News - page 23

iPadOS 26 lets Apple’s tablets act more like a Mac than ever before. It also includes a new design that makes all Apple computers look more similar, further bringing iPads and Macs together.

“iPadOS 26 is our biggest iPadOS release ever, with powerful features that take the experience to the next level and transform what users can do on iPad,” said Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of software engineering, during Monday’s WWDC25 keynote. “With a beautiful new design, an entirely new powerful and intuitive windowing system, even more features powered by Apple Intelligence, huge improvements to working with files, and new capabilities for creatives to power their workflows, iPadOS 26 makes our most versatile device even more capable.”

The new Liquid Glass look of tvOS 26 gets out of your way so you can enjoy movies and TV shows more easily. And along with the gorgeous new transparent design, tvOS 26 brings new features that should make using Apple TV even better.

“tvOS brings the best of Apple into your living room,” said Apple TV product manager lead Justin Washington during Monday’s WWDC25 keynote.

“With tvOS 26, we’re making Apple TV more enjoyable than ever,” said. “And it all begins with the new design with Liquid Glass, which looks incredible on the big screen. App icons feel more vibrant, thanks to their layered design and new specular highlights that bring depth and detail to every edge.”

Apple kicked off WWDC25 Monday by showing off iOS 26, iPadOS 26, watchOS 26, and macOS 26. The company’s latest operating systems debut a new unified Liquid Glass visual design and pack several other improvements. Not every iPhone, iPad, or Mac will make the cut this year, though.

Find out the full list of iPhones, iPads, Apple Watches, and Macs eligible for iOS 26, iPadOS 26, watchOS 26 and macOS 26 below.

Apple reinvents the act of making, taking and dodging phone calls with the updated Phone app in iOS 26, thanks to a bold new design and the addition of several cutting-edge features. They include Call Screening and Hold Assist, enabling you to screen unwanted calls before answering them.

“This year, we’re giving you the option to choose a new, unified layout that brings your favorites, recents and voicemails,” said Darin Adler, Apple’s vice president of internet technologies, during Monday’s WWDC25 keynote video. “So, your most used features are right at your fingertips without having to switch views.”

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.

Like iOS 26 and iPadOS 26, macOS Tahoe follows Apple’s new yearly naming scheme. It also adapts the new Liquid Glass design, using glassy UI elements and updated system icons.

But that’s not it. macOS 26 Tahoe includes a redesigned Control Centre, a revamped Spotlight, and, for the first time ever, brings the Phone app to the Mac.

“macOS is the heart and soul of the Mac, and with Tahoe, we’re building on what users love most. Whether you’re a power user or just getting started on Mac, there’s something for everyone, with even more features to turbocharge productivity and make working across Mac and iPhone more seamless than ever before,” said Craig Federighi, Apple’s SVP of Software Engineering.

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 plans to devote a considerable portion of WWDC25 to talking about its AI strategy, according to a reliable source. That’s something of a surprise, as the iPhone maker has no big AI-related announcements to make at the developer conference.

Siri and Apple Intelligence will even get a rebrand, according to this source.

Apple’s yearly Back to School promo will supposedly go live in the US later this month. Like every year, the company will bundle gift cards with selected devices as part of the promo.

Additionally, Apple will double the carrier promos in its retail stores from late June to boost iPhone sales.

Apple won’t show off any new hardware at its developers conference this week, according to a reliable source. There are apparently no Macs or other products ready to launch.

Instead, WWDC25 will focus entirely on operating system upgrades and other software.

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.

iOS improvements over the years have made the iPhone more customizable, more useful and more fun. But iOS 19 (which might be called iOS 26 instead) could raise the bar even higher by adding the features on my wish list.

Leaks strongly suggest the iPhone’s next operating system update will introduce a bold new visual design, drawing heavy inspiration from visionOS, which powers the Apple Vision Pro headset. But that visual overhaul — part of a project reportedly called Solarium that will unify the look and feel of all Apple operating systems — should not be the sole talking point during the iOS segment of next Monday’s WWDC25 keynote.

From long-overdue interface changes to smarter multitasking and better system controls, iOS 19 (or iOS 26, if Apple goes ahead with a rumored change to its naming system) has the potential to push the iPhone experience forward in meaningful ways.

With WWDC25 just days away, here’s what I hope Apple delivers with its next big update.

Apple reportedly is cooking up significant changes to core iPhone and iPad apps, with redesigned interfaces coming soon to the Phone, Safari, Camera and Messages apps. The company plans to reveal the app updates Monday during the WWDC25 keynote, alongside other sweeping changes to its operating systems.

Snapchat just reached a new frontier: your wrist. That’s right, Snap announced a version of its signature application for Apple Watch on Thursday.

But temper your expectations. The app offers a very limited feature set.

Apple reportedly does not plan to drop support for any older Apple Watch models with watchOS 12 (or watchOS 26). A leaker indicates the upcoming watchOS release will support Apple Watch Series 6 and newer models — the same as watchOS 11.

Apple discontinued support for several older Apple Watch models with the release of watchOS 11 in 2024

Ahead of iOS 19‘s unveiling at WWDC25 next week, Apple shared updated iOS 18 adoption figures. As of June 4, 2025, the OS powers 88% of all iPhones launched in the last four years.

This number drops slightly to 82% when considering all active iPhones. More iPhones have adopted iOS 18 than iOS 17 during the same timeframe last year.

The upcoming version of watchOS reportedly will shake up the Apple Watch’s Control Center by adding support for third-party widgets. Right now, it only surfaces toggles for Wi-Fi, Battery, Focus mode, and other system settings.

However, like the iPhone, Apple supposedly will open the watchOS Control Center and allow for greater customization.

While your Apple Watch excels at measuring some fitness metrics, when it comes to calorie counts, it struggles and flails like me on a too-rare gym visit. A new study raises questions about how much trust you can place in data gathered by the smartwatch.

Basically, Apple Watch is great for measuring heart rate and counting steps, but not so much for tallying calories burned. It’s a common problem with consumer-grade health devices.

Apple Arcade expanded its growing library with five new games on June 5 and looks forward to four more in early July. They will offer subscribers fresh gaming experiences across iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV and Vision Pro. And Vision Pro headset users will get to play a spatial-computing version of the comedy racing game What the Car?

The new titles include original releases and popular games making their debut on the subscription service. Plenty of existing games will get updates, too.

Update: Five new Apple Arcade games, described and linked to below, came out June 5, plus Apple looked ahead to four more coming out July 3: The much-anticipated Angry Birds Bounce plus Kingdom Rush 5: Alliance TD+, Suika Game+ puzzles and Crayola Scribble Scrubbie Pets+.

Apple’s global App Store ecosystem facilitated an impressive $1.3 trillion in developer billings and sales throughout 2024, marking a milestone for the platform, the iPhone giant said Thursday.

“It’s incredible to see so many developers design great apps, build successful businesses and reach Apple users around the world,” said Apple CEO Tim Cook. “This report is a testament to the many ways developers are enriching people’s lives with app and game experiences, while creating opportunity and driving new innovations.”

The iPhone could soon take a big leap in wireless charging technology, with new MagSafe 50W charging pucks that support the upcoming Qi 2.2 standard. A well-known leaker found regulatory filings that reveal two new MagSafe charger models from Apple that could enable dramatically faster wireless charging speeds, at least for newer handsets.

WWDC25 is a mere days away. While the hottest news is that iOS, macOS, watchOS and other platforms will get a visual redesign borrowed from visionOS, the question left unasked is … what’s coming to visionOS?

Rumors say there will be new advanced eye tracking features and support for VR hand controllers. But with a full twelve months of development, Apple probably has much more in store for its premium spatial computer.

Here’s what Apple may announce on Monday for the Vision Pro.

A U.S. appeals court on Wednesday shot down Apple’s request to put a hold on a recent judge’s order that opens the App Store to more financial competition.

Apple already made the changes after being ordered to by the federal judge in April, but asked that they be put on hold during the appeal process. A federal appeals court denied the request.

iOS 19/iOS 26 will reportedly enhance the AirPods experience by introducing new head gestures. The earbuds will also become smart enough to stop audio playback when you fall asleep while wearing them. Plus, you may finally be able to use the AirPods as a remote shutter for the camera.

With every new major iOS release, Apple added new features to AirPods as well. It appears the company may continue that trend this year as well.