At the WWDC26 keynote, Apple announced the next versions of all its operating systems with a swath of AI features. There are tweaks to the Liquid Glass design, a wide array of tiny quality-of-life and performance improvements, draconian parental controls and limits, and AI in every corner of the operating system.
It was an unusual WWDC keynote that disposed of the typical platform-by-platform format, and a relatively brisk runtime. But if you don’t have 76 minutes to spare, you can get the gist in just 90 seconds.
Apple WWDC26 keynote recap: Watch the event in 90 seconds
The WWDC keynote is one of Apple’s most prominent events of the year. It outlines the top features coming to every software platform in September, setting up the software roadmap for the next 12 months.
Unsurprisingly, after two years of fumbling the ball, this year heavily focused on reintroducing Siri AI and adding more powerful Apple Intelligence features. Check out the highlights:
WWDC26 highlights
- Apple brought a wide list of minor tweaks and performance improvements to all its platforms.
- New parental controls across platforms give sharper tools for controlling what kids see, who they talk to and how much time they spend on devices.
- Siri gets major redesign with chat interface and dedicated app. Siri AI is more conversational and understands your personal context. It has broader world knowledge and can perform actions on your behalf. It also has a dedicated app to resume previous conversations.
- Other Apple Intelligence features include generating Shortcuts and Safari extensions, extensive photo editing tools, realistic generation in Image Playground, systemwide proofreading and much more.
- The European Union won’t get the new Siri AI — at least not on the iPhone and iPad.
Other news, not in the keynote
- iOS 27 includes massive performance tweaks, smarter search in Mail, Dual Capture in FaceTime, independent alarm volume, iCloud Shared Albums with Android and Windows, and so much more.
- iPadOS 27 gets file browsing and transfers that are five times faster, just as fast as the Finder on macOS.
- macOS 27 comes with many design tweaks that walk back Liquid Glass design. It also has dedicated ultrawide display support, resizable iPhone mirroring, a new Spotlight design and many new developer tools.
- watchOS 27 brings a smarter Workout Buddy and Smart Stack, a new App Grid, faster music playback and more.
- visionOS 27 lets you convert panoramas into 3D and use them as an environment and a new Icelandic immersive environment. There’s an entirely new Control Center, curved windows and more.
- When it comes to device compatibility, iOS doesn’t drop any devices, the Mac drops Intel support and the Apple Watch cuts off all but the most recent few models.
D. Griffin Jones is a writer, podcaster and video producer for Cult of Mac. Griffin has been a passionate computer enthusiast since 2002, when he got his first PC — but since getting a Mac in 2008, he hasn’t turned back. His skills in graphic and web design, along with video and podcast editing, are self-taught over 20+ years. Griffin has a bachelor’s degree in computer science and has written several (unpublished) apps for Mac and iOS. His collection of old computers is made up of 40+ desktops, laptops, PDAs and devices, dating back to the early ’80s. He brings all of these creative and technical skills, along with a deep knowledge of Apple history, into his work for Cult of Mac.
