Apple used its annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) to spotlight upcoming software innovations. While the company is expected to unveil new hardware at its September event, WWDC 2025 was firmly focused on software enhancements across the Apple ecosystem.
Liquid Glass: Apple introduced “Liquid Glass,” a groundbreaking digital design material that transforms how users interact with their devices. Drawing inspiration from the immersive depth of visionOS, Liquid Glass gives screens a lifelike look and feel.
Behaving like real glass, the material offers a translucent appearance that adapts intelligently to surrounding content. It adjusts seamlessly between light and dark environments for optimal visual comfort. Powered by Apple’s hardware, silicon, and graphics technologies, Liquid Glass features real-time rendering, dynamically responding to user movements with realistic reflections and highlights.
This new design language will appear across Apple’s product lineup—including iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and Apple TV—enhancing everything from small buttons to full system interfaces like the Lock Screen.
iOS 26: Apple unveiled iOS 26, marking the most significant visual overhaul of the iPhone interface since iOS 7. The update introduces the Liquid Glass aesthetic, emphasizing clarity and immersion by simulating the properties of real glass. Apple says this design will shape the look and feel of iOS for the next decade. Interestingly, iOS 26 breaks with Apple’s traditional numbering. What would have been iOS 19 is now iOS 26, with future versions numbered after the following calendar year—similar to automotive industry practices. Along with the visual refresh, many native apps have been redesigned and enhanced. Apple Intelligence remains central to this update, enhancing the user experience with smarter, more intuitive features. The developer beta of iOS 26 was released on June 9, 2025, with a public beta scheduled for later this summer. The official launch is expected in September 2025, likely alongside the iPhone 17.
Apple Intelligence Enhancements: Apple also showcased a major upgrade to its AI platform—Apple Intelligence—designed to make iPhone use smarter and more intuitive. A key feature is Live Translation, integrated into Messages, FaceTime, and Phone apps. It provides real-time text and audio translation, maintaining full on-device privacy.
Apple Intelligence can now analyze what’s on your screen, letting you ask questions, find similar items, or save information—like adding events directly from content. ChatGPT-style capabilities are built in, along with smart suggestions. Creative features include Genmoji and Image Playground, allowing users to create personalized emojis and images. New intelligent actions in Shortcuts and features like automatic email parsing for order tracking further simplify everyday tasks. Importantly, all Apple Intelligence features are free, on-device, and private—giving developers access as well.
Visual Intelligence: Exclusively available on the iPhone 16 series with iOS 18.2 or later, Apple’s new Visual Intelligence feature turns the camera into a real-time knowledge tool.
By pressing and holding the camera button, users activate “Camera Control,” which offers instant insights about objects, places, text, plants, animals, and more.
Maps Gets ‘Visited Places’: Apple Maps is getting a significant update with a new feature called Visited Places. Similar to Google Maps’ Timeline, it allows users to privately track and view their travel history, complete with photos taken at each location. Unlike competitors, Apple puts privacy at the forefront—Visited Places is opt-in, and all location history and media are encrypted and stored locally on the device.