Apple kicked off its annual Worldwide Builders Convention on Monday with an array of bulletins on new options coming this fall through iOS 26, its newest working system improve. Main the pack is a brand new person interface enhancement known as Liquid Glass.
CEO Tim Cook dinner and different Apple executives used phrases like “beautiful,” “gorgeous” and “delightful” to explain modifications on the horizon for its units. And whereas they emphasised a contemporary person interface and elevated app options, in addition they reassured customers that the instruments would stay acquainted and accessible.
Learn on for particulars on the newest bells and whistles coming to Apple’s person interface.
iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS Tahoe 26
Apple is adopting a brand new nomenclature for figuring out its working programs, one that’s extra easy than its earlier numbering system. Somewhat than iOS 19, Apple’s subsequent iPhone iOS might be known as iOS 26 to align with the upcoming 12 months. iOS 26, together with iPadOS 26, macOS Tahoe 26, watchOS 26, and tvOS 261 are slated to be launched as free updates in September 2025.
Along with new design parts detailed under, iOS 26 will elevate the capabilities of present apps together with Facetime, Photographs, Safari and Carplay.
There’s additionally a splashy replace to iPhone photograph show: With iOS 26, customers will be capable of view footage in 3D throughout the Photographs app, lock display screen and residential display screen.
Apple can be making modifications to its messages app. Texters with iOS 26 will be capable of change the background, or wallpaper, of a chat dialog. The characteristic is just like the “chat theme” setting on WhatsApp however with extra choices. In group chats, dots will seem to point who’s typing — one thing beforehand reserved for one-on-one chats. Texters can even find a way create and share polls immediately in group messages.
Filtering texts and calls can even turn out to be rather a lot simpler with a brand new screening characteristic.
“Unknown senders appear in a dedicated area where you can decide if you want to mark the number as known, ask for more information or delete until you accept messages from unknown senders will remain silenced and won’t appear as notifications,” mentioned Darin Adler, a vp at Apple.
If you obtain a name from an unknown quantity, Apple will reply the telephone silently, report the caller’s identify and the explanation for his or her name, after which put their response right into a written message for the proprietor of the telephone to allow them to determine whether or not they need to truly decide up.
There’s a slight catch to bear in mind: These new iOS26 options might be reserved for iPhone 11 and later fashions.
Design upgrades, together with Liquid Glass
Alan Dye, Apple’s vp of human interface design, calls the brand new OS, the corporate’s “broadest design update ever.”
A trademark characteristic of the brand new OS is Liquid Glass, described by the corporate as an “expressive material” meant to imitate the qualities of glass. The dynamic new interface make apps, widgets and docs seem translucent, permitting customers to see a number of layers of their display screen directly.
Liquid Glass additionally creates extra motion in your interface by morphing into your show. For instance, as messages pop up on your house display screen, the time show begins to shrink to accommodate them. The colour of Liquid Glass additionally shifts relying on the content material in your display screen and adapts between mild and darkish environments.
Apple units are displayed on an enormous display screen in the course of the firm’s annual Worldwide Builders Convention (WWDC) a in Cupertino, Calif., on June 9, 2025.
JOSH EDELSON/AFP through Getty Photographs
“From navigating apps to system experiences like the lock screen notifications and control center app icons have been crafted with multiple layers of Liquid Glass and come to life in light mode, dark mode, colorful, new tints, or an all new clear look,” mentioned Dye in the course of the firm’s keynote Monday.
Apple Intelligence
Apple additionally delivered long-awaited updates to Apple Intelligence, the corporate’s synthetic intelligence system that’s now built-in with ChatGPT. AI-powered options arriving this fall embody Reside Translation, which robotically interprets messages as they’re being obtained.
“So if you’re making plans with some new friends while studying abroad, your message can be translated as you type and delivered in their preferred language, and when they respond, each text can be instantly translated for you,” mentioned Leslie Ikemoto, an engineering director at Apple mentioned on the convention Monday.
Visible Intelligence, one other AI instrument, permits customers to take a screenshot of a picture they see on-line — say, a cute sweater they arrive throughout on considered one of their apps — after which search for the place to discover a comparable design on-line. They will additionally ask ChatGPT particular questions in regards to the picture, reminiscent of, preserving with the instance of the sweater, “What material is this made of?”
One other characteristic builds on Apple broad number of emojis by giving customers the facility to mix and personalize present emojis to create their very own distinctive expressions. Of their presentation, Apple confirmed how somebody may merge the lightbulb emoji with the sloth emoji to point they had been the final one to get a joke, for instance.
Nonetheless lingering on Apple’s to do record is new AI integrations for Siri. Apple launched updates to the voice assistant eventually 12 months’s convention, however the full suite of upgrades for the voice assistant have but to take impact. “We’re continuing our work to deliver the features that make Siri even more personal,” mentioned senior vp of software program engineering Craig Federighi on Monday. “This work needed more time to reach our high quality bar, and we look forward to sharing more about it in the coming year.”
In a analysis word, Wedbush tech analyst Dan Ives famous that the Apple Intelligence rollout has been slower than anticipated, but additionally estimates that over the following few years, 25% of the world inhabitants will entry AI via an Apple-powered system.
“While many on [Wall] Street are heading into WWDC as underwhelming given the slower-than-expected rollout of Apple Intelligence, we disagree with this bearish narrative and strongly believe this will be the start of AI monetization period of the Apple ecosystem as the company will continue to lay the foundation through its new operating system updates across Mac, iOS, iPad and others with its ’26” replace,’” Ives mentioned.
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