Apple Reveals iOS 26 with Stunning ‘Liquid Glass’ Design, Deep AI Features & Limited Support for Older iPhones

Apple has officially unveiled iOS 26 at WWDC 2025, marking one of its most transformative updates to date. With a fresh visual overhaul and a deeper push into artificial intelligence, iOS 26 redefines the iPhone experience. It introduces a more personal, dynamic, and intelligent operating system, while also signaling a shift away from traditional versioning towards experience-driven evolution.

A Bold New Design: Introducing Liquid Glass

At the heart of iOS 26 lies the new “Liquid Glass” design language, Apple’s most significant visual redesign since iOS 7. This translucent, motion-reactive UI brings depth and fluidity to the iPhone interface. From the Lock Screen to widgets, app icons, and navigation elements, the new design adapts in real time based on light, color, and device orientation.

The Home Screen now supports glass-inspired icon styling and flexible widget placement. Lock Screen content subtly moves to enhance image backgrounds, while 3D spatial animations add interactivity. Native apps like Safari, Photos, Camera, Music, and Podcasts have been reimagined to better align with this sleek, minimal aesthetic.

Apple Intelligence: Smarter, Safer AI

Apple Intelligence—Apple’s on-device, privacy-first AI suite—receives a major upgrade in iOS 26. It includes:

Visual Intelligence: Contextual awareness of on-screen content, enabling smart actions like adding calendar events, offering shopping help, or real-time translations.

ChatGPT Integration: Enhanced support for screen-based queries and conversational assistance.

Live Translation: Real-time translation in Messages, FaceTime, and Phone, without sending data to the cloud.

Genmoji & Image Playground: Create expressive emojis and custom images using natural language prompts.

Intelligent Shortcuts: Automate actions based on real-time device context and behavior.

Improved Phone and Messaging Experience

The Phone app has been redesigned to unify Recents, Voicemail, and Favourites into a more cohesive interface. New features include:

Call Screening: Real-time voice-to-text transcription of incoming unknown calls.

Hold Assist: Detects when a human responds in long customer service queues.

Messages adds:

Custom chat backgrounds

Inline polls and group typing indicators

Apple Cash transactions

Spam and unknown sender filtering improvements

CarPlay, Maps, and Apple Music Get Smarter

CarPlay evolves with:

Compact call banners

Pinned conversations in Messages

Live Activities and widget integration

Apple Music introduces:

Lyrics Translation: For global music lovers

AutoMix: Seamless transitions between songs

Apple Maps adds:

Visited Places: Logs frequently visited locations using secure, on-device intelligence

Real-time commuting suggestions with live delay updates

Apple Games and AirPods Innovations

A new Apple Games app debuts in iOS 26 as a hub for managing all game-related content, including Apple Arcade titles, events, and achievements.

AirPods gain new gesture controls:

Use the stem to trigger camera functions remotely

Improved microphone support for content creation

Enhanced Privacy, Accessibility & Parental Controls

iOS 26 deepens Apple’s privacy and accessibility efforts:

Safari gets advanced fingerprinting protection

Systemwide Reader Mode and Braille Interface

Streamlined Child Account creation and app approval workflows

Availability and Compatibility

Developer Beta: Available now

Public Beta: Launching next month

General Release: Scheduled for Fall 2025

Supported Devices: iPhone 11 and later

Apple Intelligence Features:

Exclusive to iPhone 16 series, iPhone 15 Pro/Pro Max, and Apple Silicon-based iPads and Macs

Apple has also confirmed that additional languages and region-specific features will roll out before the end of the year.

iOS 26 signals a major step forward in Apple’s mobile software vision—offering an interface that’s more alive, intelligent, and customized to individual users, all while safeguarding privacy and performance.