Apple Unveils iOS 26: All the New Features and Fresh iPhone Look

For the first time in over a decade, Apple is redesigning iOS, the software that powers your iPhone.

iOS 26 (more on the new name below) will have a design that Apple calls Liquid Glass. Expect to see transparent layers and shape-shifting controls that adjust to what you’re doing on your phone. The new design extends to iPads and Macs, too.

Apple’s latest software isn’t available to download until this fall, but we’re on the ground at Apple Park in Cupertino, California, to get a sneak peek at everything coming to your iPhone, iPad, and Macs. Here are the biggest changes you can expect.

Apple is overhauling its operating systems — and their names. Instead of sequential numbering, future updates will now follow the year of release, much like car models. That’s why the latest software unveiled at WWDC is called iOS 26, with iOS 27 set for release next fall. The same naming scheme applies to iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS. macOS will retain its tradition of using California landmarks, with macOS 26 dubbed "Tahoe."

A Whole New Look: Introducing Liquid Glass

Apple is rolling out a brand-new design language across all its devices, called Liquid Glass — the company’s biggest visual revamp since iOS 7.

The design blends tactile physicality with modern clarity. Inspired by the original skeuomorphic design of early iPhones and the minimalist flat look of recent years, Liquid Glass offers frosted-glass menus, rounded corners, depth effects, and a responsive interface. Menus and buttons shift, glow, or break apart as you interact with them.

This dynamic look will support light mode, dark mode, and a new “all-clear” mode, giving your iPhone a semi-transparent, luminous interface.

One Unified Design Across All Apple Devices

For the first tie ever, iPhones, iPads, Macs, Apple Watch, and Apple TV will all adopt this unified Liquid Glass aesthetic. Apple calls it a complete design reset, enhancing both visual consistency and user experience across its ecosystem.