Apple’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) is finally here, and as expected, it has revealed its upcoming family of operating systems. The new iteration features a revamped visual interface that extends across the iPhone, iPad, and Mac platforms, marking a shift in Apple’s software aesthetic and its naming scheme.
iOS 26 (yes, Apple has indeed changed its naming scheme for its operating systems, so instead of getting iOS 19, we are getting iOS 26) introduces a fresh visual identity – with a new material called “Liquid Glass.” This translucent element behaves like real glass, reflecting and refracting its surroundings. Liquid Glass intelligently adjusts its appearance based on surrounding content and environmental light, and employs real-time rendering and reacts to movement with specular highlights, creating a lively experience across all supported devices. This new material is integrated from small interactive elements like buttons and sliders to larger components such as tab bars and sidebars, and permeates system experiences including the Lock Screen, Home Screen, and Control Center.
Apple states this material is crafted to bring greater visual emphasis to content and brings a new vitality into controls, navigation elements, app icons, and widgets. Alan Dye, Apple’s VP of Human Interface Design, characterized this as Apple’s most extensive software design update ever, a meticulous rethinking of fundamental software elements. He highlighted how Liquid Glass combines the optical qualities of glass with a fluidity that adapts to content and context, aiming to make even simple interactions more engaging.
“iOS 26 shines with the gorgeous new design and meaningful improvements to the features users rely on every day, making iPhone even more helpful,” Craig Federighi, Apple’s Senior VP of Software Engineering, commented on the matter. “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.”
Apple’s design team has also prioritized focus on content while maintaining user familiarity. Controls, toolbars, and in-app navigation have been reconfigured to align with the rounded corners of modern hardware and app windows. These controls, crafted from Liquid Glass, operate as a distinct functional layer above applications, adapting as users require more options or navigate different sections of an app.
Tab bars and sidebars have been similarly redesigned. In iOS 26, tab bars can shrink during scrolling to emphasize content, then fluidly expand when users scroll back up. On iPadOS and macOS, updated sidebars enhance app immersion by refracting content behind them and reflecting surrounding content or wallpapers, providing a continuous sense of context. These updated design principles apply across various core applications, including Camera, Photos, Safari, FaceTime, Apple Music, Apple News, and Apple Podcasts. To add to this, on the Lock Screen, the time display is now rendered with Liquid Glass, and the Home Screen and desktop feature the Dock, app icons, and widgets crafted from multiple layers of Liquid Glass, offering personalization options and specular highlights.
iOS 26 introduces expanded Apple Intelligence features as well, including a virtual wellness coach, real-time translation capabilities directly within Messages, additions to Genmoji, and more. The integration of Apple Intelligence extends to communication, with suggested polls now appearing in iMessage group chats. Users can also initiate and respond to Apple Pay requests directly within iMessage, which now includes typing indicators. Apple has also implemented new screening tools for iMessage to filter out spam messages, directing unknown senders into a dedicated area until the user decides how to respond.
Furthermore, CarPlay in iOS 26 features a compact design, allowing drivers to maintain visibility of the screen while receiving calls. The update also brings widgets and Live Activities, such as a friend’s flight status, all designed to keep the driver’s focus on the road. These updates extend to CarPlay Ultra, which aims for a unified experience across all driver displays and offers layout and design customization options.
