10 things you need to know from Apple’s WWDC 2025 keynote

WWDC 2025 keynote has officially concluded with crucial announcements surrounding the new generation OS. Here are the 10 biggest announcements you need to know.

Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2025 has officially kicked off at Apple Park, Cupertino. Last night, the tech giant hosted the keynote announcement, during which it introduced a new generation of operating systems, which is now called iOS 26 instead of iOS 19. The OS brings a significant redesign to the user interface with “liquid glass” design across devices. While the new iOS 26 interface has become a topic for debate, Apple also introduced some exciting new features to Apple Intelligence, its suite of AI-powered features. While the AI announcements were not as big as last year, the new OS includes some useful features, improvements and greater integration with iPhones, iPads, Macs, and even Apple Watch. Therefore, if you missed out on watching the keynote or want a recap of everything announced at the events, then here are the 10 biggest announcements from the WWDC 2025.

Apple introduces a new generation of operating systems for iPhone, iPad, Mac, and other devices. ( AFP)

By Aishwarya Panda

Aishwarya Panda is a Senior Content Producer at Hindustan Times Digital Stream with nearly 4 years of experience in tech content writing. She is passionate about writing and exploring her interests in the ever-evolving world of technology. She loves to get her hands on new tech products and gadgets, especially in the space of smartphones.

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WWDC25: 10 biggest announcements

Apple’s OS names that make sense to my calendar: Apple has officially rebranded the names of its operating systems this year. At WWDC25, Apple announced the iOS version number that aligns with the year of release. Therefore, the new OS is being called iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS 26, watchOS 26, tvOS 26, and visionOS 26. This aims to simplify understanding between the new versions of OS based on the year. The developer betas for iOS 26 have started to roll out, and the public beta is confirmed for a July release.

Liquid Glass design interface: Apple has redesigned the user interface of iOS 26 across devices, including iPhones, iPads, Macs, and others. The design is being called “Liquid Glass” due to transparent app icons, buttons, media controls, and other interfaces. The new design also comes to the lockscreen, giving a whole look to Apple's experiences.

Camera, Safari, Phone, and other apps get redesigned: Alongside the user interface, Apple has also redesigned the first-party apps, bringing a more simplified interface. The Camera app gets a separate tab for video and photo, along with a new toolbar that lets users switch between modes such as portrait, cinematic, and others. The Phone app also gets a new UI that now includes a new panel consisting of favourites, recents, and voicemails. The Safari app has also been redesigned for a new and seamless experience.

New Games app: Apple has introduced a dedicated games hub for Mac, iPhone and iPad. The Games app will enable users to launch and discover Arcade games. The app will tell users what their friends are playing or invite them for a challenge, track leaderboard, access communication tools, audio controls, and much more in one single place.

New Apple Intelligence features: While Apple Intelligence was not a major part of WWDC. However, Apple did announce some new features and upgrades to its AI features. Firstly, iOS 26 includes a new Live Translation feature that breaks the language barrier across first-party apps. Visual Intelligence gets a major upgrade with on-screen search ability. This will help users to shop for products they found on social media, ask questions to ChatGPT, and much more. Furthermore, Apple also announced upgrades to Gemoji and Image Playground, making them even smarter and playful.

Foundation Models framework: This comes as a major announcement from the WWDC25, as Apple introduced a new hub where developers get access to large language models, which Apple is leveraging offline and on-device. This will let developers add new AI features to the app. Apple also showcased Kahoot, creating quiz questions based on handwritten notes.

iPadOS 26 new windowing system: This year, Apple is making the iPad function more like a Mac with iPadOS 26. One of the upgrades that caught our eye is the new windowing system that lets users access more windows, resize app windows, move apps around the screen, a new menu bar, and much more. Therefore, the iPad is more seamless to use if you are multitasking. Additionally, iPadOS 26 will also get Mac’s Preview app to access files and photos.

WatchOS 26 gets a new workout buddy with Apple Intelligence: Apple Watch now gets Apple Intelligence integration for fitness tracking and in-app functions. With WatchOS 26, Apple introduces a new Workout Buddy that provides users with coaching, workout summaries, and more. Other WatchOS upgrades include Wrist Flick gesture for notifications, smart stack, live translation, and more.

macOS Tahoe 26 gets enhanced Spotlight features: With the new macOS upgrade, Apple introduces great AI integration and improvements to the Spotlight feature, which is smarter. Spotlight can now locate files, documents, apps, and other relevant items on the device. It can also be used for “sending an email, creating a note, or playing a podcast.” It also analyses user activity for personalised actions and experiences.

VisionOS 26 upgrades: Apple introduces spatial widgets that let users customise frame width, colour, depth, and others. The update also brings Personas to enhance digital representations of users. Other upgrades include PlayStation VR2 Sense controllers support, wide field-of-view options, more Apple Intelligence features, and more.