Apple’s Summer Presentation: Highlights from WWDC 2025

On June 9, the annual WWDC 2025 conference kicked off—Apple’s main event for developers. On the first day, the brand unveiled new versions of its operating systems for iPhone, Apple Watch, Apple TV, Mac, Apple Vision Pro, and iPad. Here’s the most interesting part.

Unified Design Across All Platforms

All operating systems received the number 26—just like the upcoming year. Now the platforms are called iOS 26, watchOS 26, tvOS 26, macOS Tahoe 26, visionOS 26, and iPadOS 26.

The unified design for all operating systems is called Liquid Glass. All buttons, window backgrounds, tabs, navigation menus, and even standard app components now appear as frosted glass. It can change color depending on surrounding content without drawing user attention. Elements are tailored for modern rounded displays.

On the one hand, Liquid Glass feels familiar and intuitive, and on the other—it’s fresh and updated. The last major OS redesign was in 2013 with the release of iOS 7. Now Apple is changing that.

What’s New in iOS 26: Fresh Design and Cool Features

• The lock screen has changed. It now features a new glass curtain with rounded edges, and all icons have a “glass” look. The clock now adapts to the wallpaper and stretches if needed. It looks stunning.
• Live Translation – real-time conversation translation powered by Apple Intelligence. It instantly translates foreign speech and reads it out loud in your native language. Works during calls and messaging in Phone, FaceTime, and Messages. Communicating without knowing a language just got easier.

• In the Camera app, some functions moved behind curtains and pop-up menus. Now only photos and videos are on the main screen—nothing extra.
• A new Games app appears with a huge library, Apple Arcade integration, and Game Center features. It’s like the App Store, but for games. You can see what friends are playing, compare progress, and create challenges.
• iMessage now supports group chats, polls, and custom backgrounds generated by AI.
• Visual Intelligence will make life easier for thousands of users. The system recognizes screen content and allows interaction. For example, tap a lamp in a newsfeed and see similar items online. See a date on screen? Add it directly to your calendar.
• App updates: in Safari, you can now collapse the bottom bar into a tiny strip, leaving more screen space. In Photos, there are now two sections: “Library” and “Albums.”
• Mixmoji in iMessage lets you combine several emojis into one, while Image Playground allows you to create images using ChatGPT.

• In Apple Music, you can now view lyrics translations. Karaoke mode includes pronunciation guides—making it easier to understand and perform foreign songs.

Which iPhones Will Get iOS 26?

All models from iPhone 11 onward. Note that many new features rely on Apple Intelligence, which not all models support. Availability may also vary by region and language.

watchOS 26: Personal AI Coach and New Gesture

• Meet Workout Buddy, a personal AI fitness coach. It picks workouts, motivates, and praises you. Think of it as a virtual trainer cheering you on. Initially available in English only.
• New gesture: turn your wrist away to end calls or dismiss notifications. Likely not supported on all models.
• Pressing the side button brings up a smart stack of open apps, prioritized by your usage habits.

watchOS 26 features a semi-transparent “glass” design that looks sleek on rounded screens. It also supports Live Translation for auto-translation to your language.

What’s New in tvOS 26: Posters and Easy Profile Switching

• As with other OSs, tvOS 26 adopts the “glass” aesthetic—visual fans will love it.
• When launching Apple TV, users can choose a profile to receive tailored recommendations.
• Top-tier karaoke: iPhones can now serve as microphones to boost your voice. Multiple iPhones can connect at once—because who sings karaoke alone?
• During playback, content takes center stage while controls hide behind a curtain.
• New cinematic-style posters have been added to the Apple TV app.

macOS 26 Tahoe: Spotlight Superpowers

• Spotlight search got a major upgrade. It now accesses files, clipboard data, and can adapt search actions based on the active app. New users can even just type tasks into Spotlight and get guided results. Results are ranked by personal relevance.
• Menu bar and Control Center are now transparent—making the screen feel bigger.
• Interface customization: change icon and folder colors, just like on iPhone.
• The Phone app is now on Mac via Continuity, offering the same features as on iPhone.
• Clipboard now allows selection of specific copied items—no more overwriting previous copies.
• Like iOS 26, macOS Tahoe supports Live Translation of messages and calls via Apple Intelligence.
• A new Games app will delight gamers. Titles like Cyberpunk 2077 and Hitman: World of Assassination are coming to Mac.
• The Journal app (previously iPhone-only) is now available—perfect for writing long entries on a real keyboard.

visionOS 26: Realistic Avatars and Third-Party Accessories

• You can now scroll pages in Apple Vision Pro using just your eyes—previously, only finger gestures worked.
• New 3D widgets of various sizes can be placed on your desktop or attached to objects (like a room wall). These include notes, reminders, calendars, weather, and more. Add a photo, and it gets a digital frame.
• Volumetric avatars for video calls are more realistic now—with better facial expressions, skin tone, and hair color.
• Use the headset to view Spatial photos as if they were 3D objects.
• Now supports third-party accessories: styluses for air drawing, gamepads, and action cams.

iPadOS 26: New Window Layout and Mac-Like Menu Bar

• Tablet users can now freely resize and switch between up to 7 open windows—great for multitasking. A new Expose feature lets you see all open windows with a swipe.
• The cursor resembles a computer’s and supports multitouch gestures via trackpad.
• A long-awaited menu bar now appears at the top of the screen—iPad becomes even more Mac-like.
• The Files app now lets you pin folders to the Dock for faster access. The Preview app makes working with documents and PDFs easier—just like on Mac.
• New Journal and Games apps have been added.
• System now supports background processing for third-party apps, like rendering videos, without interruption. You can monitor progress using Live Activities.
• You can now select specific microphones for each app or website.

Overall, iPadOS 26 supports many of the same features as iOS 26: same design, iMessage features, Vision Intelligence, and more.

Once the operating systems become available for download, we’ll test them right away. A detailed review of iOS 26, iPadOS, and macOS will be published on the iSpace blog. Follow us on Instagram so you don’t miss the latest updates.