Apple Unveils iOS 26 with Liquid Glass Design and AI Features

Apple’s WWDC 2025 keynote revealed iOS 26, a bold step forward with a fresh approach to naming and design. Moving away from traditional version numbers, Apple now aligns its operating systems with the calendar year, making iOS 26 the new standard. This change extends across the ecosystem, including iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, tvOS, and visionOS, simplifying version tracking for users and developers alike.

The headline feature is the Liquid Glass design, Apple’s most significant visual overhaul since iOS 7. Inspired by the Vision Pro headset, this new interface introduces translucent navigation panels and circular app icons, creating a sleek, cohesive experience across all Apple devices, including CarPlay. The Phone, Camera, and Safari apps received substantial updates, such as a unified view in Phone combining favorites, recent calls, and voicemails, and a transparent address bar in Safari enhancing visual clarity.

Gaming enthusiasts will appreciate the new dedicated gaming app that consolidates Apple Arcade and App Store games. This hub offers achievements, leaderboards, and curated content, reflecting Apple’s strategic move into gaming, bolstered by its recent acquisition of RAC7, a game development studio.

Health and fitness get a boost with Workout Buddy, an AI-powered virtual coach that motivates users during workouts by analyzing real-time data from the Health app, including pace and distance. This feature exemplifies Apple’s integration of AI to personalize user experiences and promote wellness.

Messaging also evolves with AI-driven translation that automatically converts incoming messages, facilitating seamless communication across languages. Additionally, group chats gain a polling feature powered by Apple Intelligence, enabling interactive decision-making with AI-generated poll suggestions. Users can now customize chat backgrounds, enhancing personalization.

iPad users benefit from the arrival of the Preview app, previously exclusive to macOS, enabling PDF annotation and editing on the go. This extension of productivity tools underscores Apple’s commitment to cross-device functionality.

Notably absent were some anticipated features such as the enhanced Siri with deeper AI capabilities, AI-powered battery management, reverse wireless charging, and the playful Genmoji emoji combinations. Apple confirmed delays on Siri’s advanced features, signaling a phased rollout in future updates.

Overall, iOS 26 reflects Apple’s vision to unify its ecosystem with a visually stunning interface and intelligent features that enhance gaming, health, communication, and productivity. The Liquid Glass design sets a new aesthetic standard, while AI integrations hint at a future where devices anticipate and adapt to user needs more intuitively.