iOS 26 brings visual intelligence to screenshots and enables several new features. But there’s one that I just recently discovered that solves the common problem of plain text URLs that can’t be opened easily by clicking.
iOS 26 can use screenshots to turn plain text URLs into clickable links
Have you ever come across a URL online that you wanted to open but it’s in plain text and can’t be easily copied/pasted?
This usually happens to me when browsing Instagram. Since the social network doesn’t allow hyperlinks in captions or replies, you’ll usually see one of two things:
- “Profile Link”
- or a plain text URL that is inconvenient to use
The latter has become less common in recent years, but I still see it regularly.
And in iOS 26, Apple added a very convenient solution.
Take a screenshot and thanks to Apple’s new AI visual intelligence feature, your iPhone will give you a hyperlinked version of the URL that you can open with a single tap.
iOS 26 uses AI to detect a URL in a screenshot and then offers a tappable link at the bottom of the screen for your convenience.
To use this feature, you need an AI-compatible iPhone, such as iPhone 17, iPhone 16, or iPhone 15 Pro.
By default, screenshots in iOS 26 will take you directly to the full-screen UI, where you’ll see this link at the bottom.
However, if you’ve decided to go back to the behavior of iOS 18 screenshots that only appear as a small thumbnail in the lower left corner, you’ll need to tap that thumbnail first to load the full-screen view.
Did you know this screenshot feature existed in iOS 26? How did it work for you? Let us know in the comments.
The best accessories for iPhone
FTC: We use automatic income earning affiliate links. More.