Apple Unveils iOS 26, Liquid Glass Design, and On-Device AI at WWDC 2025

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Cupertino, June 9: Apple has officially kicked off its annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC 2025) at Apple Park with a keynote that unveiled a sweeping visual redesign, smarter on-device artificial intelligence features, and a strategic pivot toward year-based naming across its operating systems. In a presentation that emphasized clarity, continuity, and user privacy, the tech giant made clear that its focus this year is evolution—not spectacle.

Liquid Glass: Apple’s Biggest Visual Shift in Over a Decade

The most immediate—and striking—announcement was Liquid Glass, a new design language spanning iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS 26 “Tahoe”, watchOS 26, tvOS 26, and visionOS 26. With shimmering transparencies, floating interface elements, and adaptive lighting, the new aesthetic marks Apple’s most significant visual overhaul since iOS 7 debuted in 2013.

According to Alan Dye, Apple’s Vice President of Human Interface, Liquid Glass aims to create a unified and immersive experience across devices, inspired by the fluid interfaces of the Vision Pro headset. “We wanted everything to feel alive, responsive, and intuitive—like you’re interacting with living light,” Dye said during the keynote.

The redesigned UI affects everything from lock screens and widgets to Safari, Music, and Camera interfaces. In practice, users can expect softer transitions, subtle depth effects, and a more tactile feel across apps.

Calendar-Based Naming: iOS 26 and the End of Version Numbers

In a move aimed at simplifying user understanding, Apple has officially adopted a calendar-year-based naming convention for all its platforms. Gone are the incremental version numbers like iOS 18 or macOS 14. In their place, Apple introduced iOS 26, macOS 26, and so on—aligning the software version with its launch year.

Industry observers believe this change mirrors product naming strategies in the automotive industry and will help reduce confusion among consumers, especially when managing updates across multiple Apple devices.

Apple Intelligence: Privacy-First AI That Stays On Device

While competitors like Google and Microsoft have aggressively rolled out cloud-based AI tools, Apple continues to emphasize privacy and user control with Apple Intelligence—its suite of AI-powered features that run entirely on-device.

This year’s updates include:

• Genmoji: A creative tool that allows users to combine emojis into custom graphics directly on the device.
• Image Playground: Enables real-time image generation for use in Messages, Keynote, and third-party apps, without sending data to the cloud.
• Live Translation: Offers real-time translation in Messages, Phone, and FaceTime, working seamlessly without an internet connection.
• Battery Intelligence: Uses local machine learning models to optimize power usage based on patterns and behavior.

These features are powered by a new on-device foundation model API, allowing developers to build AI-rich apps without compromising user privacy. “The device knows you best—so it should be the one doing the thinking,” said Craig Federighi, Apple’s SVP of Software Engineering.

Feature Highlights Across Platforms

iOS 26 introduces several thoughtful enhancements that cater to both casual users and power users:

• Customizable lock screens with dynamic animations and resizable widgets.
• Smart call screening in the Phone app that detects spam in real-time.
• Polls and backgrounds in group chats, along with group typing indicators in Messages.
• Lyric translation and AutoMix DJ functionality in Apple Music.
• A new Games app that organizes titles across Apple Arcade and App Store, complete with leaderboards and social features.

Meanwhile, macOS 26 “Tahoe” inherits Liquid Glass design elements and adds support for streamlined widgets, a redesigned Dock, and the same Games app now appearing on iOS.

visionOS 26 and PSVR2 Integration for Vision Pro

For Apple’s mixed reality platform, visionOS 26 brings practical upgrades that edge the Vision Pro closer to everyday usability. The headset now supports PSVR2 controllers, spatial widgets, and Look-to-Scroll—a feature that lets users navigate simply by moving their eyes.

Vision Pro users can also now unlock their iPhones and relay calls directly while wearing the headset—bringing the device a step closer to becoming a central hub rather than a standalone experiment.

What Didn’t Make the Cut

Despite speculation leading up to the event, Apple did not debut a revamped Siri or a new generative AI chatbot akin to ChatGPT or Gemini. The absence of these headline-grabbing features has prompted mixed reactions from developers and analysts.

As per a report by The Wall Street Journal, Apple is playing a long game in AI, focusing on incremental, privacy-respecting innovation rather than rushing into the cloud-AI arms race. The strategy could win loyalty from privacy-conscious users, but may not appeal to early adopters hungry for the latest AI magic.

Developer Access and Public Rollout Timeline

Developer betas for all new operating systems, including iOS 26, macOS 26, and visionOS 26, are available starting today. A broader public beta is slated for mid-July, with full public rollouts expected in September, shortly after the expected unveiling of the iPhone 17 series.

According to Apple, the upgrades will support all devices launched since 2021, though certain AI features will be limited to Apple Silicon chips and newer devices.

Industry Reception and the Road Ahead

Initial developer feedback has been cautiously optimistic. Many praised the design polish and improved multitasking features, but expressed concerns over the limited scope of AI tools compared to what’s available on competing platforms.

Still, Apple’s restraint may resonate with its core base. By focusing on cohesion, usability, and privacy, WWDC 2025 appears to be a deliberate recalibration—not a race to dominate AI headlines, but a move to integrate intelligence in ways that feel safe, beautiful, and intuitive.

Only time—and user adoption—will tell if that strategy pays off.

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