WWDC 2025: Every announcement that actually matters

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Apple’s WWDC 2025 Day 1 keynote is in the books, and as always, it delivered a firehose of software updates, AI hype, and new ways to make your Apple gadgets look (and act) a bit different than last week.

If you missed the livestream or just want the essentials without the production glitz, here’s what changed—plus a few things you’ll be hearing about for months.

The Big Stuff

iOS 26: The new “Liquid Glass” design makes your iPhone look like it’s been dipped in a lava lamp. App icons, tab bars, and even the text magnifier now have a glassy, almost gooey vibe.

Widgets are fully interactive, notifications are smarter, and Home Screen customization is finally catching up to modern standards. According to Apple, the visual overhaul is one of Apple’s most ambitious projects in years.

Apple Intelligence: Apple’s AI push gets a major expansion, now branded as “Apple Intelligence.” It’s everywhere—suggesting emails, summarizing messages, rewriting texts, and surfacing info across apps.

Siri feels less like a parrot and more like an assistant that understands context. Live translation goes system-wide, and most processing happens on-device for privacy. Apple details the new capabilities and the practical impacts.

macOS 26 (“Tahoe”): Liquid Glass design comes to the Mac, alongside a new Control Center, smarter Spotlight, and improved handoff between Mac and iPad.

The new “Focus Sessions” feature aims to help you avoid distractions, and Apple Intelligence assists in Mail, Safari, and Photos, as reported by Engadget.

iPadOS 26: Most iOS 26 features make the jump, but with improved multitasking, expanded Apple Pencil capabilities, and a floating app shelf. According to Engadget, a new “Sidekick Mode” lets you pair your iPad with a Mac for a customizable control surface.

watchOS 26: Health tracking gets a boost, featuring a more intelligent “Workout Buddy” that adapts routines, new watch faces, more detailed sleep tracking, and improved HomeKit controls. CNN offers more on these upgrades.

tvOS 26 & visionOS 26: Apple TV’s interface is cleaner, recommendations are more personal, and SharePlay works with more services.

Vision Pro receives new gesture controls, “Immersive Spaces” for productivity, and system-wide Apple Intelligence.

Little but Loud

• Call Screen and Hold Assist: The iPhone now screens unknown callers live, letting you read a transcript and decide whether to answer or ignore. Hold Assist deals with automated menus so you don’t have to. Tom’s Guide explains how these features work.
• Apple Music: Lyrics are translated in real time and the app teaches you pronunciation, so you can stop butchering foreign language hits at karaoke. According to TechCrunch, the feature is rolling out this summer.
• Game Mode: Macs and iPads get a new Game Mode to optimize performance and improve controller responsiveness. Enhanced pairing for DualSense and Xbox controllers is also coming, as reported by The Verge.
• HomePod & AirPods Updates: New software for both, including smarter voice recognition and personalized sound profiles, first spotted in the Reddit Megathread.
• Developer Tools: Apple announced new APIs, improved Swift for AI integration, more powerful design tools, and a preview of next-gen ARKit. Details are available via the Apple Developer portal.

Beta Access: You Want In?

If you want to try these updates before everyone else, developer betas for all the new OSes are available now at Apple’s developer portal.

Public betas are set to launch in July—sign up for free at Apple’s Beta Software Program. Just remember: betas can be buggy, so back up your device first.

WWDC 2025 was classic Apple: plenty of polish, a few genuinely useful upgrades, and a lot of talk about privacy and intelligence, sometimes in the same breath.

Whether you’re hyped for Liquid Glass or just want your phone to stop autocorrecting “ducking,” there’s something for almost everyone.

For the full keynote and developer session videos, check out Apple’s official WWDC hub or watch it here.

What do you think about Apple’s bold new “Liquid Glass” look and the deep dive into Apple Intelligence? Are you excited about these changes or feeling skeptical? Drop your thoughts in the comments below.

Kevin Raposo

Kevin is KnowTechie's founder and executive editor. With over 15 years of blogging experience in the tech industry, Kevin has transformed what was once a passion project into a full-blown tech news publication. Shoot him an email at [email protected].