Apple Unveils iOS 26 and Much More at WWDC 2025

Featuring a Unified Liquid Glass Design and Apple Intelligence Enhancements

At WWDC 2025 yesterday, Apple introduced sweeping updates across its entire ecosystem, unveiling new versions of iPhone, Mac, iPad, Apple Watch, Apple TV, and Vision Pro software. A major theme this year is Apple Intelligence, which continues to evolve and integrate more deeply into the user experience.

A Unified Look and Naming Convention
Apple is rolling out a new Liquid Glass interface across all platforms, characterized by translucent menus, glossy icons, rounded controls, and streamlined navigation. This design aims to create a seamless visual and functional experience across devices.

In a shift from traditional version numbers, Apple is adopting a year-based naming system. This fall, users can expect:

• iOS 26
• macOS 26 (Tahoe)
• iPadOS 26
• watchOS 26
• tvOS 26
• visionOS 26

Platform Highlights
iOS 26

• Enhanced call screening in the Phone app
• New group chat tools in Messages, including Polls
• A cleaner Camera app interface
• Apple Intelligence boosts to Visual Intelligence and more

watchOS 26

• New Workout Buddy app with goal tracking and voice encouragement
• Updates to Workouts and Smart Stacks
• Wrist Flick gesture to dismiss notifications

tvOS 26

• Refreshed interface with Liquid Glass design
• Personalized profiles for faster access to content
• Apple Music Sing now supports iPhone as a microphone

macOS 26 (Tahoe)

• Smarter file search and organization
• AI-powered enhancements to the Shortcuts app
• Context-aware Spotlight search

iPadOS 26

• Advanced multitasking with a new windowing system
• Audio and video upgrades for content creators, especially podcasters

visionOS 26

• Introduction of widgets for Vision Pro
• Shared spatial experiences for co-watching and gaming

Apple Intelligence: Smarter Than Ever
Apple is also expanding its Apple Intelligence capabilities. A standout feature is real-time translation, which will be available during phone calls, FaceTime, and text conversations—making communication across languages more seamless than ever.

The most impressive announcement in my opinion is Liquid Glass
Apple’s new Liquid Glass design represents the most significant visual overhaul to its software since iOS 7. Here’s a deeper look:

What Is Liquid Glass?
Liquid Glass is a new design material and visual language that Apple has applied across all its platforms — iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, tvOS, and visionOS. It’s inspired by the depth and dimensionality of visionOS and is crafted to feel both futuristic and familiar.

Key Features of Liquid Glass

• Translucency & Reflectivity: The interface mimics real glass, with translucent layers that reflect and refract surrounding content. This creates a sense of depth and immersion, especially when navigating between apps or system elements
• Dynamic Adaptation: The design responds in real time to your environment and content. For example, it adjusts between light and dark modes and even changes color tones based on the content behind it.
• Fluid Motion & Interaction: Elements like buttons, sliders, and menus now have a more fluid, responsive feel. Alerts emerge from where you tap, and context menus expand smoothly into scrollable lists.
• Unified Across Devices: Whether you’re on an iPhone, Mac, or Vision Pro headset, the design language remains consistent. This helps create a seamless experience as you move between devices
• Enhanced Icons & Controls: App icons and UI elements are now layered with a glossy, glass-like finish. They come in light, dark, and a new clear mode, offering a more vibrant and tactile appearance

Why This Matters?
This isn’t just a cosmetic update. Liquid Glass is designed to:

• Improve focus by subtly guiding your attention to content
• Enhance usability with clearer navigation and controls
• Lay the groundwork for spatial computing and future AR/VR experiences

Keynote replay (keep in mind it’s about 90 minutes long)
Want to watch the WWDC 2025 keynote for yourself? You can view the replay on Apple’s YouTube channel.

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I asked Copilot (a Microsoft product) to show us how the new Liquid Glass product might look. The details follow.

Copilot’s Imagined Apple Glass #1

Copilot’s Imagined Apple Glass #2

Copilot’s Imagined Apple Glass #3