Apple announces Liquid Glass — user interface change for all products

Apple unveiled a new operating system interface called Liquid Glass at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference, calling it the company’s broadest design update ever.

The company also announced that it was harmonising the numbering across its various device operating systems using the last two digits of the year.

Liquid Glass will extend across platforms — iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS Tahoe 26, watchOS 26, and tvOS 26.

For the first time, the same interface will work across the company’s products, executive Alan Dye said Monday during a video presentation from Apple’s headquarters in Cupertino, California.

The company also confirmed plans to open up its AI models to outside app creators.

As part of the changes, Apple is renaming its OS lineup to use the year rather than version numbers. The next generation of software for the flagship iPhone will be known as iOS 26.

The event, better known as WWDC, showcases Apple’s latest software and features. Though the company is introducing some new AI capabilities as part of the conference, the focus will be on the new operating systems. 

The company has filled it some gaps in its AI lineup by teaming up with OpenAI, maker of ChatGPT. That relationship, first announced last year, will include new image-creation capabilities, Apple said on Monday.

The company also highlighted live-translation capabilities and mapping features that learn from users’ routines. And there’s a new dedicated gaming app that ties together features and lets players challenge their friends.

The artificial intelligence market has been a weak spot for Apple. After unveiling its Apple Intelligence platform at last year’s WWDC, the company was slow to roll out new features — and its technology has paled next to that of Silicon Valley peers.

This year’s conference isn’t expected to turn things around, but Apple is planning to showcase bigger AI breakthroughs at WWDC in 2026, Bloomberg News has reported.

Apple also has been contending with rising tariffs, prompting it to shift production of US-bound iPhones to India.

Even with the changes, the company is increasingly likely to raise prices. Apple typically unveils new devices in September.

Reporting with Bloomberg