whether it should “upgrade” or not.

To experience the smoothest iOS 26.1 features, you can consider:

Update process and device temperature

This update has quite a heavy capacity, ranging from about 1GB to more than 10GB depending on the current operating system version you are using. One surprising and commendable thing is that during the download and installation process, my iPhone 13 did not experience overheating. The device only warms up slightly, much cooler than when I updated it on newer models like iPhone 15, 16 or 17.

Regarding smoothness right after restarting, the device does not have any serious lag. However, because the hardware is old, when unlocking the screen, you will feel a very slight delay compared to newer devices, but overall all swipe and touch tasks still ensure the necessary smoothness.

Has the blue screen phobia been resolved?

This is definitely the biggest question of iPhone 13 and 14 users. After completing the update, I thoroughly tested the screen in many different brightnesses and environments. The results were very positive as my computer was completely normal, no blue screen errors, blue stripes or purple stripes appeared. The camera also operates stably, switching between lenses smoothly without freezing.

However, I still advise you to be careful. According to experience, you absolutely should not click update when the device is hot or while charging and updating to minimize hardware risks arising from high temperatures.

New display interface with Liquid Glass

Digging into the new features, the most noticeable changes are in the Display & Brightness Settings section. Apple introduced the Liquid Glass interface with two display options: Clear and Tinted. When you choose Tinted mode, notifications and toolbars will have a darker background, making content stand out and easier to read, while Clear mode gives a clean, modern feel.

In addition, the default wallpaper has also been better synchronized with the iOS 26 interface, even when you use the screen zoom feature (Display Zoom), everything looks very seamless and unified.

Small tweaks enhance the experience

This update brings a series of small but extremely useful changes for daily operations. Most valuable is the option to turn off the swipe-to-open Camera feature on the lock screen. Previously, many of you were annoyed because leaving your phone in your pocket accidentally forced the camera to open, causing heat and battery drain. Now you can go to Camera Settings and completely turn off the “Swipe to open Camera” feature.

The entertainment experience has also been upgraded. On the Photos app, the control bar when watching videos has been redesigned, larger and easier to drag than the previous tiny slider. With Apple Music, now you just need to swipe left or right directly on the music player to skip tracks, much more convenient than having to precisely press the arrow button.

Another interesting change is in the Alarm and Phone apps. The Stop alarm button now requires you to slide to stop to turn it off completely, avoiding accidentally turning it off while you are sleepy. Meanwhile, the Phone application has added vibration feedback (Haptic) when the other party picks up or ends the call, a small feature but brings a very “pleasant” feeling of use.

Performance, Battery and Security

In terms of performance, I scored via Geekbench and found that the score did not have much difference, even the GPU score was slightly better than the old version. This shows that iOS 26.1 is quite well optimized for older hardware.

The maximum battery capacity of my device remains at 86% after the update, without virtual battery drain. Internal memory has slightly decreased by about 2GB but this is a normal mechanism of the system after installing new files.

Regarding security, Apple has added an “Improve background security” option in the Privacy section. This feature allows your device to automatically install important security patches without waiting for major iOS updates, keeping your iPhone safe from new threats.

Final advice

In summary, iOS 26.1 on iPhone 13 is a quite safe update and brings a lot of practical use value. If you are experiencing minor errors, overheating in the current version or want to experience convenient features such as turning off the lock screen camera swipe, new music interface, you should absolutely consider upgrading. However, if you are extremely careful and worried about even the smallest hardware risk, waiting a few more days to see feedback from the community is not a bad choice.