Apple's WWDC 2025: A "Sleek Peek" into the Future with Liquid Glass and Unified OS Names

The wait is finally over! Apple's annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2025 has wrapped up, and it was a landmark event, delivering on its "Sleek Peek" tagline with a massive visual overhaul and a significant rebranding of its operating systems. CEO Tim Cook kicked off the keynote, setting the stage for a week of "technology and creativity," all online and free for developers.

The biggest news radiating from Cupertino is the introduction of Liquid Glass, a refreshed user interface that will grace iPhone, iPad, and Mac. This sleek, modern aesthetic features shiny, reflective, and transparent visual elements, creating a distinctive "glassy" look and feel that unifies and elevates the design language across Apple’s platforms. From dynamic animations to smoother transitions, Liquid Glass promises a more intuitive and visually engaging experience.

Perhaps equally significant is Apple's decision to change the naming convention for its OS updates, moving away from sequential version numbers to a year-based system. This means we won't see iOS 19 or iPadOS 19. Instead, the new lineup unveiled is: iOS 26, iPadOS 26, tvOS 26, watchOS 26, and visionOS 26. For Macs, the new operating system is aptly named macOS Tahoe. This rebranding aims to streamline Apple’s ecosystem and reduce confusion, aligning the names with the year 2026, despite their release later in 2025.

Here's a rundown of the key announcements from WWDC 2025:

The Liquid Glass Revolution

The Liquid Glass design is a complete visual refresh across all platforms. Craig Federighi showcased the changes, highlighting new styles like "all-clear app icon vibe," a new Lock Screen, updated Clock, new widgets, and adaptable fonts. The tab bar in Safari has also been redesigned with this "glass look," and the Camera interface and Photos app are getting significant overhauls to incorporate the new aesthetic. This major redesign marks the first since iOS 7, and it's seen as a precursor to the anticipated 20th-anniversary iPhone in 2027, potentially featuring a "Liquid Glass" hardware design.

iOS 26: More Than Just a Pretty Face

While the iPhone may not receive a major AI overhaul, iOS 26 gets the full Liquid Glass treatment. Beyond the visual enhancements, several much-requested features are making their way to the iPhone:

• Messages: Group chats are finally getting the highly anticipated Polls feature and typing indicators. Shared spaces in Messages are also getting new backgrounds, including the ability to generate pictures via Apple Intelligence. On-device spam detection is also coming to Messages, screening unknown texts and keeping them hidden until approved.
• Phone App: The Phone app sees a redesign with Favourites front and center. Apple Intelligence will now summarize voicemail transcripts, and an improved Call Screening feature, reminiscent of Android, will display a message describing incoming calls from unknown numbers before you decide to answer.
• Apple Music: New features include live translation to lyrics, time-stretching and beat-matching with a new "AutoMix" tool, and "music pins" to keep your favorite artists or playlists at the top of your Library. Lyrics will also get pronunciation guides in translated lyrics.
• Games App: A new, dedicated Games app is coming to Apple devices, unifying editorial content, App Store games, and Apple Arcade, aiming to position Apple as a gaming market leader.

iPadOS 26: The Biggest Update Ever

Apple is calling iPadOS 26 the "biggest ever iPadOS update." It brings almost all the features of iOS 26, plus significant improvements for productivity:

• Enhanced Multitasking: Easier window resizing, support for partially offscreen windows, a redesigned cursor, new gestures, stoplight window controls, and an Expose feature to view all open windows.
• Background Tasks: Long-running processes like video exports can now continue in the background.
• Pro-level Audio & Video: New audio input selector, local audio and video recording, and advanced audio processing tools.
• Files App & Preview: Upgraded Files app with default settings, resizable columns, folder pinning to the Dock, and a revamped Preview app for editing and viewing PDFs.

macOS Tahoe: Powering the Mac Experience

Mac users welcome macOS Tahoe, which inherits many features from iOS 26, including changes to Messages, live translation, and the new Liquid Glass design.

• Control Center: Users can now add third-party controls.
• Folders: Increased customization with emoji labels and different colors.
• Shortcuts: Can now run automatically based on triggers (e.g., connecting a monitor, saving a file), and Apple Intelligence can be used within shortcuts.
• Spotlight Search: Getting a significant update.
• Games App: The new Games app from iOS is also coming to Mac, alongside a "game overlay" for quick access to game-specific features. Metal 4 is also being released for developers to enhance game development.

tvOS 26, watchOS 26, and visionOS 26: Extending the Ecosystem

The Liquid Glass redesign is also extending to tvOS 26 and watchOS 26, bringing a unified visual experience.

• tvOS 26: Control Center and playback controls will feature Liquid Glass elements. Apple TV is also getting more profile options and Apple Music integration.
• watchOS 26: Features the Liquid Glass design across its interface. A new fitness feature, Workout Buddy, will vocally motivate users. The device will also learn when to silence notifications based on ambient noise, and wrist flick gestures will allow for dismissing alarms and alerts.
• visionOS 26: Receives an "expansive" update with new clock, Weather, Music, and Photos widgets. Spatial content will enable more ways to "produce great new content," and developers can create new WidgetKit.

Apple Intelligence: Incremental Progress

While a major Siri overhaul is reportedly "far off," Apple Intelligence continues to see incremental steps forward. Visual Intelligence, similar to Google Lens, allows users to pull details from whatever their camera is pointed at. Apple may also be opening its in-house AI models to developers this year, with reports suggesting potential partnerships beyond OpenAI.

CarPlay Ultra: The Next Generation In-Car Experience

CarPlay gets a "HUGE" update, now dubbed CarPlay Ultra. The design elements have been updated, with calls not covering as much of the display. New widgets and Live Activities are also coming to this next-generation CarPlay experience.

Developer Betas Out Now, Public Betas Coming Soon

Developer betas of all the new operating systems are out today (June 9), with public betas expected next month. The full releases will arrive "this fall" alongside the new iPhones.

WWDC 2025 has clearly marked a new chapter for Apple's software, with a strong focus on a unified visual language and a simplified naming scheme. The Liquid Glass design is a bold step, promising a fresh and immersive user experience across the entire Apple ecosystem.