WWDC 2025: Everything announced, including Liquid Glass, Apple Intelligence updates, and more

Summary

WWDC 2025 kicked off Monday and as in previous years, the company focused on software updates and new technologies, including the next version of iOS, called iOS 26. This year, there was considerable pressure on the company to build on its promises and to make amends to developers as it lags behind in AI and faces continued legal challenges over its App Store. iOS 26 is the most dramatic design change in over a decade When Apple introduced a major overhaul to iOS back in 2013 with the launch of iOS 7, it felt jarring for many users with the shift from the prior skeuomorphic design with gradients and real-world textures to the more colorful, but flat, design style that reflected Apple’s then chief design officer Jony Ive’s taste for minimalism. At WWDC 2025, the company announced a refreshed user interface called Liquid Glass, which features shiny, reflective, and transparent visual interface elements that give the software a more “glassy” look and feel. The Liquid Glass display is translucent and will behave like glass in the real world. The color of the screen is informed by your content and will adapt between light and dark environments. In addition, alerts appear from where you tap, context menus expand into a scannable list when you scroll and tap. The Lock Screen and Home Screen are getting updates that align with the overall aesthetic of Liquid Glass. iOS 26, a new naming scheme Instead of using system names like iOS 19 and macOS 19, Apple will now use the year as part of the name. This means all its operating systems will be called iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS 26, tvOS 26, watchOS 26, and visionOS 26. A dedicated Games app Apple unveiled a new dedicated gaming app that is designed to centralize gaming experiences on Apple devices. The app will serve as a launcher for games and allow users to track achievements and view leaderboards. The Games app will also include social features, including a “Play Together” tab that lets you see what your friends are playing, co...