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WWDC 2025 roundup: Liquid glass design to iOS26, everything Apple announced
Apple kicked off its Worldwide Developers Conference 2025 (WWDC25) with a keynote event, unveiling a series of platform updates across its ecosystem. The spotlight was on its new design language—Liquid Glass—which brings dynamic translucent UI elements across iOS, macOS, iPadOS, watchOS, and more. Apple also introduced new naming conventions for its software and previewed major upgrades to native apps, AI tools, and cross-platform continuity.
Apple WWDC25 Keynote: Highlights
Liquid Glass design language
Apple introduced its new design language, Liquid Glass, describing it as more expressive, immersive, and cohesive across devices. The interface features translucent layers, dynamic reflections, and fluid animations that react to movement and surroundings. These changes extend from small UI elements like buttons and sliders to full app panels, toolbars, and navigation bars.
The new design language is consistent across platforms, bringing a unified aesthetic to iOS 26, macOS 26 (Tahoe), iPadOS 26, watchOS 26, tvOS 26, and even Apple CarPlay.
Platform updates
Apple has previewed new operating software for its devices based on the new 'Liquid Glass' design language. Apple has also made changes to the naming convention of its OS. For example, the new iOS version is now called iOS 26 instead of iOS 19. Similarly the new OS for Macs is called macOS 26, and not macOS 16.
iOS 26
The iPhone's new OS gets a major redesign under the Liquid Glass theme. Menus, panels, and widgets appear semi-transparent with shimmering effects. The Home Screen and Lock Screen are also updated, with widgets offering new customisation options including a 'clear look.' The lock screen now dynamically adapts the clock placement based on the wallpaper, while new spatial effects bring wallpapers to life with subtle depth.
iOS 26 also introduces updates across key native apps, including Phone, Camera, Messages and more:
Revamped Messages: AI-powered live translation, conversation screening from unknown senders, custom chat backgrounds, and group chat polls.
Apple Music: Full-screen animated Lock Screen artwork, plus real-time lyrics translation.
Phone and Camera Apps: Redesigned interfaces with simplified layouts and new features like Call Screening and Hold Assist.
Safari and Maps: New transparent UI in Safari; Apple Maps adds a 'Visited Places' section and intelligent routing.
iPadOS 26
While the new iPadOS version gets UI changes based on Liquid Glass, it brings iPad closer to Macs with new productivity and multitasking features. This includes a new intuitive windowing system with new features that help users control, organize, and switch between apps. Additionally several mac features such as intelligent Shortcut actions, Preview app also comes to iPads.
With a new menu bar, users can also access the commands available in an app with a swipe down from the top of the display, or by moving their cursor to the top. With iPadOS 26, iPads can also perform computationally intensive tasks in the background.
Other notable features include new audio features that offer more flexible input and streamlined recording, Local Capture from any video conferencing app, Journal app support, and more.
macOS 26 (Tahoe)
While Apple has changed the nomenclature of naming its operating systems, it continues with the tradition of naming macOS versions after landmarks in the US state of California. macOS 26 is named 'Tahoe' after Lake Tahoe.
macOS also adopts the Liquid Glass design with translucent UI elements, personalized Control Center, and updated icons. It gets a Phone app with familiar iPhone features like Recents, Contacts, and Voicemails—plus Call Screening and Hold Assist.
Other notable upgrades include an update to Spotlight, which can now be used to take more actions like sending an email, creating a note, or playing a podcast — without jumping between apps. Shortcuts is also getting updated with a new class of intelligent actions that let users create shortcuts for actions like summarising text with Writing Tools and creating images with Image Playground.
watchOS 26
Apple Watch also gets an iOS-like aesthetic overhaul with watchOS 26. Apple said that the new design with Liquid Glass makes features like the Smart Stack, Control Center, the Photos watch face, and in-app navigation and controls more expressive.
As for the new feature, Apple introduces Workout Buddy, which provides personalized, spoken motivation. The Workout app features a new layout, and offers music to listen to based on a user's tastes and the workout type. The new software version also introduces a new one-handed wrist flick gesture to dismiss notifications.
VisionOS
Apple also previewed visionOS 26 for Apple Vision Pro headsets. Apple said that everyday interactions become more immersive and personal, with widgets that integrate into a user's space, spatial scenes that use generative AI to add stunning lifelike depth to photos, striking enhancements that make Personas feel more natural and familiar, and shared spatial experiences for Vision Pro users in the same room.
visionOS 26 also adds support for 180-degree, 360-degree, and wide field-of-view content from Insta360, GoPro, and Canon
Other
Apple also previewed redesigned UI and new features to other platforms such as tvOS and Apple CarPlay.
New Game app
Apple has announced a new Game app focused on video games across its ecosystem including the iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV. The app acts as a central hub for gaming on Apple devices. Users can launch games they have already installed, view achievements, track leaderboard standings, and explore editorial content related to games. Users can also set up competitions with friends, bringing multiplay experience to single player games.
Apple Intelligence
While not the main focus this year, Apple Intelligence still gets important updates. A new Foundation Models Framework allows any third party app to tap-into on-device AI models for intelligence features. For consumers new features include:
AI-powered Live Translation feature integrated into Messages, FaceTime, and Phone.
In addition to turning a text description into a Genmoji, users can now mix together emoji and combine them with descriptions to create something new.
In Image Playground, users can tap into brand-new styles with ChatGPT, like an oil painting style or vector art.
Visual Intelligence can now be accessed on supported iPhones when taking a screenshot. Users can ask ChatGPT questions about the screenshot content, or can perform a visual search with Google, Etsy or other supported apps.
Visual intelligence also recognizes when a user is looking at an event and suggests adding it to their calendar.
AI-powered Workout Buddy on Apple Watch that generates personalised spoken motivation
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