Apple unveils iOS 26, its first major redesign since 2013, introducing the unified “Liquid Glass” style and enhanced Image Playground.
In Short:
Apple has unveiled a major redesign of its operating system called “Liquid Glass” with a unified naming system for iOS 26 and other platforms this year. The update will enhance the Image Playground tool, allowing users to create personalised contact posters while ensuring customer data privacy.
Apple has announced a significant redesign of its operating system, marking the first major update to iOS since 2013.
The new design, dubbed “Liquid Glass,” takes inspiration from the Vision Pro.
In a shift towards consistency, Apple will implement a unified naming system for its operating systems.
iOS 26, watchOS 26, tvOS 26, macOS 26, visionOS 26, and iPadOS 26 will all be released this year, according to Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of software engineering, at WWDC.
Operating system names
This change aims to alleviate the confusion caused by differing operating system names. Previously, Apple maintained multiple names, including iOS 18 for iPhone, iPadOS 18 for iPad, watchOS 11 for wearables, tvOS 18 for Apple TV, macOS 15 for computers, and visionOS 2 for Vision Pro.
The upcoming iOS will enhance the Image Playground tool initially announced last year with assistance from OpenAI’s ChatGPT.
With iOS 26, users can request a contact’s poster in various styles, which will be reflected during calls and text chats. Users can specify their desired style, and ChatGPT will adjust the image appropriately.
Customer data will remain private, as nothing will be shared with OpenAI without permission.
Additionally, third-party developers will have access to the upgraded Image Playground API for use in their applications.
