At WWDC today, Apple unveiled iOS 26, its next iPhone operating system (OS), which is centered on Apple's new Liquid Glass design for its software platform.
Available across Apple's other operating systems, like macOS, Liquid Glass aims to make the software look and operate as if it has glass edges. You can see this approach throughout iOS 26 in things like the app icons' appearance, which includes softer edges and the option to be translucent.
"An updated set of APIs provides developers with access to Liquid Glass materials and components so they can make their apps appear just as dynamic and delightful," Apple's press release said.
iOS 26 also includes new wallpaper customization options that leverage the Liquid Glass feel. This includes the ability for the clock to auto-adjust length and width based on the image used for the wallpaper. Craig Federighi, SVP of software engineering, demoed how quickly and fluidly this change is supposed to look when you toggle wallpapers.
Additionally, the clock shown on the wallpaper in iOS 26 will change size based on incoming notifications in order to keep in place what the software determines is the best part of the image.
Apple also demoed a 3D-effect option that's supposed to make your wallpaper look like an item in your wallpaper is popping out against the time and background as you move the device around in your hand.
Apple also said users can bring this effect to photos that they took with their iPhone, bringing a new way for people to tweak their images and view them as a "spatial scene," as Federighi put it.
Meanwhile, Apple is updating Safari so that webpages start at the very top of the screen and go down to the edge. The browser bar will live on the bottom and adjust size as you scroll while still enabling users to access commonly used abilities, like refresh and search.
Apple Music, News, and Podcasts are also updated so that the tab bar floats on top of content and shrinks and expands as you scroll down and up, respectively. CarPlay also appears to look a bit cleaner with the update.
Among more of iOS 26's more interesting changes is that Message will put messages sent from users outside yourt contacts in a dedicated folder. You can then mark the number as known, delete the message or request more information.
iOS 26 users can also add custom background to conversations in Messages and make polls.
iPadOS
iPadOS 26 includes the same Liquid Glass approach and redesigned app icon looks as iOS 26. The primary upgrades, though, are centered on improving multitasking and file management.
A big part of that is a new windowing systems that introduces control over launched app's sizes, location, and accesiblity that's more on par with other OSes. For example, you can grab a handle in the bottom right of a window to resize it. When you reopen that app, it'll open in the same size and location as when it was last used.
iPadOS will also lets user view all opened apps at once, They can then tap the screen so that the apps quickly spread out from one another in order to bring more visibility. Tapping again sets the windows to the locations where you most recently positioned them.
iPads are also getting tiling features. For example, you can flick a window to the left side of the screen, and it'll take over the left half of the screen (similar to Windows Snap layouts). If you have multiple windows open, you can make a grabber appear in between the two, allowing you to resize the two apps simultaneously.
iPadOS 26 includes a new menu bar, "where users can access the commands available in an app with a simple swipe down from the top of the display, or by moving their cursor to the top," Apple's announcement said, adding: "Users can quickly find a specific feature or related tips in an app by using search in the menu bar. Additionally, developers can now customize the menu bar in their own apps,"
This story is developing and will be updated ...
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