Apple’s highly anticipated annual WWDC (Worldwide Developers Conference) will take place tonight. The Cupertino giant is expected to announce the next iteration of all its major operating systems. With Apple set to introduce iOS 26, its biggest redesign in recent years, there’s plenty of hype surrounding the event. From new Apple Intelligence features to the Games app, here’s everything you can expect at WWDC 2025.
6 Things We Expect To See At Apple WWDC 2025
1. New Liquid Glass (Solarium) Design
The main star of the show will be Apple’s new Solarium design that embraces transparency and glassy elements. It will be available across all OS, including CarPlay, taking inspiration from visionOS. This will be the biggest iOS overhaul in recent years, or so we expect.
This Liquid Glass interface will have rounded corners, redesigned app icons, and buttons. Although, don’t expect Apple to switch to rounded icons on iOS and iPadOS yet. Furthermore, it will have pop-up menus and icons with additional options. This design will also be effective across the menu bar and the Windows buttons on Mac. Borrowing elements from visionOS. While all apps in iOS 26 will receive a fresh coat of paint, system apps like Safari, Camera, and Phone are in for a complete overhaul.
2. Leap To 26 Instead Of 19
Another major change is in the numbering itself. Instead of iOS 19, iPadOS 19, tvOS 19, VisionOS 2,macOS 16, and watchOS 12, Apple will shift to the number 26 at WWDC 2025. Codenamed Luck, Charisma, Discovery, Cheer, and Nepali, these OS will be synchronized to reflect the succeeding year. This change in numbering will be reflected via the company’s new Liquid Glass design. Just like previous macOS versions, macOS 26 will be called Tahoe based on the famous Californian Lake.
3. New Apple Intelligence Features
While AI won’t be WWDC’s focus, it will be the company’s second tryst with Apple Intelligence. Starting with the new translate feature, users can translate text anywhere in the OS. Furthermore, users will be able to live translate phone calls and texts. AirPod users will be able to live translate conversations.
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Apple Intelligence will also be available to third-party developers, letting them create their own AI features. This will be based on Apple’s new foundational AI model. With the updated Genmoji, you can create new emojis by combining two different emojis into one. The Shortcuts app is also getting an upgrade, allowing users to generate shortcuts with just simple text prompts. There will be battery optimization baked into Apple Intelligence, releasing later this year.
4. New Games And Preview App
Remember Games Center app on iOS? Well, Apple is planning to introduce a new dedicated Gaming app to replace it. This one-stop hub will provide access to all Apple Arcade Games and will have five tabs: Home, Arcade, Play Together, Library, and Search. While Apple believes that it could promote mobile gaming, Gurman claims that the new app is underwhelming. For what it’s worth, Apple’s announcement will coincide with the sale of the Nintendo Switch 2 handheld.
Similarly, Apple plans to bring the Preview app from macOS to iOS and iPadOS. So for the first time, iPhone and iPad users will be able to view and manage PDFs without relying on third-party apps. It will be preinstalled with iOS/iPadOS 26, so you can annotate or edit PDF files on the move.
5. New Vision Pro Features
You might have forgotten the Vision Pro, but Apple still seems to remember it. The Vision Pro will finally get eye-scrolling support. This will be useful for scrolling through web pages or lengthy documents. The feature will work in both first and third-party apps.
Another upgrade will be hand controller support. Similar to PS VR, you can now use third-party controllers for specific hand movements. What’s the use case? Well, it opens up new ways to navigate the user interface and play games on VisionOS. Called the Magic Wand, it’s nowhere close to the one possessed by Harry Potter, but it’s a neat way to navigate the UI nonetheless.
6. Multitasking Features for iPad and Apple Pencil Upgrades
According to Mark Gurman, Apple is focusing on new multitasking features for the iPad. This will bring the tablet one step closer to macOS serving the needs of every power user out there. Although you will need to connect a keyboard and a trackpad to use these features. Apple is likely to promote its Magic Keyboard accessory to showcase the feature.
Another major upgrade is the virtual reed calligraphy pen for Apple Pencil users. To bring out the artist in you, Apple is bringing new Calligraphy options for users. Last but not least, users will be able to sync their Wi-Fi passwords across devices. So the next time you bring your iPad to your gym, it will be automatically connected.
