Apple Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2025, starting today, June 9th, takes the wraps off a significant change in the company’s software strategy, reinvigorated by cutting-edge design and a more seamless, though unobtrusive, integration of artificial intelligence.
The rumour mill is spinning with talk of a sweeping overhaul of Apple’s operating systems, as well as subtle AI tweaks that will, in theory, make things a lot more convenient.
One of the announcements to look out for is a possible rebrand for Apple’s software, which could change to a year-based workup.
That would make potential new operating systems iOS 26, iPadOS 26, MacOS 26, watchOS 26 and visionOS 26, aligning software version numbers with the current year. With the new designation, a significant visual overhaul for all platforms is just around the corner as well.
The look is said to be heavily influenced by the translucent design of the Vision Pro, and beyond the name, that’s very exciting… we all long to see a hot new UI.
This new “liquid glass” design (internal codename ”s Solarium) will deliver an even more fluid and reflective UI than the current iPhone-OS 2.x Theme, and it will include updated iPhone-OS 3.x icons, toolbars and pop-up menus that will ensure a more consistent and un-interruptive experience on future Apple devices.
Crucial apps such as Phone, Safari and Camera are said to be getting major overhauls. The caller UI would be a modern scrollable view that would be a mix of favorites, call history and voicemail.
Safari might have a new look with a clear, glassy address bar, and the Camera app might gain improved controls. iPadOS is also going to get a big multitasking overhaul, which should bring it even closer to the Mac experience, and the Apple Pencil might gain new tricks, such as a calligraphy pen mode.
AI is still a focal point, observers say, but the company is likely to take a more conservative, utility-driven approach to new features in 2017. Instead of giant, new standalone AI functions, AI is more likely to be worked into the fabric of our existing user experiences and then arrive at the systems level.
Look for enhancements to systemwide translation tools, such as real-time translation for phone calls and messages, and possibly live interpretation through AirPods. AI assisted battery optimization, and an AI health coach in a Health app are also in the pipeline.
Apple will also reportedly grant third-party developers access to its foundational AI models for the first time. With such a step, developers can build Apple Intelligence functionality such as user-customizable Genmoji, summarization, or AI-assisted Shortcuts directly into their apps, and help surface a more nuanced AI ecosystem.
WWDC 2025 is going to be a crucial one for Apple – it needs to assert its dominance in a post-transition software and AI world where considered innovation and a unified user experience across all of Apple’s products will be particularly important.