Summary of New Features in iOS 26 and macOS 26: What Are the Latest Updates Announced by Apple?

1. Introduction: The Positioning of WWDC25

Every June, Apple hosts the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) to showcase upcoming OS and development tools. This year, amidst intensifying competition in generative AI, Apple has focused on "Unified Design" and "AI Enhancement" as its two main pillars to meet market expectations. CEO Tim Cook declared at the outset that "Apple products will become the most personal and creative this year," emphasizing a commitment to software integration.

2. What is the New Design Language "Liquid Glass"?

Positioned as the most significant visual overhaul since the introduction of flat design in 2013, Liquid Glass reconstructs the UI with a "through-the-glass" perspective using transparency, refraction, and real-time rendering. Elements like the Dock, sidebar, toolbar, icons, widgets, and notifications are all semi-transparent, aiming to enhance focus on content. Users can change icons to clear, light/dark, or color-tinted styles, and developers can apply these effects to their apps via new APIs.  

3. iOS 26: Redefining the iPhone Experience

3-1. Intelligent Features

• Live Translation: Real-time voice/text translation (including Japanese and 8 other languages) in FaceTime, Phone, and Messages. All conversations are processed on-device.

• Visual Intelligence: Analyzes objects on the screen to suggest product searches, chat consultations, and calendar registrations via screenshots.

• Genmoji & Image Playground: Combine favorite emojis and photos to create AI-generated stamps.

3-2. Communication Features

• Phone App Revamp: Integrates Recents, Favorites, and Voicemail, with Call Screening and Hold Assist to eliminate spam calls and long waits.

• Messages Expansion: Adds automatic isolation of unknown senders, group voting, custom backgrounds, Apple Cash sending/receiving, and typing indicators.

3-3. Car Life & Entertainment

• Supports CarPlay Ultra, compact calls, widgets, and Live Activities.

• Apple Music implements "Lyrics Pronunciation" for lyric translation/pronunciation support and "AutoMix" for automatic DJ mixes.

• Apple Wallet integrates installment payments, boarding pass Live Activity, and airport navigation.

3-4. Apple Games App

A new hub that consolidates game catalogs, updates, and friend activities, reorganizing the Apple Arcade and Game Center experience.

4. macOS Tahoe 26: Reinforcing the "Heart" of the Mac

4-1. Liquid Glass in macOS

Expanding the workspace with a fully transparent menu bar and semi-transparent Dock, allowing folder and icon color changes.

4-2. Deepening Continuity

The iPhone Phone app is natively ported to Mac, enabling Call Screening and Hold Assist. Live Activities on iPhone are mirrored in the Mac menu bar, and clicking them expands the iPhone screen in picture-in-picture.

4-3. The Biggest Evolution in Spotlight History

Displaying search results across categories at once, allowing direct execution of hundreds of "instant actions" like sending emails or creating notes. The new filtering UI speeds up narrowing down PDFs and images.

4-4. Apple Intelligence and Shortcuts

Live Translation, Genmoji, and Image Playground are now available on Mac. Shortcuts can directly access on-device LLM, enabling complex automation.

5. watchOS 26: AI Fitness from Your Wrist

5-1. Workout Buddy

AI analyzes heart rate, distance, and history to provide real-time voice coaching. An example of a pep talk in English: "Only 18 minutes left to complete your Exercise ring!"

5-2. UI and Usability

Smart Stack learns from sensors and activity history to display contextual widgets called "Smart Stack Hints." New gesture controls allow notifications and alarms to be dismissed with a flick of the wrist.

6. Overview of iPadOS 26, tvOS 26, visionOS 26

• iPadOSenhances "desktop-like" capabilities with Liquid Glass design, multi-window improvements, and full file manager integration.

• tvOSenhances immersion with a redesigned control center, cinema-style poster display, and Liquid Glass interface.

• visionOS 26announces expanded multi-app deployment for Vision Pro and improved realism of Personas (avatars) (according to a live report from the Business Insider keynote).

7. Developer Updates

Xcode supports code generation, refactoring, and documentation creation with ChatGPT integration. The new Foundation Models Framework allows third parties to directly call Apple's Intelligence infrastructure, with on-device inference being free of charge. 

8. Supported Devices and Availability

• Developer Beta: Available from June 9

• Public Beta: Scheduled for release in July

• Official Release: This fall (expected to be released in Japan as usual between September and October)

• Hardware Requirements: iOS is supported from iPhone 11 onwards, Apple Intelligence is available for iPhone 16/15 Pro series and M1 or later iPad/Mac. watchOS supports Series 6 and later and all Ultra models. 

9. Impact and Utilization Points for Japanese Users

1. Multilingual Live Translationis convenient for international calls and travel. The inclusion of Japanese in the initial support is significant.

2. Lyrics Pronunciationmakes it easier to learn karaoke for Western music.

3. Apple Wallet Installmentsare noteworthy for how they will integrate with Japan's iD payment system and the points economy.

4. Smart Stack Hintsautomatically detect commuting routines and present transit information and Suica balance widgets, making it highly compatible with urban living.

10. Summary

WWDC25 redefined the entire Apple ecosystem by emphasizing "visual integration" and "AI deepening." The visual cohesion provided by Liquid Glass can be considered the "third turning point" following the Aqua of the 1990s and the flat UI of 2013. On the other hand, Apple Intelligence's high dependency on high-performance devices poses a challenge as it makes it difficult for users of older generations to benefit. The key to widespread adoption will be how much Japanese language support can be expanded by the official release in the fall and how developers can leverage the new APIs.

References

1. The Mercury News

   The biggest updates Apple just announced for the iPhone, Apple Watch and other major products

2. Apple Newsroom (Official)

   Apple unveils iOS 26, macOS Tahoe and more at WWDC 2025

3. The Verge

   All the biggest WWDC 2025 announcements

4. Business Insider

   Apple WWDC 2025 keynote: Full recap and product summary

5. MacRumors

   Apple Intelligence: New AI Features Coming to iPhone, iPad, and Mac

6. 9to5Mac

   watchOS 26 brings Workout Buddy, new Smart Stack, and more

7. Engadget Japan Edition

   Apple announces iOS 26 and more at WWDC25. AI feature "Apple Intelligence" also introduced

8. ITmedia NEWS

   Apple revamps UI with the introduction of "Liquid Glass." Numerous new AI features announced

9. The biggest updates Apple announced for iPhone, Apple Watch, and other major products