iOS 26 brings Liquid Glass design, on-device AI with Apple Intelligence and more

At WWDC 2025, Apple previewed iOS 26, a significant update focused on a refreshed design, enhanced intelligence, and improvements to key apps. The company described the new look as offering a “more expressive” and “delightful” user experience, while keeping the familiar feel of iOS.

iOS 26

iOS 26 introduces a “Liquid Glass” design that brings clearer visuals and a dynamic appearance across the system. It also includes advanced on-device intelligence to improve communication, information discovery, and organization.

Design and User Experience

The Liquid Glass material adds translucency that reflects and refracts surroundings, highlighting content on controls, app icons, widgets, and screens.

The Home and Lock Screens become more personal and expressive. The Lock Screen features time that adjusts fluidly with background images and 3D wallpaper effects responding to device movement.

App updates include:

• A simplified Camera app layout.

• Photos app now separates Library and Collections views.

• Safari displays web pages edge-to-edge with quick access to common actions.

• Apple Music, News, and Podcasts have floating tab bars that shrink while browsing.

Developers have access to updated APIs that allow them to incorporate Liquid Glass effects into their apps.

Apple Intelligence and New Capabilities

Key Apple Intelligence features:

• Live Translation in Messages, FaceTime, and Phone offers real-time text and audio translation on-device to protect privacy.

• Visual intelligence allows users to search or act on screen content, with ChatGPT answering questions and enabling product searches in apps like Google and Etsy. It can detect events and suggest calendar additions with details.

• Genmoji and Image Playground let users mix emojis and images for creative expression.

• Shortcuts are enhanced with intelligent actions, including writing and image tools.
• Automatic extraction and summarization of order tracking details from emails, even for non-Apple Pay purchases.
• The Foundation Models framework provides developers with fast, offline AI functionality built to prioritize user privacy.

Communication and Interruptions

• The Phone app offers a unified view that combines Favorites, Recents, and Voicemails in one place. Call Screening provides caller info to help users decide on answering, while Hold Assist alerts when a live agent is available.

• Messages now screen unknown senders into a silent folder until approved. Users can create polls, customize chat backgrounds with AI, see typing indicators in groups, and send or receive Apple Cash.

CarPlay Enhancements

CarPlay features a compact call view that shows caller details without hiding directions. Messages support Tapbacks and pinned conversations. Widgets and Live Activities keep users updated while minimizing distractions. These enhancements extend to CarPlay Ultra, providing seamless integration between the car’s displays and the iPhone.

Updates to Apple Apps

• Apple Music: Adds Lyrics Translation and Pronunciation, plus AutoMix for smooth AI-driven song transitions.

• Maps: Visited Places tracks locations users have been to, protected by end-to-end encryption. It also suggests preferred routes and alerts for delays using on-device intelligence.

• Wallet: Supports in-store Apple Pay payments with installments or rewards. Boarding passes display Live Activities with real-time flight updates and access to airport navigation, Find My, and lost bag reporting.

Additional Features

• Apple Games: New app to track, discover, and play games, including Apple Arcade’s extensive library.
• AirPods: Now support studio-quality audio recording, improved call clarity, and remote camera control using the AirPods stem.
• Parental Controls: Easier setup and migration of Child Accounts with new safety features like content blurring and app download approvals.
• Safari: Advanced fingerprinting protection is now on by default for all browsing.

• Accessibility: Includes a new systemwide Accessibility Reader, a redesigned Braille interface, and upgrades to Live Listen, Background Sounds, and Personal Voice features.
• Reminders: AI suggests tasks and organizes related items automatically.
• Clock: Custom snooze intervals from 1 to 15 minutes.
• Journal: Supports multiple journals with inline images and a map view showing entries by location.

Availability

Developers can test it now through the Apple Developer Program, starting June 9, 2025. A public beta arrives next month via the Apple Beta Software Program. The free update for iPhone 11 and newer models launches this fall.

Apple Intelligence features work on iPhone 16, iPhone 15 Pro or Pro Max, iPad mini with A17 Pro chip, or Mac and iPad models with M1 or later chips, powering tools like Live Translation and Genmoji.

Apple Intelligence supports English, French, German, Italian, Brazilian Portuguese, Spanish, Japanese, Korean, and Simplified Chinese. More languages, including Danish, Dutch, Norwegian, Portuguese (Portugal), Swedish, Turkish, Traditional Chinese, and Vietnamese, will be added by the end of 2025.