Apple has introduced iOS 26 at WWDC 2025—skipping the usual iOS 19 to align versioning with the year. Alongside macOS Tahoe (26), iPadOS, watchOS, visionOS and tvOS all follow suit, reinforcing a unified ecosystem vision.
🌟 Liquid Glass: The New Design Language
- Unified visual overhaul across iOS, iPadOS, macOS, visionOS, tvOS, and watchOS.
- Translucent, glass‑like visuals: elements refract and reflect content and wallpaper, with rounded edges and subtle skeuomorphism.
- Dynamic navigation bars: tab bars on iPhone shrink as you scroll, expanding when needed, and sidebars on iPad/macOS adapt contextually.
- Lock Screen enhancements: 3D photo effects, adaptive time display and more subtle animations.
- New icon styles: tinted and semi‑clear app icons bring fresh aesthetic flexibility.
Some designers express concerns over readability issues in high‑contrast or direct‑sunlight conditions.
🤖 Apple Intelligence & On‑Device AI
- Foundation Models framework: developers can embed Apple’s on‑device LLMs—used by features like summarisation, text extraction, Image Playground—into their apps.
- Live Translation: real‑time translation across Messages, FaceTime, phone calls, and AirPods (with planned Babel Fish‑style support) covering languages like French, Spanish, Portuguese, German.
- Call Screening & Hold Assist: AI silences unknown or spam calls; Hold Assist holds the line and notifies users when a human answers.
- Genmoji + Image Playground: users can blend emojis and create AI‑generated images, now with ChatGPT‑powered styles .
- Shortcut integration: new AI‑powered actions (e.g., summarise text, generate images) are now available via Shortcuts.
Despite expansion, full Siri overhaul remains deferred to 2026, signalling a cautious, privacy-conscious pace
📱 Refined System Features
- Battery menu overhaul: daily usage charts, adaptive‑power mode for dynamic battery optimisation .
- Visual Intelligence: object recognition via camera for deep apps integration, photo editing, background removal .
- Safari 26: redesigned with Liquid Glass, featuring a refined compact UI.
📲 App Boosts
Messages
- Chat backgrounds, polls, typing indicators, Apple Cash in groups, unknown‑sender filtering, plus end‑to‑end encryption supporting RCS.
Phone
- Revamped interface, plus AI‑powered call‑screening and Hold Assist.
Photos & Camera
- Return to tabbed interface (Library & Collections), spatial‑photo/parallax effect, simplified Camera UI echoes skeuomorphism.
Notes
- Voice‑call recording with transcription, export in Markdown.
Maps
- On‑device AI predicts frequent commutes and suggests alternatives; new “Visited Places” via location history.
Wallet & Apple Pay
- Boarding‑pass enhancements: airport‑terminal maps and live flight updates; US digital passports; Apple Pay expands loyalty redemption and delivery tracking AI integration.
Apple Music
- AutoMix mode blends tracks; inline lyric translation and pronunciation; integrated sing‑along via Apple TV.
Home EnergyKit
- New EnergyKit framework enables smart devices to track and shift energy usage, integrate EV and thermostat scheduling based on clean‑energy/time‑of‑use rates.
Games
- New Apple Games app centralises App Store, Arcade and Game Center; supports challenges among friends.
Accessibility
- New Accessibility Reader, Braille display support, enhancements to Live Listen, Personal Voice and background sounds.
🚗 CarPlay Ultra & In‑Car Entertainment
- Liquid Glass expands to CarPlay with widgets and message Tapbacks; CarPlay Ultra enables broader vehicle controls and parked‑only video playback via AirPlay (initial partner: Aston Martin).
🧑💻 Developer Enhancements
- Xcode 26: improved navigation, localisation tools, voice‑control dictation and Swift coding .
- App Intents: deeper integration with Siri, Spotlight, widgets, Shortcuts and visual search logic .
- Foundation Models on-device LLM framework – privacy-first and accessible without cloud.
📱 Device Compatibility & Release Schedule
Compatible with iPhone 11, SE 2nd Gen and newer; iPhone XR/XS/etc not supported.
- Developer betas are available now.
- Public beta due next month.
- Final release anticipated around 16 September 2025, shortly after iPhone 17 launch.
⚠️ What’s Missing, What’s Contested
- Siri remains largely unchanged, with broader upgrades delayed to 2026 .
- Some design backlash concerning Liquid Glass’s transparency and legibility .
- Accusations by Xiaomi that some features (image search, icon styles, Liquid Glass) are derivative.
✍️ Final Thoughts
iOS 26 marks Apple’s boldest visual revamp in years, anchored by Liquid Glass and infused with on‑device AI throughout. It delivers improved communication tools, privacy‑minded translation, developer empowerment, and energy awareness. Despite some criticisms, its system‑wide coherence and intelligence upgrades set a strong foundation for Apple’s future evolution.