Apple Updates for the X-Ray Operating Systems: iPadOS 26, macOS 26, tvOS, and visionOS 26 (Yearbook Conference Summary)

Apple packed a bunch of major updates into its annual Worldwide Developer Conference keynote. During the event the company showed off its new features as well as a sleek design refresh for its operating systems.

Apple gave each of its operating systems a new version number rather than the version number, as predicted. The new names are iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS 26, watchOS 26, tvOS 26, and visionOS 26. They’ll be coming out in late 2025, but still, it’s easier to remember that than iOS 19, watchOS 12, and macOS 16.

Apple is revamping the design across its operating systems. They will have a Liquid Glass theme that will give them more transparency to their buttons, switches, and media controls.

The date, time, notification previews on iOS 26’s lockscreen will also adopt the new look, allowing you to get a clear view of your wallpaper behind all the text.

The next major software update for the phones is callediOS 26, and it has a lot of new features for your phone. There are lots of small improvements and additions that make a big difference in how you use the phone each day, even though there is a new design.

The Phone app is getting an upgrade, as well, as it will now have a layout that combines favorites, recents, and voicemails into one panel, while calls, contacts, and keypad remain on the bottom of the app.

Apple is bringing a major update to iPadOS 26 that should make multitasking easier. There are new windowing capabilities that will allow you to open more windows at the same time. The menu bar is a new addition and the mouse pointer is more precise. It all looks a lot more Mac-like.

Group chats could be vastly improved with the update that is added in Messages. It’s possible to change the background of a chat to give it more personality. To help make group decisions or get an opinion on something, you can create polls. Apple is adding indicators to group chats that will make them feel more lively.

A Centralized Hub for Virtual-Reality Games in the Apple App Store, Play Together, the Spotlight, and the Wrist Swish

There is a centralized hub for all your games in the new games app from Apple. You can see events and updates in your games on the Home tab. The Apple Arcade tab lets you browse the games on the service. You can find all of the App Store games in the Library tab. The Play Together tab lets you see what your friends are doing.

The next macOS software update will introduce an upgrade to Spotlight that will make your search results more relevant with personalization and filtering options to help you search for specific files, folders, apps, and messages. It also gives the chance to send an email or make a note.

The Apple Vision Pro will support PlayStation’s VR2 Sense controllers in visionOS 26, which will let you play a wider variety of virtual-reality games. It’s also adding a new scrolling feature that lets users navigate apps by looking up or down, in addition to spatial widgets that integrate “seamlessly into a user’s space and reappearing every time they put on Apple Vision Pro.”

You will be able to call the Artificial Intelligence assistant when using the same buttons you would use to take a picture. You can search for similar images on the internet and ask additional questions about what you are seeing on your screen.

Apple is including a new gesture called the Wrist Swish in watchOS 26 that you can use to dismiss notifications. The Apple Watch will have a new AI-powered “Workout Buddy,” as well, which will generate personalized advice and encouragements.

Expectations for Apple 26: Live Translated into Messages, FaceTime, and Phone Apps Using AI-powered Liquid Glass

Apple is building AI-powered live translation into the Messages, FaceTime, and Phone apps. The integration allows you to hear speech being translated on the Phone app and automatically translate text in the Messages app. In FaceTime, Apple will display translated live captions while you listen to your conversation partner.

Apple previewed an update that will let users take a photo with their iPhone or iPad by tapping the stem of their AirPods. It’s also working on a new feature that lets users record “studio-quality” vocals in noisy areas with voice isolation. The features will come to the AirPods 4, AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation, and AirPods Pro 2.

Third-party app developers will be allowed to access the large language model used by Apple Intelligence, so that they can create tools of their own.

Here’s a bit more detail on what you can expect from iOS 26 when it releases for everyone this fall. If you want to try it early, Apple has already launched a developer beta, and it will offer a public beta sometime in July.

It seems like changes from Liquid Glass will touch just about every part of the operating system, including apps, buttons, sliders, the Control Center, and your homescreen. Tab bars will also change because of Liquid Glass, shrinking and expanding as you scroll up and down.

What Can I Learn about Visual Intelligence? A Look at Apple’s Models of Hang Assist and Favorite Sites

Apple is taking some cues from Google by adding a call screening feature and a “Hold Assist” feature that can wait on a call for you. The company is also adding a new unified layout option that combines Favorites, Recents, and Voicemails all into one view.

Although we are still waiting for an official announcement from Apple, the new features will be included in the next iteration of the operating system. There are things you can do with visual intelligence. With Genmoji, you’ll be able to combine two emoji into one. You will be able to use Apple Intelligence models with the help of Shortcuts.