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Apple is increasingly caught between a rock and a hard place — and not just on Artificial Intelligence.

Here's the problem, one that may have been stretched to breaking point during CEO Tim Cook's 2025 WWDC keynote. There are people in the market for Apple products, who want and have always wanted technology that just works. They want gadgets that are intuitive to use, not intrusive. According to multiple surveys, consumers continue to be distrustful of anything with an AI label. According to the nonprofit IAPP, 57 percent of us believe AI poses a threat to our privacy.

Then there are investors who are in the market for Apple stock, who are always on the lookout for tech products that seem new. Overall, tech investors are still drinking the AI Kool-Aid despite abundant evidence — including a brand new paper from Apple researchers! — that AI's ability to reason, and to be useful in general, may have already hit a wall.

SEE ALSO: 'The illusion of thinking': Apple research finds AI models collapse and give up with hard puzzles

Apparently, Apple is trying to keep both of those groups happy. Result: a keynote that liberally sprinkles on mentions of "Apple Intelligence," a rebranding of many software services (including voice assistant Siri, which got just one shout-out compared to multiple mentions of ChatGPT), but failed to gin up any excitement about what Apple Intelligence can do for you.

Given privacy is a major concern for consumers, it's cool that Apple Intelligence won't send any of your queries to the company. But we already knew that from Cook's 2024 keynote that introduced Apple Intelligence. Without getting tough on dangers posed by other companies who are more reckless with your data when it comes to AI — the same way Cook once dared to call Android a "toxic hellstew" — mentions of privacy just fly by like an F1 race car.

More than anything else, Apple's updates were mere vibes. Apple Intelligence is a vibe. The "liquid glass" design refresh is a vibe. Craig Fedherigi is definitely a vibe. But tech stocks are coasting on a different vibe right now, the one OpenAI's Sam Altman has been nurturing for the last three years — including hiring Apple legend Jony Ive to create a screenless gadget. There are only so many F1 dad jokes Apple can make to compete with that alluring vision.

The Apple analyst who called the event a "yawner" because Apple did not "monetize on the AI front" spoke for the market, which drove Apple stock down from the minute the keynote began.

How Apple is being a people-pleaser "Yes. F1, baby." Credit: Apple keynote, Mashable screenshot

You'd think the interests of Apple consumers and Apple investors would not diverge, and for most of the past two decades they haven't. Thanks to the roaring success of the iPhone, Apple got millions of new customers for all its well-designed, highly-rated, premium price products. Investors rewarded that runaway growth by making Apple the first company ever with a market capitalization of more than $3 trillion.

But Apple is increasingly dealing with mature markets. Or in normal person-speak, its gadgets have solved most major problems and settled down into standard versions of themselves. The average user can buy an iPhone now and be reasonably confident that its superfast chipset and self-updating software will keep it future-proofed for the next five years or so. You can still rock an iPhone 11 from 2019 well into 2026; it's the oldest phone that officially supports the upcoming iOS 26.

And that's as it should be! Apple would not have earned its current level of love from consumers if it had gone any further with the obnoxious business strategy known as planned obsolescence, or if it wasn't trying to rein in the environmental impact of its gadgets. A business model that has nothing to do with selling user data means the company can crow about privacy on billboards.

But it also means Cook has to work extra hard to convince the market that incremental updates are something to be excited about — and risks looking extra in the process.

"Liquid Glass" is a case in point. Fedherigi described it as a "material" that sits atop the user interface in Apple OSes, as if the company had literally injected liquid glass into all its screens. Spoiler alert: it hasn't. Liquid Glass is just a design language that makes menus a bit more "see-through-y", in Mashable senior editor Stan Schroeder's memorable summary. Such obvious overhyping makes Apple marketing a bit more see-through-y too.

In search of a new look, Liquid Glass also adds a drop shadow to some icons — verboten at Apple back when Jony Ive was there. Former Apple executive Scott Forstall was ousted in 2012 in part because he championed this kind of design, known as skeumorphism, whereas Ive favored a flat look. Apparently Apple has extended its recycling program to include design ideas.

Apple's new call screening feature will positively affect more lives than Liquid Glass. But Android has taken the lead on that front, so Cook can't really claim credit for it; it's just listed as one of a grab bag of features in Apple Intelligence. Polls in group chats? That's also an Apple Intelligence feature. Order tracking in Apple Wallet? Sure, let's call that Apple Intelligence too.

But whether you fear AI or love it, that grab-bag approach to what Apple Intelligence actually is ain't going to cut it. Investors, who have already sent the market cap of AI-leveraged companies like Microsoft and Nvidia soaring higher than Apple's, aren't going to be satisfied with what seems like a weak commitment to the coming AI era. And so long as he refuses to explain what the market and other companies get wrong about AI, Cook will stay stuck between the rock and the hard place.

Apple’s 2025 Worldwide Developers Conference keynote was sparse on the kind of groundbreaking announcements it’s usually known for. With no major hardware reveals until September and no pressure to wade into undercooked tech categories like AI or augmented reality, the Silicon Valley giant went back to basics. The message was clear: iOS needs an update.

That was the crux of this year’s keynote, with Apple CEO Tim Cook and Senior VP Craig Federighi diving deep into the all-new iOS 26 redesign, dubbed Liquid Glass. Apple also confirmed it's introducing a new naming convention for all of Apple’s software platforms, aimed at aligning with the company’s vision for the future. While Apple Intelligence and AI weren’t the headline act, the OS does include new AI features. From live translations to music tools and Safari enhancements, AI is embedded across the system, even if it feels a bit reactionary following the Google I/O 2025 keynote, which was all AI, AI, and more AI.

iOS 26, along with updates across Apple’s hardware operating systems, brings a mix of big swings and incremental upgrades. Here’s a full breakdown of everything announced at WWDC 2025, including iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS 26, tvOS 26, and WatchOS 26.

And let's start with...

iOS 26 updates Good enough, welcome back Windows Vista. Credit: Apple

Apple's new visual style is called Liquid Glass, and the translucent UI marks Apple’s most significant visual overhaul in years. It keeps the core layout familiar but introduces a suite of subtle quality-of-life improvements designed to make navigation smoother and more intuitive.

“Expressive” was the word Federighi leaned on to describe the new look, with demos showcasing apps that appear to float in space — a design language clearly borrowing from the spatial interface of Vision Pro. That spatiality now filters down to iPhone, giving everything a slick, responsive, and notably fluid feel.

This includes an updated Dark Mode and an all-new Clear theme — Apple’s take on a fully translucent UI that somehow feels modern, minimal, and a rich man's version of Windows Vista.

It’s a noticeable shift that brings a handful of thoughtful features. Nothing revolutionary, but enough to make you pause and think, okay, that’s pretty clever.

Live translations Credit: Apple

In one of the more genuinely useful Apple Intelligence features for everyday users, Live Translations are now integrated into Messages, FaceTime, and other core apps. It’s arguably the flagship AI-driven feature in iOS 26. Apple says the real-time translations are processed entirely on-device and can even mimic the user’s voice during translation — a technical flex that’s impressive, if slightly uncanny.

The feature also extends to music, with support for real-time lyric translations and live pronunciation to help users sing along. How seamless it all feels in practice remains to be seen.

Phone

The Phone app is getting a streamlined new layout that brings Favorites, Recents, and Voicemails into a single, unified view. Building on the existing Live Voicemail feature, Apple is also introducing Call Screening, which prompts unknown callers to explain why they're calling, giving you the chance to decide whether it's worth your time.

Apple wants to give you your time back. Credit: Apple

The standout addition, though, is Hold Assist. When you’re stuck waiting for a live agent, your iPhone will now alert you the moment a real person picks up. A small upgrade, but a smart one.

Photos

Photos are finally — finally — getting the visual "overhaul" it desperately needed. The app has been a mess since iOS 18, when Apple turned what was a perfectly functional interface into something oddly convoluted, burying albums and making navigation a chore.

Credit: Apple

With iOS 26, Photos is being restructured around two main tabs: one for your full photo library and the other for your collections. Apple is framing it as a sleek, modern redesign, but really, it’s a return to the pre-iOS 18 layout, just better looking. It's a reinvention of the wheel, sure, but at least it's a wheel that actually rolls.

Messages Credit: Apple

Group chats are getting a solid quality-of-life update in iOS 26, with the addition of Apple Pay integration and built-in Polls. It’s a small but meaningful upgrade that makes coordinating with friends or splitting bills a bit more seamless.

Messages is also getting smarter about unknown numbers, automatically sorting them into a separate folder. From there, you can mark them as known, request more info, or delete them entirely. Which is particularly useful for online daters navigating their talking stage graveyard.

Now integrated with Apple Intelligence, the app will now suggest creating a poll when it detects that a decision needs to be made, and works in tandem with Image Playground for generating custom backgrounds to personalize your chats.

CarPlay

The new design for CarPlay introduces a compact view for incoming calls, so drivers can see who’s calling without losing sight of critical info like navigation directions.

Credit: Apple

Messages in CarPlay now supports Tapbacks and pinned conversations, making it easier to keep track of active chats on the go. Plus, with the addition of widgets and Live Activities, staying informed while driving looks to be more seamless and less distracting.

Apple also introduced CarPlay Ultra, an enhanced version of CarPlay designed specifically for its luxury automotive partnerships, starting with Aston Martin. Despite the name sounding like a subscription tier (it’s not… at least for now), CarPlay Ultra is touted as a deeper, more immersive integration of Apple’s software into the car’s entire being.

Credit: Apple

Instead of being confined to the central infotainment screen, CarPlay Ultra extends across all driver-facing displays, blending iPhone functionality with the vehicle’s native systems for a more unified and premium in-car experience.

Maps, Wallet, and a Passport Digital ID

Apple Maps is getting a memory upgrade in iOS 26 with Visited Places, a feature that logs where you’ve been, like restaurants or shops, and organizes them right in the app. Sure, Google Maps has done this for years, but Apple’s finally catching up.

Credit: Apple

The app also gets smarter about your daily patterns. Using on-device intelligence, iPhone can now recognize regular routes — like your commute — and surface preferred directions, flag traffic delays, and suggest faster options, all from the lock screen.

As expected, it raises some privacy flags. But Apple claims both Visited Places and daily route tracking are end-to-end encrypted and can’t be accessed by the company itself, though by now, that promise feels more like a standard PR line than a standout feature.

Adding to the pile of privacy-adjacent updates, Apple Wallet in iOS 26 now supports Digital ID for passports, though Apple is quick to note it’s not a replacement for your physical passport. You can add it to your Wallet, and it’s currently accepted by TSA in 10 states and Puerto Rico. (For context, Digital IDs are recognized in 14 states total, but holdouts like New York and Louisiana use their own apps and don’t support Apple Wallet.)

Credit: Apple

Boarding Passes are also getting smarter with Live Activities integration. They let you share your flight status with friends in real-time, so they know when you land — no group text updates required.

A new Games app Credit: Apple

Apple is finally taking mobile gaming more seriously with the new Apple Games app. It pulls everything into one place—a Home tab for updates to the games you actually play, a dedicated section for Apple Arcade, and a Library that tracks every game you’ve ever downloaded.

There’s a new “Play Together” tab for comparing scores, sending invites, and competing in real-time challenges with friends. It works in portrait or landscape, and pairs smoothly with a controller.

Safari

According to Apple, Safari in iOS 26 is getting a boost in privacy and design. The mobile browser now includes advanced fingerprinting protection while browsing. Visually, Safari adopts a more rounded, edge-to-edge look — web pages now flow seamlessly from the top of the screen to the bottom.

Accessibility Features

iOS 26 brings a wave of meaningful accessibility updates across the Apple ecosystem. Accessibility Reader introduces a customizable, systemwide reading experience tailored to individual needs, while Braille Access delivers a completely rethought interface for users connecting braille displays to iPhone.

Apple has also improved features like Live Listen, Background Sounds, and Personal Voice, aiming to make day-to-day device use more intuitive and inclusive.

iPadOS 26 updates Credit: Apple

Apple claims iPadOS 26 is its most ambitious iPad update yet — combining the sleek new Liquid Glass design with deeper productivity features and expanded Apple Intelligence integration. The headline feature for iPadOS 26 is a powerful new Apple "invention" called Windows — an upgrade that finally lets users freely resize, move, and tile apps across their iPad screen. And no, this does not make the iPad just like a Mac. They have different names, after all.

Still, it’s the closest the iPad has come to feeling like a true multitasking machine, shedding some of the clunky constraints of Split View and Slide Over. It’s not macOS, but it's not far off either — just don’t say that too loudly in Cupertino.

The Files app gets new folder customization and default app settings, and the long-awaited Preview app comes to iPad for editing PDFs and images with Apple Pencil.

Creative pros get features like Background Tasks, local capture for recording, and improved audio input tools, while the Journal app, Game Overlay, and a new menu bar round out a packed update focused on making the iPad more capable, personal, and pro-friendly than ever.

macOS Tahoe 26 updates Credit: Apple

macOS 26, now officially named macOS Tahoe, builds out the Mac experience with deeper iPhone integration, smarter system-wide intelligence, and a much beefier Spotlight. The Phone app finally lands on macOS, complete with Call Screening and Hold Assist, while Live Activities can now surface in the menu bar for real-time updates like flights or rides.

Credit: Apple

Spotlight gets its biggest update yet — it can now execute actions like sending emails or creating notes, and supports filtering, quick keys, and results from third-party cloud services. Apple Intelligence brings on-device Live Translation, smarter Shortcuts, Genmoji customization, and new tools in Image Playground.

Credit: Apple

A personal favorite from the keynote is the updated Finder, which lets users customize folder icons with colors and symbols, and themes offer more personalized desktop setups.

tvOS 26 updates

tvOS 26 brings new content features and quality-of-life improvements to the Apple TV experience. Users can now set up individual profiles for personalized recommendations and continue watching across devices. The TV app has been redesigned to prioritize content, with streamlined playback controls that stay out of the way.

Credit: Apple

Cinematic poster art adds some polish, but, to be honest, the real highlight of the tvOS 26 spotlight was the Apple TV+ preview: Chief of War with Jason Momoa, Foundation season 3, Slow Horses season 5, and a new Denzel Washington film titled Highest to Lowest are all on the way.

It’s a steady update that Apple intends to be more personal and content-driven.

watchOS 26 introduces Workout Buddy Credit: Apple

It kind of feels like Apple’s heart just isn’t in watchOS anymore, at least based on what was shown at WWDC. The headline feature is Workout Buddy, an AI-powered fitness coach that dishes out real-time encouragement, milestone callouts, and personalized playlists, all voiced by synthetic versions of Fitness+ trainers.

The Workout app itself finally gets a much-needed redesign, making it easier to jump into custom routines and access pacing tools without digging through menus. Beyond that, most of what’s new in watchOS is inherited directly from iOS 26 — small quality-of-life improvements that round out the experience, but don’t exactly move the needle.

VisionOS 26 updates Good enough. Welcome back 'L.A. Noire." Credit: Apple

Finally, to wrap up this round-up, it’s VisionOS 26 and Vision Pro — the source of inspiration behind Apple’s new Liquid Glass aesthetic and translucent UI design overhaul across its platforms.

This year’s update doubles down on spatial computing and everyone's "love" for widgets. This includes spatially aware widgets that persist in your physical environment, letting users pin things like clocks, weather, and photos around their space, customizable down to frame depth and color.

Apple’s also focused on social and collaborative use cases. Users can now share spatial experiences with others in the same room or dial in friends via FaceTime. Safari supports interactive 3D models embedded in web pages, and developers can tap into new APIs to make apps more immersive.

That includes Personas, which is getting a — slightly less creepy — glowup. With the help of some "enhanced volumetric rendering," Personas invade your digital space with sharper detail, full side profiles, and more natural motion.

And yes, you can still watch movies and play games — because it's still a $3,500 headset, after all.

The self-driving taxi company also said its vehicles were in the wrong place at the wrong time in Los Angeles after protesters set fire to several of the cars there.

YouTube quietly loosened its video moderation rules a few weeks before Donald Trump was sworn in as president a second time, reports the New York Times.

The new rules encourage the site’s moderators not to remove videos that break YouTube’s code of conduct — which bans nudity, graphic violence, hate speech, and incendiary misinformation — if the videos are considered to be in the public interest. Previously, YouTube would keep up videos it considered in the public interest if only a quarter of its content was considered in violation of its rules; now, half of a video’s content can still break the rules and remain up, according to the Times.

YouTube considers content concerning “elections, ideologies, movements, race, gender, sexuality, abortion, immigration, censorship and other issues” part of the public interest, according to the Times, which viewed the training materials where the change was outlined.

SEE ALSO: Meta reportedly replacing human risk assessors with AI

YouTube, owned by Alphabet, the parent company of Google, made the change in mid-December by introducing the updated training materials to moderators. Similarly, Meta, owner of Facebook and Instagram, ended fact-checking on social posts in January, the same month Trump entered the White House. Many Republicans, including Trump, have called for tech giants to minimize or end moderation on their users’ content. X ended fact-checking after Elon Musk bought the social media site in 2022, implementing a crowdsourced Community Notes feature instead. While X and Meta publicly announced they were ending or minimizing moderation, YouTube did not. 

The Times cited several examples of YouTube’s new policy. One included a 43-minute video about Trump’s cabinet appointees that remained up even though it included a slur against a transgender person. Another included a South Korean video that was not taken down even though a commentator discussed an imagined scenario involving a politician being killed by a guillotine. YouTube decided to keep the video up because “execution by guillotine is not feasible.”

When reached for comment, YouTube representatives stated that moderators removed 192,856 videos in the first quarter of 2025, which actually constituted a 22 percent year-over-year increase. Additionally, a YouTube spokesperson directed concerned viewers to visit their Community Guidelines Transparency Report for more details and clarity on the policy change.

"We regularly update our Community Guidelines to adapt to the content we see on YouTube," YouTube spokesperson Nicole Bell said in a statement to Mashable. "As examples, earlier this year, we retired our remaining COVID-19 policies and added new protections related to gambling content. The New York Times article is about a separate aspect of our approach: our long-standing practice of applying exceptions to our policies for content that serves the public interest or has EDSA (educational, documentary, scientific, artistic) context. These exceptions apply to a small fraction of the videos on YouTube, but are vital for ensuring important content remains available. This practice allows us to prevent, for example, an hours-long news podcast from being removed for showing one short clip of violence. We regularly update our guidance for these exceptions to reflect the new types of discussion and content (for example emergence of long, podcast content) that we see on the platform, and the feedback of our global creator community. Our goal remains the same: to protect free expression on YouTube."

Apple kicked off its 2025 Worldwide Developers Conference with a glossy flourish: a sweeping UI redesign called Liquid Glass for the newly christened iOS 26. It’s translucent, fluid, and "expressive," Apple says. Nearly every new feature is now stitched together with some form of Apple Intelligence or, in some cases, OpenAI’s ChatGPT.

However, amid all the name-dropping of LLMs and neural networks, one thing was conspicuously missing: Siri. Apple’s OG AI assistant. Apparently, she’s still not ready for her makeover.

"As we've shared, we're continuing our work to deliver the features that make Siri even more personal," said Craig Federighi, Apple’s SVP of Software Engineering, during the keynote. "This work needed more time to reach our high-quality bar, and we look forward to sharing more about it in the coming year."

When Apple first introduced its Apple Intelligence branding almost exactly a year ago, it was supposed to usher in a smarter, sharper Siri — a reimagined voice assistant powered by AI that combined its legacy system with Apple Intelligence to handle more advanced queries. But, as Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman has reported, Apple’s entry into the AI race has been more reluctant than revolutionary.

Because of this, Siri has become something of a collateral victim in what can only be described as Apple’s internal AI scramble. You can see the fallout in how iOS 18 has handled its so-called intelligence upgrades, rolled out in fragmented waves over the last year or so.

Back in March, Gurman noted Apple was still "running way behind" on delivering any substantial updates to Siri, with its more conversational, AI-enhanced version unlikely to land before 2027.

So, yes, iOS just got a sleek new skin, but Siri is still stuck in the waiting room.

Disclosure: Ziff Davis, Mashable’s parent company, in April filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed upon Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.

On Monday, June 9, Apple held its annual Worldwide Developers Conference, where it confirmed that the successor to iOS 18 will actually be iOS 26. It's part of a whole new naming convention and a fresh new look, and it was the headline from an event packed with updates. See also: new Apple Intelligence features, the announcement of macOS Tahoe, and a new Live Translation feature.

At a glance, there's a lot to like about Apple’s new iOS 26, up to and including Liquid Glass, Cupertino’s brand new multi-platform design language. The hype train is real since it’s the first iOS design overhaul since 2013.

So, when can you actually get the iOS 26 update?

Apple intends to release iOS 26  to everyone this fall as a free software update, but enterprising individuals can try it early with the beta. 

The release of iOS 26 Liquid Glass is the biggest Apple redesign in over 10 years. Credit: Apple

In a press release, Apple only says that iOS 26 is coming in the fall.

You could wait for the stable release, which is coming to every iPhone from the iPhone SE and iPhone 11 series to the latest iPhone 16e. Alternatively, you can try out the iOS 26 beta starting today. Back in the olden days, you used to need a $99 Apple Developer account. These days, it’s much easier and $99 cheaper since you can get into it for free. You just have to know how to do it.

Read this before trying the iOS 26 beta

A note before we begin, betas tend to have bugs, glitches, and other instabilities that may make it difficult to use for daily use. For the most part, betas are a lot more stable than they used to be but it’s not guaranteed. Make sure you understand the risk before installing a whole OS, whether it’s iOS 26 or Samsung’s One UI 8 beta. 

So, before you start, you’ll want to make sure everything is backed up in case something goes wrong and familiarize yourself with the process of reinstalling iOS 18.5. 

Eager to try all the new iOS 26 features? Try the beta. Credit: Apple How to install the iOS 26 beta

Note: You’ll want to make sure your iPhone is on the latest update, which is currently iOS 18.5. You’ll want to have a compatible phone as well. 

Getting the beta is a lot easier than it used to be, especially since Apple has a free tier of its Developer Program. Since that’s all you need to download the beta right now, you can download iOS 26 today. Here’s how:

• If you are already a developer, skip this part. 

• If you are not, head to this link and follow the instructions to sign up for a free Apple developer account. 

• Note: The process may ask for payment, but you can back out once you get to that point, and you should still have a free developer account. 

Once that’s done, go to the Apple Developers website and log in with your new (or existing) developer account. Once done, enroll your device for the Apple Beta Software Program. After that, do the following:

• On the device you enrolled, go to Settings > General > Software Update > Beta Updates. 

• Choose the iOS 26 Developer Beta.

• Return to the prior menu screen and tap Download and Install. 

• Grab a cup of coffee. It’s a whole OS update and it’s going to take a while.

If the iOS 26 Developer Beta doesn’t appear in your settings. Wait a few minutes or reboot your device. It should show up then. 

Alternatively, you can sign up for the public beta that is slated to launch next month. You can sign up for the public betas on Apple’s Beta Software Program website linked above and enroll your device. Once the public beta is ready, you’ll be able to install it. 

Which devices can run the iOS 26 beta? Some of the new Messages features in iOS 26. Credit: Apple

All of the devices that will receive iOS 26 at launch should be compatible with the beta. The list includes:

• iPhone SE (second generation and later)

• iPhone 11, Pro, and Pro Max

• iPhone 12, Mini, Pro, and Pro Max

• iPhone 13, Mini, Pro, and Pro Max

• iPhone 14, Plus, Pro, and Pro Max

• iPhone 15 Plus,, Pro, and Pro Max

• iPhone 16 Plus, Pro, and Pro Max

• iPhone 16e

Alternatively, you can sign up for the public beta that is slated to launch next month. You can sign up for the public betas on Apple’s Beta Software Program website linked above and enroll your device. Once the public beta is ready, you’ll be able to install it. 

What’s new in iOS 26? Liquid Glass has lots of translucent, clear, and customizable elements. Credit: Apple

On top of the new Liquid Glass design language, Apple has tucked some other neat stuff under the hood. Apple Maps got some cool new features, as did iMessage and the Call app. The iPad received something we’ve never heard of before called “windows.” There was a lot more from the keynote, but honestly, you’re here because you want to try Liquid Glass, and I don’t blame you. It looks pretty sweet. 

We’ll be diving more into iOS 26 as we learn more, so keep an eye out for more information.

Scale AI, an artificial intelligence start-up, has built a business by labeling and culling data to make it easier to use to train A.I. systems.

Apple is releasing a substantial new iOS iteration later this year, but like always, some iPhones will be unable to run the operating system and will be functionally left behind by the Apple ecosystem.

Tim Cook and friends announced and elaborated on iOS 26 at Apple's annual WWDC keynote livestream on Monday. The new version of iOS brings a host of new features, such as the new "Liquid Glass" design language, improved live translation, and a sorely needed reorganization of the Camera and Photos apps. As you may have noticed, we also jumped from iOS 18 to iOS 26, as Apple has adopted a new OS naming scheme that focuses on years rather than version numbers.

SEE ALSO: Apple WWDC 2025 keynote event: live updates

However, this news comes with a bit of disappointment for some iPhone owners. Each new version of iOS represents a new group of older iPhones that will be effectively cut off from major software updates, thus incentivizing their owners to spend money on a newer iPhone instead. Here is the list of iPhones that support iOS 26, for those who are curious about the status of their older iPhones.

SEE ALSO: Apple's WWDC 2025 keynote ends with a piano man singing real App Store reviews Every iPhone that supports iOS 26

The list of iOS 26-compatible iPhones is as follows:

• iPhone SE (second generation and beyond only)

• iPhone 11, Pro, and Pro Max

• iPhone 12, Mini, Pro, and Pro Max

• iPhone 13, Mini, Pro, and Pro Max

• iPhone 14, Plus, Pro, and Pro Max

• iPhone 15, Plus, Pro, and Pro Max

• iPhone 16, Plus, Pro, and Pro Max

• iPhone 16e

You can go ahead and pencil in the as-yet-unannounced iPhone 17, too. That means every iPhone model older than iPhone 11 is out of luck here. iPhone X line owners who got iOS 18 last year will have to upgrade at some point if they want to take advantage of the new features iOS 26 brings to the table. It's also worth noting that any Apple Intelligence features will be limited even further to iPhone 15 and 16 models (until the 17 is inevitably announced, too).

There's no official release date for iOS 26 yet, but expect it to drop before the end of the year.

Apple announced a ton of new features at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference, including personalized backgrounds and customizable emoji, a new design language called Liquid Glass, and the macOS 26 update, "Tahoe." Among those exciting new updates are a ton of changes to the iPad, coming this fall in iPadOS 26.

"iPadOS 26 is our biggest iPadOS release ever, with powerful features that take the experience to the next level and transform what users can do on iPad," Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of Software Engineering, said in a press release. "With a beautiful new design, an entirely new powerful and intuitive windowing system, even more features powered by Apple Intelligence, huge improvements to working with files, and new capabilities for creatives to power their workflows, iPadOS 26 makes our most versatile device even more capable."

So, what changes are coming to your iPad with iPadOS 26? It's not just a new look, even if that was the main focus at WWDC 2025. Here's everything you need to know about the new iPad updates announced at Apple's 2025 WWDC.

Featured Video For You WWDC 2025: Everything revealed in 10 minutes SEE ALSO: Apple WWDC 2025 keynote event: live updates Did someone say Windows? Did someone say Windows? Credit: Apple Windows, Apple style. Credit: Apple

If you didn't expect an Apple event to talk about Windows so much, you're not alone. And yet — they really couldn't stop saying it.

iPadOS 26 gives users the ability to play around with app windows, including being able to resize them, drag and place them on the screen, close, minimize, and tile them. And the new menu bar makes it even easier to navigate through all those windows.

Liquid Glass is a "Beautiful New Design," according to Apple Meet Liquid Glass, Apple's new look. Credit: Apple

At WWDC 2025, Apple introduced Liquid Glass, a new visual aesthetic that brings more glass-like and translucent features to your display. Liquid Glass is one of the biggest redesigns in recent Apple history, and so far the Mashable hive mind seems to be in favor of the new look.

Not only can you customize the appearance of widgets and other elements on the display, but you can also make them clear, creating the illusion of additional space on the screen. This translucent design appears in all sorts of ways across iPadOS 26, as well as in iOS 26 and macOS 26.

Translucent elements will become much more common with Liquid Glass. Credit: Apple Apple Intelligence on your iPad

Apple Intelligence is bringing Live Translation to your iPad in Phone, FaceTime, and Messages — just like it did to your iPhone. You can create new custom Genmoji thanks to Apple Intelligence, for example. You can even use ChatGPT to create new Contact Posters and other images for your Apple tablet.

Of course, WWDC 2025 included a ton more Apple Intelligence updates (just not as much as some Apple fans would have liked).

Files gets a facelift Files gets a face lift Credit: WWDC 2025

As part of the new Liquid Glass personalization options, your Files widget is getting a makeover.

A newly enhanced Files app makes it easier for users to identify folders, customize folders with colors, icons, and emojis, and drag them onto the Doc in iPadOS 26.

Apps, new and old

If you love Preview on your MacBook, we have great news for you: The app is finally coming to your iPad, making it way easier to mark up PDFs without the rigmarole of using a separate app. The calculator app is bringing 3D graphics to Math Notes, and users now have the ability to import and export notes in the Notes app into a markdown file.

When does iPadOS 26 arrive?

In a footnote in the official press release, Apple only says that the new iPad software features will be available "as a free software update" in the fall. Assuming we don't get any new iPad releases later this year, that means iPadOS 26 will be coming to the following devices: iPad Pro (M4), iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd gen and later), iPad Pro 11-inch (1st gen and later), iPad Air (M2 and later), iPad Air (3rd gen and later), iPad (A16), iPad (8th gen and later), iPad mini (A17 Pro), and iPad mini (5th gen and later). However, Apple Intelligence features will only be available with devices running Apple's M series silicon chips.

Waymo suspended its self-driving taxi service in downtown Los Angeles after people set fire to some of the company's vehicles on Sunday.

Peaceful protests began in L.A. on Friday, in response to workplace raids conducted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, targeting undocumented residents.

By late Sunday, some of the protests turned violent as President Donald Trump authorized the deployment of National Guard troops and threatened to send military troops to the area. California Governor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass both criticized Trump's moves as "purposefully inflammatory" and a "chaotic escalation."

The Los Angeles Police Department said Sunday evening that "agitators" had "splintered" into downtown L.A.

It's unclear whether the individuals who torched the Waymo cars were affiliated with organized protests or were agitators who capitalized on the situation. Before the cars burned, they were graffitied with anti-ICE messaging.

SEE ALSO: Smooth, silent, strange: What it's really like to hail a robotaxi

Waymo is owned by Alphabet, the parent company of Google, though there is no evidence yet to suggest the vandals knew that. A Waymo spokesperson told Mashable that the company is in touch with law enforcement.

The LAPD asked people to avoid the area following the fires.

"Burning lithium-ion batteries release toxic gases, including hydrogen fluoride, posing risks to responders and those nearby," the department said on X.

Waymo removed the burned vehicles from the street, according to the New York Times.

Over the weekend, Trump attacked California politicians multiple times on his social media platform, Truth Social. On Sunday afternoon, he also called for bringing in military troops to respond to protests. Trump also deployed National Guard troops to the protests.

Governor Newsom said on X that the federal government was trying to create a "spectacle" by "taking over" the state's National Guard troops.

Authorities used tear gas and non-lethal impact rounds to disperse protesters, according to the Washington Post.

In advance of the ICE raids, LAPD's chief of police Jim McDonnell reassured Los Angeles residents in an Instagram post that the department wasn't involved in the federal operations. He also acknowledged that "these actions cause anxiety for many Angelenos."

Authorities arrested dozens of people who participated in protests, according to NBC Los Angeles. Charges included attempted murder, looting, and arson.

"This violence that I've seen is disgusting," McDonnell told NBC Los Angeles. "It's escalated now."

The vandalism of Waymo cars in Los Angeles wasn't the first time they became a target of mob violence.

In February 2024, a 14-year-old boy allegedly began vandalizing a Waymo in San Francisco. About a dozen bystanders joined him in smashing the car. A firework thrown inside the vehicle ignited it, according to authorities.

On Sunday evening, Mayor Bass urged protesters to remain peaceful.

"Angelenos — don’t engage in violence and chaos," she said in an X post. "Don’t give the administration what they want."

Apple wrapped up its 2025 Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) keynote in a cheeky, unusually whimsical fashion — at least by Apple standards. The closer? A man in translucent sunglasses (Liquid Glass, you might call them) singing actual App Store reviews while playing the piano. Yes, really.

You can catch the performance on the archived WWDC YouTube stream (around the 1:32:00 mark). It’s delightfully odd to hear someone croon things like the "clap hands" emoji or "six out of five stars" with full musical sincerity.

People seemed to enjoy Apple taking itself a bit less seriously.

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The internet hasn’t quite figured out who the mystery performer is yet. But one thing’s certain: It was the most soulful rendition of App Store reviews we’ve heard in a long time. And maybe the most fun Apple’s had onstage in years.

Featured Video For You WWDC 2025: Everything revealed in 10 minutes

There's a new version of macOS coming later this year — macOS 26, aka Tahoe. Apple showed off the newest version of its laptop operating system at WWDC on Monday, with a focus on the new design elements.

So, let's talk about all the changes coming to your MacBook with Tahoe and macOS 26. Per Apple, you can expect to see the new OS on your MacBook in the fall.

Featured Video For You WWDC 2025: Everything revealed in 10 minutes A new look for the new macOS

It's called macOS Tahoe and, similar to iOS 26, it brings a new, more translucent design language to your Mac computer, which Apple dubbed Liquid Glass. UI elements like the dock at the bottom of the display are translucent now, and in a big change, there is no longer a visible menu bar along the top of the display. Those functions are still there, of course, but now the display feels bigger than before. You can also customize which controls appear at the top right of the display when the controls menu is active, and certain third-party apps like Zoom have controls you can place in that menu.

Introducing macOS 26 Tahoe. Credit: Apple Liquid Glass is gorgeous. Credit: Apple

Liquid Glass is an entirely new design concept for Apple. And while it's not a radical departure from the signature Apple style, it does bring new customization features. In these images published by the Apple Newsroom during WWDC 2025, you can see some of the design and personalization possibilities with Liquid Glass. This is a big change for Apple, as it's introducing Liquid Glass not just for macOS 26 and Tahoe, but also for ipadOS and iOS26.

We expect the new clear settings to be very popular.

Liquid Glass includes more translucent properties. Credit: Apple Liquid Glass also offers more personalization for your Apple display. Credit: Apple

According to the official press release announcing Tahoe: "There are more ways to customize what controls appear in the menu bar and Control Center, along with how they’re laid out. The new design also unlocks more personalization on the Mac. App icons come to life in light or dark appearances, colorful new light and dark tints, as well as an elegant new clear look. Users can also change the colors of folders and add a symbol or emoji to give them a unique identity."

More connectivity with other Apple devices

One of the bigger updates regards Continuity, the feature that allows users to connect their iPhones to their Macs to share functionality between the two. For starters, the Phone app is coming to Mac, so you can make regular phone calls instead of relying exclusively on FaceTime. Live Activities (the little widget on your iPhone lock screen that tells you when a food delivery will arrive) are also coming to Mac, which is lovely.

Changes to Spotlight Search

Spotlight Search, which you activate on a Mac by pressing CMD+space, has also gotten a big update. All of your search results, be they folders, files, messages, or apps, are now grouped together on one screen, arranged by relevance to your query. If you want to filer a search to strictly show you PDFs, for example, you can do that, too.

The new Spotlight Search features for macOS Tahoe. Credit: Apple

Interestingly, Spotlight can also be a launching point for various actions now. If you want to send someone an email, for instance, you can type a shortcut into Spotlight to do that instead of opening your Mail app. It looks very convenient.

A new Games app

Apple has also brought its new Games app (introduced for iOS 26) to macOS 26 as well.

The new Games app. Credit: Apple Your iPhone and MacBook gets a new Games app. Credit: Apple

Games brings together all the Mac games you own into one interface, and you can bring up a little control center widget during gameplay to do things like message friends or adjust settings.

More about macOS Tahoe 26

There are also a bunch of other broader changes across Apple's entire software ecosystem, such as live translation in calls and background images in the Messages app, which are coming to macOS Tahoe, as well.

New translation features courtesy of Apple Intelligence. Credit: Apple

Apple says macOS Tahoe will launch this fall.

“macOS is the heart and soul of the Mac, and with Tahoe, we’re building on what users love most. Whether you’re a power user or just getting started on Mac, there’s something for everyone, with even more features to turbocharge productivity and make working across Mac and iPhone more seamless than ever before,” said Apple SVP of Software Engineering Craig Federighi in a press release. “With its gorgeous new design, amazing Continuity experiences, powerful enhancements to Spotlight, more intelligent shortcuts, and updates to Apple Intelligence, the Mac experience is better than ever.”

Marvel fans got to know genius inventor Riri Williams (Domique Thorne) in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, in which her armored suit proved a vital asset in Wakanda's fight against Talokan. That film also cemented Riri as more than just her tech, with Thorne portraying her as a whip-smart, wise-cracking prodigy with a lot more to offer the MCU.

SEE ALSO: Summer TV preview: All the TV shows you need to know, and where to stream them

Now, Riri gets the spotlight all to herself in Marvel TV's Ironheart, a six-episode series created by Chinaka Hodge and executive produced by Black Panther and Sinners director Ryan Coogler.

Ironheart sees Riri return to her hometown of Chicago, where she continues to refine her armor in the hopes of leaving her mark on the world. However, she finds trouble in the form of the mysterious Parker Robbins (Anthony Ramos), aka "the Hood."

The trailer above gives viewers a better idea of what to expect from Parker, teasing his red hooded cape — an essential accessory for anyone nicknamed "the Hood" — as well as some foreboding magical abilities. These magical abilities send dark marks crawling across his skin and unleash massive red, glowing explosions. Yet Riri seems determined to channel this magic in some way, with the trailer teasing a suit that combines magic and technology to form something wholly new. Could Riri's next creation be a game-changer for the next phases of the MCU?

Ironheart also stars Lyric Ross, Alden Ehrenreich, Regan Aliyah, Manny Montana, Matthew Elam and Anji White.

Ironheart premieres June 24 on Disney+.

Apple’s WWDC is underway and one of Cupertino’s first big announcements is Liquid Glass, which is what Apple is calling its new design language. Yes, it’s the one that has been rumored for months and is now official. 

Apple describes Liquid Glass as a material that sits above the user interface (UI) on your phone. The material moves based on how you interact with it. For example, if you grab a Liquid Glass window and pull, it’ll jiggle and move with your finger. Liquid Glass UI elements also refract light like real glass and is heavily influenced by whatever is underneath it on the screen. 

Apple's new Liquid Glass changes its user interface. Credit: Apple

Liquid Glass is not a massive departure from what was already there, but that’s not the big news. This new design language will be what Apple uses moving forward on all of its major operating systems, including macOS, iOS, iPadOS, and more. It was inspired by visionOS, and it’ll be what you see on everything made by Apple starting later this year. 

On top of looking pretty, Apple says that it’s also functional. Liquid Glass UI elements will be able to expand and contract with nice-looking animations to adapt to what the app needs it to do. It also works with light and dark modes along with Apple’s new clear mode, which makes all of your icons look like glass.

Apple's Liquid Glass is coming to all its major operating systems. Credit: Apple

With Liquid Glass, Apple aims to make all of its operating systems look more lively. During the WWDC presentation, Apple showed off how responsive the new UI would be to everything from user touch to the background on the screen. 

As part of the redesign, Apple tweaked some other things as well: the lock screen, Notifications, and Control Center. UI elements are also edited to align with the screen's curve to make things look more symmetrical. App icons also got a redesign with “multiple layers of Liquid Glass,” per Apple. 

Liquid Glass is the first major overhaul to iOS’s visual design language since its skeuomorphic design was introduced with iOS 7 in 2013.

Liquid Glass: Get jiggly with it. Credit: Apple

Apple announced iOS 26 at its 2025 Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) on Monday. The new iOS will bring a major design change powered by "Liquid Glass," which also means big changes for Apple Maps.

That big redesign means, first and foremost, that Maps will look a bit different. The embedded images below, for instance, show that Maps notifications will remain partially visible while you do other tasks.

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The other major changes are basically aimed at making Maps smarter.

Visited Places

A new tool called Visited Places will help users remember places they've been. If you enable the tool, it'll automatically remember places you've been, such as shops and restaurants. The company wrote in a press release that Visited Places will be "protected with end-to-end encryption and cannot be accessed by Apple."

Credit: Apple Better directions

Apple said on Monday that iOS 26 would improve your daily commute.

It wrote in a press release that "iPhone can now use on-device intelligence to better understand a user’s daily route, presenting them with their preferred route when they’re headed home or to the office, along with notifying them of delays and offering alternate routes."

That means your iPhone should understand which route you like to drive, walk, or take transit and warn you when a different route is more efficient.

Hopefully, that means iOS 26 will lessen the time wasted in traffic.

Apple just announced a host of new changes coming to Messages, voicemail, and more at its 2025 Worldwide Developers Conference.

From attacking spam callers and texts — which have been rampant in the last few months — to making emojis more customizable, Apple's WWDC is full of improvements and new features for connecting with family, friends, lovers, and even enemies.

Here's what the tech giant announced at WWDC 2025 for Messages and more:

SEE ALSO: Apple WWDC 2025 keynote event: live updates A new approach to spammers A new approach to spammers Credit: WWDC 2025

Apple is improving its Call Screening feature by making its voicemail-based system even more robust. Now, when someone calls you, you'll immediately see a message describing who's on the other line — so you can decide if you want to pick up as soon as the first ring sounds.

iMessage is also getting more robust on-device spam detection. With this new feature, you can ask for more info and mark that messages are coming from unknown senders, then put them all in their own folder.

Can I put you on hold? Can I put you on hold? Credit: WWDC 2025

Darin Adler, the Vice President of Internet Technologies at Apple, announced that you can put your phone calls on hold now. Google Pixel can already do this.

SEE ALSO: Google's 'hold for me' feature makes the digital assistant wait on your calls Customize your group chat Customize your group chat Credit: WWDC 2025

Fans of WhatsApp's customizable backgrounds will be happy to hear that feature is finally available on iMessage. Users can change the background of their shared spaces in Messages with their own photos or a picture from Apple Intelligence.

Plus, group chats will have Apple Cash and group typing indicators (huge for Slack fans).

Take a poll Take a poll Credit: WWDC 2025

We've been hoping for this chaotic update, and now it's here: polls. You can ask a group chat exactly what dates or times work for a hang out, which outfit is the best option to wear going out, or who really wore it best at the 2025 Tony Awards.

Genmoji can be made by combining emojis DIY Emojis Credit: WWDC 2025

The director of input experience at Apple, Leslie Ikemoto, announced that you can combine two emojis in Genmoji and you can describe an addition you'd like to see on an existing Genmoji to create your own personalized emojis. You can even change the expression of a Genmoji's face.

Translate that, please Translate that, please Credit: WWDC 2025

Live Translation is now integrated into Messages, FaceTime, and Phone. It can be used to automatically translate your messages, video captions, phone calls, and even lyric translation and pronunciation guides for songs.

Apple's new watchOS is here with an all-new design and a smarter, AI-powered way to do your workouts.

Like all other Apple software, watchOS 26 (yes, it's named by year now) comes with a more translucent "Liquid Glass" design. It's hard to tell from images alone, but Apple's see-through buttons and popups seem tailor-made for the Watch's tiny display.

Smart Stack got a bit smarter, surfacing the app that the Watch thinks you need at any given moment.

Ready to start your snowboarding session? Apple Watch will show you a snowboading widget first. Credit: Apple

Perhaps the biggest improvement is Workout Buddy, an AI-powered rethinking of the company's Workout app. It uses your workout history and fitness data to generate personalized insights during your workout sessions, such as telling you you're running faster than you usually do. And after your workout, the Workout Buddy will recap your workout with stats and achievements. It can even give you encouragement along the way.

Notes app is now available on Apple Watch, too. Credit: Apple

Other new watchOS 26 features include Live Translation in messages, a better way to manage notifications (you can dismiss them with a wrist flick gesture), the addition of the Notes app, and an updated Photos watch face, which now shuffles images based on Featured content from your Photos.

SEE ALSO: Apple updates CarPlay with widgets and Liquid Glass

Apple watchOS 26 will be available to developers today, with a public beta starting next month. The final version of watchOS 26 will be available this fall for Apple Watch Series 6 or later, Apple Watch SE (2nd generation), and Apple Watch Ultra (all models).

Apple's WWDC this year focused on design changes with iOS 26 and Liquid Glass, but we also saw some updates and new announcements for Apple Intelligence, the company's suite of AI features.

New Apple Intelligence announcements build on existing AI-powered features like Writing Tools, Message and Mail summaries, the ChatGPT integration, and others.

Foundation Models Framework

Apple unveiled a way for third-party apps to tap into Apple Intelligence called the Foundation Models Framework. This means developers can use Apple's API to integrate their features into Apple Intelligence.

New AI features for iOS 26Voicemail features

Apple Intelligence already provides voicemail transcripts, but now it's adding call screening for scammers and Hold Assist, which conveniently notifies you when you're off hold.

Hold Assist will let you know when you're off hold. Credit: Screenshot: Mashable Polls and emojis in Messages

Within group chats, you can now create polls and Apple Intelligence will compile the results. Using Genmoji, you can also mix together emojis and use Image Playground to make new emojis. Image Playground also got a ChatGPT integration, so you can create images with OpenAI's model too.

AI-assisted polls on iOS 26. Credit: Screenshot: Mashable Live translation

Apple Intelligence now supports live translation for real-time text and voice translations.

Live Translation for real-time text and voice translation. Credit: Screenshot: Mashable Visual Intelligence for screenshots

iOS 26 is getting a visual search feature by combining Visual Intelligence with Apple Intelligence. By taking a screenshot of any app you're looking at, you can use a new search function on the bottom of your screen. It can also recognize screenshots like events and pre-populate your calendar.

Use screenshots to search visually. Credit: Screenshot: Mashable

This story is developing...

The company also introduced artificial intelligence features with its devices.

Apple confirmed at its 2025 Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) on Monday that its new operating system would be called iOS 26, instead of the previously expected iOS 19. It marks a total rebrand for Apple's iOS that will update annually — get it, next year is 2026.

It's an interesting change and one aimed at continuity: all of Apple's operating systems will now operate within that naming convention. So, that means we'll also be getting watchOS 26, macOS 26, tvOS 26, iPadOS 26, and so on.

It's not just a name that'll be different with iOS 26, however. There are lots of other changes. You can follow Mashable's comprehensive live blog for updates as they come in, but a key shift in iOS 26 is a total redesign, which had been widely expected. The big evolution in design relies on what Apple has dubbed "Liquid Glass." It incorporates see-through elements in an effort to have a crisper, easier-to-use interface.

So, for instance, you might be able to see the song you're currently playing while also keeping what's going on in the background visible.

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Apple is so hyped about the new design that it's calling "Liquid Glass" a "software-based material," which basically just means it looks different.

Credit: Apple

In a press release, Apple said:

"The elegant new design gives developers the opportunity to make their apps more expressive and delightful, while being instantly familiar. It’s crafted with a new software-based material called Liquid Glass, which combines the optical qualities of glass with a sense of fluidity. This gorgeous new material extends from the smallest elements users interact with every day — like buttons, switches, sliders, text, and media controls — to larger elements, including tab bars and sidebars for navigating apps."

iOS 26 isn't simply a shift in aesthetics. We'll get more details as it rolls out, but Apple has already shown how it'll change how your iPhone works. For instance, you'll get new call screening tools (great for stopping scammers), an improved CarPlay with new widgets, updates in iMessages (like group chat polls), new camera experiences, and a revamped Photos app, to name a few. The Camera app also features a sleeker look and changed functionality when you take a picture.

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Perhaps most importantly, iOS 26 will finally bring much-needed updates to your iPhone's Photos app.

Credit: Apple

Or, if you're like me and quite forgetful, Apple Maps' new "Visited Places" tool will be a welcome relief when you try to remember a spot you loved.

Credit: Apple

There will certainly be lots to explore in iOS 26, as it's one of Apple's biggest software changes in quite some time.