Once a year, Apple gathers developers, press, and the generally curious in a hermetically sealed Californian glass cube and tells them what the future looks like. It’s called WWDC (the Worldwide Developers Conference) but it’s less about developers and more about spectacle: a week of workshops and a keynote where Apple unveils the software that will soon run your iPhones, iPads, Macs, Watches, TVs, and the rest.
Here’s what Apple unveiled.
Liquid Glass: The Future is Translucent
The star of the show was Liquid Glass, a shimmering new visual design that makes your screen look like someone spilled luxury soap all over it. Icons, menus, widgets, they now appear as smooth, slightly see-through bubbles. It’s the biggest design overhaul in over a decade, coming to iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS. The idea is a unified aesthetic across Apple’s empire.
Apple also rebranded its software naming: iOS 26, not iOS 17. Numbers now align with the year, like new model cars or annualised video games. Expect iOS 27 next year.
Phone Calls and Messages: Catching Up to Android
Call screening now comes to iPhones: tap a button, and an AI receptionist asks the caller what they want. You get a real-time transcript before deciding whether to pick up. There’s also Hold Assist, which waits on hold for you and pings you when a human finally joins. Messages gain group chat polls and built-in Apple Cash transfers, making it easier to split a dinner bill or a friendship.
Live Translation lets you translate voice or text in Messages, FaceTime, and phone calls, with processing done on-device. It even works with Apple Music lyrics, so you can finally sing along to BTS with misplaced confidence.
Visual Intelligence is Apple’s answer to Google Lens. Screenshot something, tap it, and ask questions about what’s in the image. It’ll even help you make a quiz out of your homework.
iPadOS: The Mac-ification is Complete
The iPad now gets windowed apps, meaning you can resize and tile apps just like on a Mac. There’s even a menu bar and Exposé for managing open windows. Ten years of slow evolution have culminated in the iPad finally becoming the Mac it always swore it didn’t want to be.
Games App: Finally Centralised
With over half a billion players on iPhone, Apple finally introduced a proper Games app, a central hub for downloaded games, Apple Arcade, and a social feature called “Play Together” for joining friends in their digital pursuits. Think Game Center, but actually useful.
Apple Watch: Now With AI Encouragement
watchOS 11 gets the Liquid Glass treatment, a wrist flick gesture, and a new Workout Buddy, an AI voice that gives you performance feedback, picks music, and tries to convince you not to quit halfway through your run. The Smart Stack becomes more context-aware, offering relevant apps based on your surroundings, and can now suggest turning on BackTrack if it detects you’re in the middle of nowhere.
tvOS: A See-Through Screen for Watching Jason Momoa
tvOS adopts Liquid Glass too, letting you tweak settings without blocking what you’re watching. Apple TV+ promoted a slate of new shows and movies, including a Formula 1 film, Murderbot, and a Jason Momoa project that may or may not involve axes (fingers crossed).
macOS Tahoe: Aesthetic Meets Utility
The new desktop OS features floating menu bars, smarter Spotlight search, and Live Activities, a new system for tracking things like Uber Eats orders or upcoming meetings from the menu bar.
VisionOS: Widgets in the Real World
Apple still believes in its headset. visionOS now has spatial widgets (photo albums, music controls, calendars) that you can place around your home and they’ll stay put, like AR fridge magnets. There’s also a new feature to share your view with someone else, if they also happen to be wearing a US$3,599 headset.
Maps, CarPlay, and Siri’s Quiet Exit
Apple Maps gets a new Visited Places feature (opt-in, encrypted), basically matching Google’s Timeline. CarPlay adds custom widgets, emoji replies, and light/dark themes. Interestingly, Apple’s smart assistant Siri got barely a mention.
