At WWDC 2025, Apple officially unveiled iOS 26, a major update guided by the principles of innovation, integration, and convenience. With significant upgrades in design, AI applications, communication, and utility features, iOS 26 aims to create a smarter and more personalized mobile operating system.
Liquid Glass: A Bold New Visual Experience
iOS 26 introduces a new design language called Liquid Glass, marking the most radical visual transformation since iOS 7. This material dynamically reflects and refracts ambient light, infusing the system with vitality and depth. The lock screen’s clock display adapts to the wallpaper’s spatial composition, with variable font width and weight. Moving the phone triggers 3D effects on the wallpaper. Home screen icons and widgets now feature transparent appearances, allowing users to customize their interface more freely.
This design philosophy extends throughout the system. The Camera app now has a streamlined interface with only photo and video modes visible by default. Swiping up reveals controls for settings, enabling smoother operation. In the Photos app, library and collections are separated into differenta tabs, with improved search functions for easier memory retrieval.
Additionally, Safari adopts an edge-to-edge layout for an expanded browsing experience, placing frequently used tools within easy reach. Apps like Apple Music now feature floating tab bars that shrink while browsing to highlight content and expand when scrolling to allow easy navigation. Apple also provides new APIs for developers to unify the design style across the iOS ecosystem.
AI Power Across the System: The Evolution of Apple Intelligence
Riding the AI wave, iOS 26 deepens its integration of Apple Intelligence, embedding AI into daily interactions. Real-time translation is now built into Messages, FaceTime, and Phone, using on-device custom models to deliver accurate, privacy-protecting, instant translations—breaking language barriers seamlessly.
Visual intelligence goes beyond the camera to analyze the entire screen. By long-pressing the display, users can identify and search for products or ask ChatGPT questions based on the screen’s content. The system can also recognize event details and auto-fill calendar entries, improving schedule management.
Genmoji and Image Playground expand creative expression, allowing users to combine elements and craft personalized content. The Shortcuts app now supports intelligent actions, enabling users to create automation using natural language. At the developer level, Apple introduces the Foundation Models framework, providing powerful, private, and offline AI inference capabilities—fueling innovation across the iOS app ecosystem.
Enhanced Core Communication: Smarter, Clearer Connections
iOS 26 delivers a comprehensive overhaul of the Phone app, unifying Favorites, Recents, and Voicemail into a single streamlined layout. Favorites are pinned for one-tap calling. The Live Voicemail Screening feature lets users see transcribed messages in real time to avoid spam. A new “Wait Assistant” monitors call queue status during customer service calls, saving users time.
Messages now filters unknown senders more effectively, reducing spam. Custom backgrounds, including those created via Image Playground, bring more personalization. Group chats support polls and typing indicators, and the system intelligently suggests creating polls to enhance group interaction.
Utility Upgrades: Enhancing the All-Round User Experience
CarPlay receives a visual refresh, with a compact incoming call view that balances call and navigation information—improving driving safety. Messages on CarPlay now support tap-to-reply and pinning conversations. Widgets and Live Activities help users access essential information like vehicle status and weather.
Apple Music’s AutoMix enables seamless song transitions, and added lyric translation and pronunciation features help users appreciate international music. Maps introduces encrypted location tracking, learns users’ travel habits, and provides intelligent route suggestions. Wallet now supports in-store installment payments, rewards, and integrates flight details and navigation for boarding passes, with baggage tracking also available.
A new Apple Games app centralizes access to Apple Arcade, offering personalized recommendations and social features. AirPods gain studio-quality recording and camera remote control capabilities. iOS 26 also enhances parental controls, making it easier to manage children’s accounts and ensure digital safety.
Conclusion and Outlook
With upgrades in design, AI, communication, and practical features, iOS 26 elevates the overall user experience and showcases Apple’s innovation. For users, these new features promise smarter, more convenient interactions. For developers, the new frameworks and APIs offer exciting opportunities for creativity and expansion. Looking ahead, Apple is poised to further explore the integration of emerging technologies with mobile systems, positioning iOS as the central hub connecting users to an intelligent digital world—an evolution worth anticipating.
