iOS 26 brings visual intelligence to screenshots, solving the common issue of plain text URLs that are hard to tap or copy. Have you ever come across a URL online that you wanted to open, but it was just plain text with no clickable link?
This issue is especially prevalent on platforms like Instagram, where links in captions or replies are often in plain text. Users typically encounter two scenarios:
- “Link in profile”
- A plain text URL that’s inconvenient to use
While the second scenario has become less frequent in recent years, it still occurs regularly. Fortunately, Apple’s iOS 26 introduces a simple, effective solution to this problem.
When you take a screenshot on an iPhone with iOS 26, the phone’s visual intelligence AI detects the URL within the screenshot. At the bottom of the screen, it automatically generates a hyperlinked version of the URL that you can tap and open directly.
This AI feature works on AI-compatible iPhones like the iPhone 17, iPhone 16, or iPhone 15 Pro. If you take a screenshot, it will by default take you to a fullscreen UI where the clickable link is displayed. However, if you’ve opted to use the older iOS 18-style screenshot thumbnail (which appears in the bottom-left corner), you’ll need to tap that thumbnail to view the full-screen interface and access the hyperlink.
Did you know about this screenshot feature in iOS 26? How has it been working for you? Let us know in the comments!
