iOS 26 - page 4

With Monday’s iOS 26 announcement at WWDC25, Apple transforms how users interact with their iPhones through big design changes headlined by the striking look of “Liquid Glass,” enhanced AI capabilities and improved cross-platform integration with helpful changes to core apps like Phone, Messages and more. All in all, iOS 26 represents Apple’s boldest OS step forward in years.

“iOS 26 shines with the gorgeous new design and meaningful improvements to the features users rely on every day, making iPhone even more helpful,” said Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of Software Engineering. “Experiences are more expressive and personal, from the Lock Screen and Home Screen, to new capabilities across Phone and Messages that help users focus on the connections that matter most.”

“And with powerful new Apple Intelligence capabilities integrated across the system, users can get things done easier than ever,” he added.

For the first time, Apple will unify software design across it various platforms with a new interface design called Liquid Glass. Inspired by visionOS, Liquid Glass is, as its name implies, a translucent and fluid new interface for iPhone, iPad, Mac and other devices in Apple’s ecosystem.

“It’s the kind of project that only comes along about once per decade,” said Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of software engineering, as he introduced Liquid Glass during Monday’s WWDC25 keynote.

In demos, conference attendees and online viewers got to see “glassy,” translucent menus, panels and icons throughout the system. The new look and feel creates a more immersive and modern visual experience.

In a significant shift in its software branding strategy, Apple is moving away from its traditional iOS and iPadOS version numbering. Instead, the company announced the move to a year-based naming convention at WWDC25.

So, rather than iOS 19 and iPadOS 19, the company will market its releases this year as iOS 26 and iPadOS 26. Apple’s other operating systems will also adopt the same naming style.

“We’re unifying our version numbers across all our platforms. Our releases for the fall that will power us through the coming year, 2026, will be version 26,” said Craig Fedrighi during WWDC’s opening keynote.

Apple’s new visual language for iOS 19/iOS 26 reportedly will lay the groundwork for its upcoming hardware products. This will include a revamped design for the 2027 iPhone, dubbed “Glasswing.”

The device apparently will feature an all-glass design, with a “extraordinarily slim bezels” and a notch-free display.