Hate the New Phone App on iOS 26 for iPhone? Get the Old Phone Layout Back Again
While the most significant visual change in iOS 26 is the Liquid Glass interface, you’ll also find some pretty notable design overhauls of commonly used iPhone apps. The Phone app is one such example, with the new Phone app design in iOS 26 being wildly different from the prior versions, featuring a new cluttered design that tries to stuff everything relating to the Phone app into a single page that requires scrolling just to look at your call log, the voicemail section has been relegated to a submenu that many users don’t see, and missed calls are also stuffed somewhere many iPhone users are having trouble finding, and tapping on a caller or name now opens the contact card instead of just calling the person directly like it used to.
If you’re unhappy with the new Phone app design in iOS 26, you can restore the old classic Phone layout onto iPhone with iOS 26 again. With the classic layout returned, you will no longer have the cluttered unified Phone interface, and you’ll instead have easy access to your familiar tabs for Favorites, Recents, Contacts, Keypad, and Voicemail again.
How to Restore Old Phone App Layout on iPhone with iOS 26
If you prefer the classic Phone app design with easily accessed tabs for favorites, recents, contacts, keypad, and voicemail, and the super easy to use interface that had existed on Phone app since the first iPhone, here’s how you can restore that look:
- Open the Phone app on iPhone
- Look in the top right corner for the three lines atop each other, and tap on that
- Tap on “Classic” to return to the familiar Phone app layout design on iPhone
The change is immediate and you’ll instantly see your familiar Phone app interface again.
Many iPhone users prefer the Classic layout and original Phone app design, because it made it so easy to see calls, contacts, voicemails, and other obvious information.
The new Unified layout has led a fair number of iPhone users to think the Phone app is broken in various ways, or their voicemail is no longer accessible, or that voicemail is missing or gone in iOS 26, or they can’t find how to access or use voicemail, amongst many other complaints about the new look.
You can switch the Phone app back to the new Unified design at any time if you want to, just by returning to the triple line menu in Phone app and choosing “Unified”.
What do you think of the new Phone app design for iPhone with iOS 26? Do you like it or dislike it? Do you prefer the old classic layout? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Honestly, I just want to go back to IOS 18. I sold off my Macbook Air and iPad Air because I embraced OS 26 way to optimistically. I disliked it so much I decided that being in a Apple ecosystem was not for me anymore. I was already considering going back to Windows but OS 26 made me switch. I plan to move to Android when I need a new Smartphone as well. Being someone in my 60’s with vision issues, the choices Apple made in OS 26 gave me little choice but to find a better platform.
Seems to me to be change for changes’ sake. I subscribe to the notion of ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ and I personally would have been happier with fine-tuning of the Classic look, rather than a radical changes. But what do I know? I’m just a graphic designer.
That is my attitude with tech as well, so I can understand your perspective completely. If something is working, why change it for the sake of change?
Thank you for pointing out the ability to change to classic view. I truly disliked the unified. I am not happy with my iPad OS and I might change my Mac back to its previous version.
New design is TERRIBLE. Because of it, I will not buy a new phone.
My phone app didn’t change but I noticed today in my RAV4 the apple car play no longer gives me the button to end a call. Is there a fix for this?
I changed back to the old layout as fast as possible. My wife is also much happier now too!
Yes, the new Phone app design is in my eyes an even bigger disaster than the redesign of the Pictures app 2 (?) years ago. It is really, really bad and it makes you wonder how certain design decisions are made. Thanks for the tip on how to get the “old” design back – a design that actually works and has everything you need. Ever tried to block an unwanted number in the new design? Good luck with finding out how to do that.
Thanks again – really helpful!
I switched back to the classic lay-out. Much clearer and faster. I totally don’t like iOS 26. For iPhone 15 users in a country that didn’t get all the Apple Intelligence features yet, iOS 26 really doesnt bring anything new. Don’t like Liquid Glass en Safari is full of bugs. :-/
Disappointed to see the classic option isn’t available on the iPad version of phone app. The new layout is indeed confusing