WWDC 2025: Apple Unifies Design, AI, & Platform Features Across The Ecosystem
Apple used WWDC 2025 to overhaul its entire software ecosystem. Each platform update, now unified under the “26” designation, introduces the new Liquid Glass design, system-wide Apple Intelligence features, and specialised tools aimed at boosting performance, productivity, and user experience. Here is a breakdown of the most significant announcements.
Unified Naming Convention & Liquid Glass Design
For the first time, Apple has dropped its traditional version numbering system. Moving forward, all operating systems will share a common naming scheme based on the calendar year. This year’s updates include iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS Tahoe 26 also known as macOS Tahoe, watchOS 26, tvOS 26, and visionOS 26.
Liquid Glass Interface
Apple introduced a new visual design language known as Liquid Glass. This design language features translucent menus, glossy icons, and rounded UI elements. The interface changes aim to create a seamless aesthetic experience across all Apple devices.
Menus are more compact, backgrounds are subtly blurred, and icons have a polished sheen. The focus is on visual clarity and spatial coherence, aligning closely with the Vision Pro’s design paradigm. It draws influence from the Frutiger Aero style, a pre-2007 Microsoft aesthetic defined by glassy surfaces, soft gradients, and a futuristic, high-saturation polish.
Apple Intelligence Expands With On-Device Processing
Apple continues to evolve its AI capabilities, now branded collectively as Apple Intelligence. Running entirely on-device, these models prioritise user privacy while enhancing both utility and responsiveness.
Live Translation
Live Translation is the flagship feature of Apple Intelligence this year. It supports real-time voice and text translation in Phone, FaceTime, and Messages apps. Supported languages include English (US, UK), French, German, Portuguese (Brazil), and Spanish. Text-based messaging adds Italian, Japanese, Korean, and Simplified Chinese.
In calls and FaceTime, the translated speech is rendered alongside real-time captions. In Messages, translated responses appear immediately under the original message.
iOS 26 With Streamlined Phone, Messages, & Camera Apps
Apple’s new iOS 26 continues the platform’s trend of integrating intelligence with usability.
Smarter Phone & Messages Apps
The Phone app now includes upgraded call screening and spam filtering using Apple Intelligence. Messages adds interactive polls to group chats and context-aware suggestions for replies and scheduling.
Visual Intelligence In The Camera App
The Camera app interface has been cleaned up to reduce clutter. Visual Intelligence now identifies objects live, allowing users to search online or take contextual actions based on what they see. It can also extract relevant dates, addresses, or text into Calendar or Notes.
macOS 26 Or macOS Tahoe Updates
Named after Lake Tahoe, macOS 26 emphasises intelligent organisation and user control.
Shortcuts, Spotlight, & Visual Enhancements
Shortcuts are enhanced by AI, enabling more adaptive automations. Spotlight is now context-aware, surfacing results based on the app in use. The visual update includes a transparent menu bar and editable folder icons with emojis.
File Search & Application Control
The Finder app now offers smarter search, using AI to surface recent, similar, or related files. Control Center and Menu Bar items can now be rearranged or hidden.
iPadOS 26 Adds Windowing & Content Creation
The tablet platform sees its most substantial multitasking update yet.
Resizable App Windows
A new windowing system allows users to resize and reposition apps freely. This includes split-screen flexibility and drag-and-drop enhancements between apps.
Audio & Video Tools
Podcasters and content creators benefit from improved microphone input handling and multi-camera video support. The Photos and Files apps have also been updated to accommodate larger project workflows.
Personalised Coaching & Gestural Navigation With watchOS 26
The Apple Watch experience focuses on encouragement and minimalism.
Workout Buddy & Wrist Flick
The new Workout Buddy app provides voice-based encouragement and goal tracking during workouts. Wrist Flick lets users dismiss notifications or control simple actions without touching the display.
Improved Smart Stacks & Workouts
Smart Stacks now update dynamically during workouts, and the Workouts app tracks nuanced metrics like recovery time, intensity, and custom zones.
tvOS 26 Brings Profiles & Karaoke Enhancements
tvOS 26 introduces improved personalisation and entertainment features.
User Profiles & Apple Music Sing
New profiles allow each user to resume shows, sync watchlists, and manage recommendations independently. Apple Music Sing now turns your iPhone into a microphone, with machine learning lowering vocals in real time for karaoke.
Visual Update
Liquid Glass comes to tvOS with refined menus and a floating dock UI. The update is designed for less distraction during viewing.
Spatial Sharing & Peripheral Support To Apple Vision Pro
Apple Vision Pro gains collaborative and creative features.
Shared Experiences & Widget Placement
Users can now share spatial media sessions with others wearing Vision Pro headsets. Widgets and virtual clocks can be placed around a room. New spatial windows add multitasking capacity.
Game Controller & Muse Device
Sony VR2 Sense controllers are now supported. Logitech’s Muse device enables users to sketch in 3D space. A For Your Eyes Only mode restricts content visibility to the intended user.
The All New Games App
A new standalone Games app brings social gaming to the forefront.
Unified Library & Challenges
All downloaded games are listed in a single app. Players can see what friends are playing, send game challenges, and compare high scores.
Game Center Integration
The Games app tightly integrates with Game Center for syncing progress, leaderboards, and achievements.
Apple Music Adds Lyrics Translation & AI Playlists
Apple Music adds functionality driven by language tools and AI.
Lyrics Translation
Users can now view live translations of lyrics while listening to international songs, encouraging cross-language music discovery.
Automix & Pinning
Automix intelligently adjusts transitions between songs. Users can pin albums, playlists, or artists to the top of their library.
Enhanced Widgets & Call Handling To CarPlay
Apple’s in-vehicle system gets quality-of-life improvements.
Updated Interface
The new layout offers persistent navigation view while handling incoming calls. Widgets are resizable and can display calendar events, messages, and media controls simultaneously.
Developer Access & Rollout Timeline
Beta & Release Schedule
Developer betas are available starting today, with public betas coming in July. Full consumer releases are slated for spring.
API Access For Third Parties
Apple is opening up new APIs for translation, Image Playground integration, and spatial object embedding. Developers can begin integrating these features now.
Security, Privacy, Localised AI Models, & Access Controls
Privacy remains core. Apple’s AI features operate on-device, with no remote server contact unless explicitly enabled by the user.
Data Isolation & For Your Eyes Only
Apps like Vision Pro gain document-locking modes. Personal data, gestures, and preferences are stored locally and encrypted.
End Of WWDC
WWDC 2025 signals Apple’s move toward full-platform unification, blending hardware-specific features with a cohesive design system and privacy-first AI integration. The shift to year-based OS naming and the Liquid Glass interface marks a deliberate evolution toward spatial computing and ambient intelligence, setting the tone for Apple’s next decade of interaction design.
This keynote was only the beginning. Throughout the rest of the week, Apple offers a wide range of technical deep-dives through video sessions, group labs, and one-on-one labs led by Apple engineers and designers. These cover everything from SwiftUI and AI to spatial computing and game development, providing hands-on access to the technologies shaping Apple’s ecosystem in 2026 and beyond.
