The WWDC 2025 keynote gave Apple system homeowners a peek into what they’ll count on their iPhones, iPads and Macs to appear like later this yr. The corporate centered on design and productiveness upgrades to all of its main working programs this time round, and naturally, some new AI options as effectively. When the newest OSes develop into obtainable to the general public this fall, interfaces will look noticeably completely different, with a refreshed design language, up to date widgets, a couple of overhauled apps and extra. This is every part Apple introduced at WWDC 2025 this yr.
Liquid Glass design and new software program names
As was anticipated, Apple revealed a brand new visible design language coming to all of its working programs dubbed Liquid Glass. It known as this new system its “broadest” design replace but, and it options semi-translucent options like redesigned widgets, notifications and extra. Apple is billing it as extra dynamic than the earlier design language, and a technique to deliver much more consistency throughout all working programs together with iOS, iPadOS and macOS.
Along with the redesign, Apple is revamping the names of all of its working programs. As an alternative of iOS 19, for instance, we’ll have iOS 26 popping out this fall. iPadOS 26, watchOS 26 and others will observe swimsuit, marking the primary time Apple has given its software program updates yr identifiers as a substitute of arbitrary technology numbers.
iOS 26
The modifications coming to iOS 26 are refined, however they offer it a clear feel and look, with numerous overlapping components, rounded corners and extra. Apple stated the design is impressed by visionOS, the working system that powers Imaginative and prescient Professional headsets. App icons have a barely completely different look, whereas toolbars and textual content inputs have see-through appearances. Of us will likely be blissful to know that issues are largely the identical — you should not have a difficulty figuring out key apps just like the Telephone, Messages or FaceTime.
Telephone app
Talking of the Telephone app, it is getting the largest redesign since its launch with the unique iPhone all these years in the past. It places scrolling entrance and heart, permitting you to scroll by means of key contacts, current calls and voicemail messages all on one display. A translucent bar on the backside of the display offers you fast entry to extra contacts and the keypad. Maintain Help, a brand new function, will mute maintain music however hold you on a name till somebody picks up on the opposite line.
Messages
Messages is getting a couple of new options as effectively, together with the power to vary all the message background colour for group messages and polls amongst group chat members. New screening options contains “unknown senders,” which sequesters these pesky spam messages to a separate house in Messages, so you may hold your most necessary conversations within the forefront and ignore people who do not matter.
Apple Intelligence features are unfold all through the entire software program updates, and in Messages, there are some associated to Genmoji. In iOS 26, you’ll mix two present emoji to create a wholly new, customized Genmoji, and you’ll even use ChatGPT to create Genmoji as effectively.
Live translate is coming to Messages, too, robotically translating messages as you kind and delivering them to the receiver of their most well-liked language. Equally functioning reside captions will likely be obtainable in FaceTime, and Apple Music will get reside translation and reside pronunciation options to assist listeners take pleasure in music in different languages. The Name Translation API will likely be obtainable to third-party builders to make use of of their communication apps as effectively.
Maps and Pockets
Apple Maps will achieve the power to study your routine and counsel different routes primarily based on visitors. It should additionally log your “visited locations”: cities, landmarks and enterprise that you have been to, making it simpler so that you can discover locations you need to revisit once more.
Individually, the Pockets app will help Digital ID, which helps you to create a digital ID that is completely different out of your driver’s license and passport and can be utilized to confirm your id in some areas. You may additionally be capable to add up to date boarding passes to Pockets while you’re flying.
Video games app
iOS 26 will function a devoted Games app as effectively. It should function a Library tab, the place you could find the entire video games you’ve got ever downloaded for iOS, and a devoted Apple Arcade tab for the entire titles included in that service. Challenges is a brand new function will allow you to compete towards mates in supported video games, together with supported single-player video games that builders.
Visible Intelligence
Visible Intelligence is getting baked into iOS 26’s interface a bit extra, permitting you to visually seek for something that pops up in your iPhone display. For instance, if there’s a picture of a jacket you want in your social media feed, you may take a screenshot and use the brand new Visible Intelligence picture search function to seek for related jackets throughout the net and different apps. You may spotlight sure areas of your screenshot to refine the search additional.
watchOS 26
Along with the Liquid-Glass visible overhaul, watchOS 26 will deliver Exercise Buddy to your wrist. The brand new function will analyze your health historical past and determine insights in actual time as you are figuring out. It takes form as a form of audio coach that may inform you of issues like the gap you’ve got run, common pacing and people compares to earlier runs you’ve got accomplished. New Apple Music integration can select playlists for you as effectively, primarily based on the kind of exercise you are doing.
Good Stack on Apple Watch is getting an replace as effectively, prioritizing the knowledge that issues most to you relying in your routine. For instance, while you stroll into your health club, a Good Stack trace will seem in your watch that can rapidly take you to the exercise app so you may dive proper into your coaching session.
macOS Tahoe
The following model of Apple’s desktop working system is dubbed macOS Tahoe, maintaining the basic California naming scheme the corporate has been utilizing for a very long time. Liquid Glass design language is on the forefront right here, however long-time Mac customers will discover most issues look fairly acquainted, simply with a semi-translucent, rounded edge now. Customers can have the choice to make customized backgrounds, change the colour of their desktop folders and even add emoji to them.
iOS’ Telephone app will likely be obtainable on macOS Tahoe, bettering the calling capabilities of Mac computer systems. With it, you may extra simply entry your contacts and voicemail messages, and it’ll help the entire new options the brand new Telephone app in iOS 26 will, together with issues like Maintain Help.
Clever actions are coming to the Shortcuts app, which integrates Apple Intelligence into the prevailing Shortcuts program. This allows you to entry Apple Intelligence fashions on-device, creating your personal Shortcuts with AI capabilities. In an analogous vein, Highlight will likely be extra highly effective in macOS Tahoe, permitting you to name upon and execute multi-step Shortcuts and actions straight from Highlight search, with out navigating to different apps. You may also use Highlight to entry your clipboard historical past within the newest software program replace, too.
iPadOS 26
iPadOS 26 will function a Liquid Glass redesign together with a lot of the new options detailed for iOS 26, together with the revamped Telephone and Video games apps. Distinctive for the iPad, although, is a brand new menu bar and windowing function that makes the pill’s UI feel and look much more like macOS. Which means it ought to enhance multitasking, one thing iPad power-users have needed for a very long time. You may resize home windows, snap them to completely different corners or swipe them away quickly to get a glimpse of your own home display. Apple claims the window system is designed to work simply as effectively with contact enter (both by way of fingers or a stylus) or trackpads on appropriate equipment.
The Recordsdata app on iPad will function an up to date record view and the identical customized colour choices you will discover on the brand new macOS Tahoe. You may additionally be capable to select which packages or apps you need to open sure recordsdata, so for instance, you may choose to open a picture in Photoshop fairly than the default choice. Talking of, a brand new Preview app is coming to iPads within the new software program replace. A mainstay on macOS, this app will deliver native PDF administration, annotation and modifying to Apple’s tablets.
iPadOS 26 will deliver various new options for podcasters and the like, together with the power to file “studio high quality” vocals with AirPods. Customers can even be capable to press and maintain their AirPods to begin and cease the recordings they’re making on their iPads. As well as, a brand new native seize function will combine with video conferencing apps to let customers file their video on iPads for issues like distant group podcasts.
visionOS 26
The following software program replace coming to Imaginative and prescient Professional programs will embody new Apple Intelligence options, spatial experiences and extra. Spatial widgets are coming to visionOS 26, permitting you to place, say, a calendar widget someplace in your Imaginative and prescient Professional subject of view and it’ll keep in that place at the same time as you progress round. Native and third-party apps can help spatial widgets, and so they’ll all be obtainable within the new Widgets visionOS app.
Spatial scenes is a brand new function that makes use of AI to deliver your photographs to life in entrance of your eyes whereas utilizing Imaginative and prescient Professional. Spatial scenes additionally prolong to photographs you will see whereas shopping, so for instance, these journey photographs you see whereas researching your subsequent trip will look much more lifelike utilizing spatial scenes.
Arguably probably the most thrilling visionOS information is that it’s going to permit the Imaginative and prescient Professional headset for use with PlayStation VR2 Sense controllers. It will make Imaginative and prescient Professional extra of a contender within the gaming house, since lack of appropriate controllers was an enormous issue holding it again. As well as, the brand new software program replace will deliver eye-scrolling to the Imaginative and prescient Professional, which can permit customers to scroll paperwork, apps, webpages and extra simply through the use of their eyes.
tvOS 26
The brand new Liquid Glass design language brings extra cinematic movie and TV artwork to the Apple TV app in tvOS 26. A brand new Profiles function in Apple TV+ allows you to customise your viewing expertise with your personal tastes, and every member of your family can have their very own profile. Elsewhere, Apple Music on Apple TV is getting a karaoke-esque function that permits you to sing alongside to your favourite songs utilizing your iPhone because the microphone.
