Through The Apple Looking Glass: WWDC 2025 Unveils “Liquid Glass” and Deepens On-Device AI

The commencement of the much-awaited Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC 2025) saw the debut of Apple’s new “Liquid Glass” at Apple Park, Cupertino, California, US, on the 9th of June. Apple revealed its largest software redesign in over 10 years (since the release of iOS 7), alongside a bold expansion of its on-device AI platform. These remarkable announcements mark an instrumental moment as Apple refocuses on design coherence and developer integration with AI.

Liquid Glass: A “Clear” Step toward UI Revolution

"Liquid Glass” by Apple is a striking yet fluidly minimal UI design model applied onto all operating systems, including iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS Tahoe, visionOS 26, and tvOS 26, covering the Apple Ecosystem. This design language features a “new translucent material that reflects and refracts its surroundings.” It also changes the way users navigate access across various controls on the Home Screen and Lock Screen as well. The new features and advancements have enhanced the floating tab bar and, notably, the icons that symbolise the visual elegance of visionOS. Apart from these, Apple has published an updated set of APIs that offers developers access to Liquid Glass materials, comparable to how Google has for Android with its Material 3 design language.

To be more specific about the new features across various operating systems:

The iOS 26 welcomes the new design language, with an adaptive lock screen clock, animated wallpapers, a revamped camera, and lastly, interactive tab bars on messages, music, FaceTime, and Podcasts apps.

Next in line, Liquid Glass on the iPadOS 26 showcases multi-window workflows with the windows being conveniently resizable, with a “drag-handle UI” embedded within along with a pointer that increases precision, thereby enhancing navigability across tabs. Through this, the users can also quickly find a specific feature or related tips in an app by using their cursor on the menu bar. Apple has further updated the Files app with collapsible folders and a list view that allows users to see more of their document details in resizable columns.

In macOS Tahoe, Liquid Glass UI extends to the desktop with Live Activities in the menu bar, smarter Spotlight, and an integrated iPhone app, enabling call management directly from the Mac.

Lastly, on the wearables-like watchOS 26 and tvOS 26, Apple introduces a Notes app, automatic volume adjustment, and a wrist-flick gesture. The tvOS 26 holds a refined interface for Apple TV+ and enables AirPlay speakers as permanent audio outputs.

Apple Intelligence: A Core Innovation.

Apple reaffirmed its commitment to Apple Intelligence, the on-device AI platform. Amidst the hate on Apple Intelligence and claims of it not standing on par with AI models like the GPT series, Apple has returned a full on-device translation of phone calls, FaceTime captions, and messages, supporting conversational multilingual interactions without the data having to go anywhere outside the rims of the device.

Visual Intelligence:

It shall also integrate visual intelligence that extends the user’s iPhone screen, enabling them to search and take action on anything they are viewing on Camera or Photos or other such apps that showcase visual elements. This shall allow the users to learn about objects and places around them with their iPhone camera, making the search time efficient. This feature also lets the users search across various other apps such as Google, Etsy, and ChatGPT, based on the user’s need and preference.

This feature is based on time management, making tasks such as setting a reminder or highlighting a date on the calendar easier. For the feature, if presented with a date or a poster of a concert, it shall highlight the date and time and suggest if a reminder should be created for the same.

Image Playground:

Apple has also created new ways to explore creativity with its “Image Playground,” providing its users with more ways to play with their creative capabilities. The users shall now be able to mix together elements of multiple emojis and combine them with descriptions to create something new, rather than being limited to creating one with the already present text-to-Genmoji feature. Apart from that, when making "Genmojis" associated with the user’s family members or friends, it shall enable the user to change the Genmoji’s expressions and adjust personal attributes like hairstyle to match the person’s current look.

Users can also collaborate on their image playground work with ChatGPT, trying out new styles like oil painting or vector art. Image Playground sends the user’s description or photo to ChatGPT and helps create a new unique image. All throughout these capabilities, it is ensured that the user is in full control of what is sent to ChatGPT and what isn't, thereby respecting the user’s privacy.

Apple Watch and Workout Buddy:

Apple Intelligence has created a new role, being the user's “workout buddy,” that incorporates the user’s workout data and fitness history to generate personalised and motivational insights during their session. The Workout Buddy shall analyze the user’s well-being-related data, such as real-time heart rate, pace, distance, activity rings, personal fitness milestones, and more, to offer meaningful inspiration in real time. Again, the data processed is done so privately and securely with Apple Intelligence. The Workout Buddy is said to be available on Apple Watch with Bluetooth headphones and requires an Apple Intelligence-supported iPhone nearby.

The Foundation Models Framework:

App developers will now be enabled to build on Apple Intelligence to bring users new experiences that are intelligent and available when offline, protect their privacy, and are free of cost. For instance, an education app like Kahoot can use the on-device model to generate a personalised quiz from the user’s notes without any cloud API costs.

Intelligent Shortcuts:

Shortcuts are now equipped with more power and intelligence; users can tap into intelligent actions via the new set of shortcuts introduced by Apple Intelligence. For example, a student can build a shortcut that uses the Apple intelligence model to compare an audio transcription of a class lecture to the notes they took. It can help add any new key points they may have missed as well.


To conclude, with "Liquid Glass", Apple brings a visually stunning design across its ecosystem, while Apple Intelligence marks a confident leap into a privacy-respecting on-device AI. From creative tools like Image Playground to smart productivity features and real-time workout insights, WWDC 2025 portrays Apple’s commitment to making intelligence feel more personal and beautiful without having to sacrifice users’ rights to privacy. (Source)