Highlights:
- New “Liquid Glass” design unifies iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, tvOS, and visionOS.
- Apple Intelligence expands with Live Translation, visual search, and fitness features.
- iOS 26 introduces call screening, message polls, and Apple Games app.
- iPadOS 26 brings a new windowing system and productivity tools.
- macOS Tahoe includes the biggest Spotlight update to date.
- watchOS 26 adds sleep score and FDA-cleared hypertension notifications.
- visionOS 26 enhances spatial experiences with widgets, Personas, and 3D content.
Apple unveils updates across its ecosystem
Apple has released significant updates for iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, tvOS, and visionOS, each now available as a free software update. The releases introduce a new design language called Liquid Glass, alongside expanded Apple Intelligence features, and a wide range of enhancements to apps and services.
A new design with Liquid Glass
For the first time, Apple’s operating systems share a unified design. Liquid Glass, a translucent material that reflects surroundings and refracts light, is now integrated across apps, icons, and widgets. The design aims to deliver consistency across iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and Apple TV, while maintaining unique elements of each platform.
Expanding Apple Intelligence
Apple Intelligence continues to integrate across devices, supporting:
- Live Translation in Messages, FaceTime, Phone, and with AirPods.
- Visual intelligence that allows screenshots to be queried using ChatGPT or searched across platforms like Google and Etsy.
- Genmoji creation by blending emoji.
- Workout Buddy, offering motivational audio insights during workouts.
Developers can also tap into Apple Intelligence for privacy-protected, on-device features, even offline.
iOS 26: New tools for everyday use
iOS 26 introduces:
- Lock Screen customisation with adaptive time display and 3D spatial scenes.
- Call Screening for unknown numbers and Hold Assist for queueing calls.
- Message polls, backgrounds, and message screening from unknown senders.
- New features in Apple Music, Maps, Wallet, and AirPods.
- The launch of Apple Games, a central hub for discovering and playing games.
iPadOS 26: The biggest update yet
The new iPadOS adds:
- An entirely new windowing system for multitasking.
- A menu bar for streamlined access to app commands.
- A redesigned Files app and support for folders in the Dock.
- The Preview app for PDF editing with Apple Pencil.
- Journal app integration and pro-level tools for creative workflows.
MacOS Tahoe: Productivity boosted
MacOS Tahoe introduces:
- Transparent menu bar and more folder and widget customisation.
- Spotlight’s largest update, adding browsing views, enhanced search, and action shortcuts.
- Intelligent Shortcuts powered by Apple Intelligence.
- A new Phone app that syncs iPhone features like Call Screening and Hold Assist.
- Live Activities from iPhone displayed on Mac.
WatchOS 26: Health and fitness focus
The Apple Watch now offers:
- Sleep score to track rest quality.
- Hypertension notifications, FDA-cleared, powered by machine learning.
- A redesigned Workout app and new Flow and Exactograph watch faces.
- Workout Buddy motivational audio.
- Accessibility and interaction updates including wrist gestures and automatic message translation.
TVOS 26: Enhancing home entertainment
Updates for Apple TV include:
- Sing in Apple Music, turning iPhones into microphones.
- Contact Posters in FaceTime.
- Improved profiles for quicker access to personalised recommendations.
VisionOS 26: Deeper spatial computing
Apple Vision Pro gains:
- Widgets that reappear when the headset is worn.
- More natural Personas and lifelike spatial photo scenes.
- Spatial browsing in Safari with embedded 3D objects.
- Support for immersive content from GoPro, Insta360, and Canon.
- New Jupiter environment showing real-time planetary storms.
Accessibility improvements
New features include:
- Accessibility Nutrition Labels on the App Store.
- Magnifier app for Mac with external camera support.
- Accessibility Reader with font and colour customisation.
- Braille Access for advanced braille display use.
- Live Listen controls and real-time captions on Apple Watch.
Availability
iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS Tahoe, watchOS 26, tvOS 26, and visionOS 26 are now available as free updates. Feature availability varies by region and language, with hypertension notifications cleared by regulators in the US and EU.
