At WWDC 25 (in June 2025), Apple made a big change by redesigning everything visually, stepping up its AI plans, and offering powerful new developer tools. We will talk about the main features: a new look, more intelligent devices, and information developers require. Starting on June 9, Apple held its keynote event at Apple Park and made it available around the world over the internet. Every day, developers could check out the Platforms State of the Union, join more than 100 technical sessions, participate in group labs, or meet up for private consulting both online and at the event.
Major OS Updates
iOS 26
- Liquid Glass: A translucent design across home screen, Control Center, Camera, Safari, and more—Apple’s first major aesthetic shift since iOS 7.
- Visual Intelligence: Powered by Apple Intelligence, this enables in‑app object recognition to perform smart tasks like shopping or event entry from screenshots.
- Messaging Enhancements: Typing indicators in group chats, built-in polls, Apple Cash transfers, and AI-generated/custom backgrounds (“Genmoji”, “Image Playground”).
- Phone App Redesign: Consolidated tabs (logs, voicemails, favourites), AI-based Call Screening and “Hold Assist” to auto-hold for you.
- Maps & Wallet: Personalized daily route suggestions, “Visited Places” tracking, digital IDs in nine U.S. states, and in-airport navigation.
iPadOS 26
- Windowing & Multitasking: Mac-style resizable windows and Exposé-style view.
- File App Enhancements: New preview functions and Finder-style layout.
macOS 26 “Tahoe”
- The Liquid Glass UI expands to the desktop: Control Center updates, enhanced Spotlight, integrated Phone app calls.
watchOS 26
- Liquid Glass style introduces a Smart Stack interface and flick gestures.
- Workout Buddy debuts: an AI fitness coach delivering form tips and metric insights.
tvOS 26
- Liquid Glass UI, localized screensavers, improved AirPlay control, and a built‑in karaoke experience .
visionOS 26
- Updated spatial widgets and enhanced custom avatars.
- Controller support expands to PSVR2, Xbox, and PlayStation joypads .
CoreThemes
Liquid Glass Design
A dynamic, translucent UI weaving light and blur across apps and devices: iOS, watchOS, macOS, tvOS, visionOS. Interface elements refract based on motion, stemming from visionOS influences. Designers praised its beauty but caution on potential readability issues.
Apple Intelligence & AI Tools
iOS 26 brings live translation of voice and text across apps, and AI-powered calling tools like Call Screening and Hold Assist. Apple launched the Foundation Models Framework, giving devs on-device AI for summarization, language-generation, personalized features offline. Yet, Siri’s major revamp remains delayed for quality assurance.
Ecosystem Enhancements
- Messages: richer interactions with AI, polls, payout.
- AirPods: voice isolation, camera remote control via stem‑tap, plus studio-grade audio .
- Apple Music: animated lock‑screen album art, lyric translations & pronunciations .
- CarPlay: redesigned interface and expanded feature set .
- Games App: centralized gaming hub with leaderboards & social chats
WWDC 25 makes big changes to the design (Liquid Glass) and focuses on AI by stressing privacy and the technology’s work on the device itself. While experts view Apple’s reinforced platform unity as proof of a future-ready technology, Apple still lags behind its main competitors in artificial intelligence. Nevertheless, the main pluses of the strategy are privacy, simple integration, and the technology maturing slowly