CUPERTINO, CA – June 9, 2025 – Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2025 keynote, which just concluded, delivered a deluge of announcements, signaling a new era of cohesive design, enhanced intelligence, and unprecedented cross-platform functionality across the Apple ecosystem. The most striking reveal is the introduction of “Liquid Glass Design,” a translucent and reflective aesthetic that will permeate all of Apple’s operating systems, now uniformly branded with version 26 (iOS 26, macOS 26, watchOS 26, etc.).
A Transparent Future: Liquid Glass Design
The “Liquid Glass Design” marks a significant visual departure for Apple. While subtle at first glance on the home screen, its depth becomes apparent as users navigate deeper into the operating systems. This new look features translucent elements designed to refract and reflect ambient light, creating a dynamic and immersive user interface. On iPhone, the overhaul extends to the home screen, lock screen, controls, navigation, app icons, and widgets. The lock screen now boasts an adaptable font for the time, seamlessly stretching or shrinking to fit the chosen wallpaper, and photos gain a 3D effect that responds to iPhone movement. Core apps like Camera and Safari have been streamlined, with Safari placing a greater emphasis on webpage content, while Music and News introduce a new floating tab bar that minimizes when not in use.
Intelligence and Connectivity: Bridging the Language Gap
Apple Intelligence features are expanding, with a major highlight being live translation support across Messages, FaceTime, and Phone. This real-time translation aims to break down language barriers, instantly converting spoken or written words into the user’s native tongue. Messages also gains support for polls, typing indicators in group chats, and customizable conversation backgrounds.
CarPlay and Gaming Get an Upgrade
CarPlay, including CarPlay Ultra, will adopt the new Liquid Glass design language. Crucially, standard CarPlay users will now benefit from widgets and Live Activities directly in their car’s interface. A brand new “Games” app is launching across iPhone, iPad, and Mac, serving as a central hub for App Store and Apple Arcade titles, complete with recommendations and multiplayer options.
iPadOS 26: The Mac-ification of the iPad
One of the most anticipated announcements for iPad users arrived with iPadOS 26, which effectively transforms the iPad into a highly capable, Mac-like machine. The new windowing system allows for flexible resizing and placement of apps, enabling true multi-window multitasking. Mac-like menu bars and window controls for closing, minimizing, and resizing are now standard, and app windows will retain their size and position upon reopening. Expose offers a unified view of all open windows, akin to macOS.
The Files app receives a significant overhaul, featuring a new list view, resizable columns, and collapsible folders. Users can now drag folders to the Dock for quick access and set default apps for specific file types. The popular Mac Preview app is also coming to iPad, providing tools for sketching, PDF editing, and image markup. Furthermore, system-intensive tasks, such as exporting video in Final Cut Pro, can now be completed in the background, mirroring macOS functionality.
macOS Tahoe: A Desktop Evolution
Named after the iconic Lake Tahoe, macOS 26 continues the Liquid Glass aesthetic, extending it to the menu bar, toolbars, apps, and the Dock. The menu bar now intelligently hides, revealing itself only for app icons, maximizing screen real estate. Users can customize both the menu bar and Control Center with desired controls, including those for third-party apps.
For the first time, a dedicated “Phone” app arrives on macOS, streamlining call management, voicemail access, call screening, and hold assist directly from the Mac. Live Activities seamlessly sync from the iPhone to the Mac’s menu bar. Spotlight gains significant power, capable of executing hundreds of actions, including sending emails and utilizing new Apple Intelligence shortcuts for task automation. Enhanced filtering options and integrated app search results make content Browse more intuitive. The new Games app also makes its way to Mac, providing a unified gaming experience across devices.
WatchOS, Apple TV and VisionOS See Major Enhancements
watchOS introduces a new “Workout Buddy” powered by Apple Intelligence, offering personalized insights and motivation during workouts, acting as a virtual personal trainer. The Workout app has been redesigned for easier custom routine creation, and Apple can now automatically generate Apple Music playlists to match workout activities. A new “flick wrist” gesture allows users to dismiss notifications and incoming calls with a simple movement. The Notes app also makes its debut on the Apple Watch.
The Apple TV also receives the Liquid Glass treatment, offering a more translucent and less intrusive interface for compatible models. iPhone users can now utilize their device as a microphone for Apple Music Karaoke, complete with lyrics pronunciation guidance. New aerial screensavers and the option to set any AirPlay speaker as a permanent output for Apple TV round out the updates.
Finally, VisionOS sees remarkable advancements, particularly with widgets. Users can place widgets anywhere in their spatial computing environment, transforming them into immersive elements – a photo widget on a virtual mantelpiece or a weather widget acting as a window to the outside. PlayStation VR2 Sense controllers are now supported for gaming. New collaborative app options allow multiple Vision Pro users to work together, play games, and even watch content together. Apple has also “overhauled those creepy personas,” promising more realistic and appealing avatars for users. Generative AI algorithms can now enhance 2D photos for a more realistic 3D feel, and Safari gains spatial Browse features, enabling the viewing of 3D models embedded on webpages and eye-tracking for scrolling.
The sheer volume and scope of the announcements at WWDC 2025 suggest a renewed focus on design consistency, intelligent features, and a deeply integrated cross-platform experience, solidifying Apple’s ecosystem for the years to come.
