We are all excited that Apple’s WWDC 2025 will commence this Monday, June 9th and everybody is dying to know what the new iOS 26 will have in store. Leaks and the latest industry scuttlebutt indicate that this year’s keynote will represent a dramatic pivot from Apple’s previous product pitches, focusing extensively on artificial intelligence (AI) and a wide-ranging revamp of its central operating system.
The most obvious of these is a new user interface for iOS 26, based on the ‘digital glass’ look of visionOS. This should bring transparent menus, glassy effects and an even more fluid and cohesive design across all of Apple’s platforms including iPadOS 26, macOS 26, watchOS 26 and tvOS 26. This one visual language is there to make life seamless for users across their various Apple devices.
Aside from the visual redesigns, the hype will focus on iOS 26’s new AI capabilities. Apple has traditionally had a more restrained presence in AI than its competitors but WWDC 2025 will show a change in that strategy.
The rumors are of a much improved Siri, one that can give you smart personalized advice and automate all kinds of actions. AI-moded battery management which would learn user’s behavior to save energy is also expected.
Critical apps such as Messages, Phone, Safari, and Camera all are cultivations of very advanced AI. The Messages app may add things like creating polls and using custom background images, and the Phone app might get a combined view for favorite contacts, recent calls and voicemail messages, according to reports. Safari is supposed to include a more transparent, glassy address bar, and the Camera app is slated for a streamlined, AI-inflected makeover.
And Apple — so we hear — will also open up its underlying AI models to developers, allowing them to tap Apple’s on-device AI within their own apps. This step could unleash a new surge of inventive, AI-infused apps throughout the App Store.
It’s likely then that iOS 26 will be released in full in September 2025 alongside the iPhone 17 series, although developers and even those who are keen to get their hands on a beta version can expect it sooner, soon after the WWDC keynote in fact. What this year’s show illustrates is that Apple is resetting its strategy, doubling down on a privacy-focused, but super smart, ecosystem.