This year’s WWDC keynote announced some of Apple’s most ambitious updates in years, showcasing a sweeping design evolution across all platforms and major advances in Apple Intelligence. Here’s everything you need to know.

WWDC, short for Worldwide Developers Conference, is Apple’s annual event where developers and users get a first look at the future of Apple software. Held each June at Apple Park in Cupertino, WWDC showcases upcoming operating systems, new developer tools, and more. This year’s event was as eventful as ever, with a focus on cross-platform updates and enhancements to Apple Intelligence.

Apple Intelligence saw major growth this year, becoming more natural, more personal, and more capable than ever before. New features like Writing Tools help you rewrite, summarize, and proofread content with ease, while Genmoji lets you design your own emojis on the fly. Image Playground gives you a space to create and customize images with just a few words, and new tools like natural language search and Clean Up in Photos make it easier to find and refine content.

Siri also got a serious boost. It now responds in more natural ways, understands more context, and supports dozens of languages. You’ll also find summaries for long emails and busy notification centers. At the heart of it all is Private Cloud Compute, Apple’s way of delivering powerful AI while keeping all your data secure.

What’s more, Apple introduced a new Foundation Models framework that allows your favorite apps to plug into Apple Intelligence directly. Think of it like a personal assistant that lives inside your apps. For instance, AllTrails can now recommend which of your saved hikes will best suit the mood.

Apple called iOS 19 the biggest design update since iOS 7 and they weren’t kidding. With a more refined and personalized look, iOS 19 brings sweeping visual changes while still feeling instantly familiar. At the center of the redesign is something Apple’s calling Liquid Glass, a translucent UI element that behaves just like real glass. It’s dynamic, responsive, and adapts to your content in real time. It also shows up across all platforms so you’ll see it on your iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Mac, and Apple TV.

Other changes include smarter wallpapers that adjust text size automatically, a redesigned Camera app that supports 3D photos, and a sleeker Safari experience where webpages flow edge to edge and the search bar floats subtly above your content. FaceTime and CarPlay got updates, too. With the introduction of CarPlay Ultra, you can now sync content across your car’s screens and customize how they look.

The Phone and Messages apps got meaningful upgrades: you can now screen calls before they ring with real-time summaries, or let Hold Assist manage long wait times. Messages is more expressive than ever with dynamic backgrounds, group polls, Apple Cash, typing indicators, and built-in live translation. 

Music got smarter, too. AutoMix uses AI to DJ your playlist, lyrics now come with translations and pronunciations, and music pins make it easier to jump to your favorites. Maps can learn your routines and remember places you’ve visited, secured with end-to-end encryption for your peace of mind. And in Wallet, you can now carry your passport, ID, and digital car keys all in one place.

There’s also a new Visual Intelligence feature that builds on Apple Intelligence. Just tap the Camera Control button to identify objects or places, ask questions about them, or even add events to your calendar automatically based on what’s on screen.

We’re quite passionate about Apple Watch here at Nomad, so we were eager to hear about all the changes coming to watchOS 26.

watchOS 26 brings a thoughtful balance of form and function. The new design, shaped by Liquid Glass, makes everything feel fluid and alive on your wrist. It’s not just about looks; Apple Intelligence is now deeply integrated into how you move and stay active.

Workout Buddy is your new AI-powered coach, analyzing your fitness history and offering real-time suggestions to help you hit your goals. You can customize its voice, whether you want motivation, stats, or both during your workout. Apple Music now curates playlists tailored to your workouts, while Smart Stack prioritizes your most relevant notifications throughout the day.

When your hands are full, a new Wrist Flick feature lets you dismiss alerts or take other actions without tapping the screen.

visionOS 26 builds on the foundation of Apple Vision Pro, bringing richer, more personalized spatial experiences into your everyday routines. Now you can place widgets around your physical space—like your calendar floating by the window or weather info near the door—and they’ll stay right where you left them. Apple’s new Spatial Gallery app also makes your photos feel more lifelike, giving them depth and realism that goes beyond the flat screen.

Video calls feel more human, too. Personas, Apple’s digital avatars, are now more expressive and realistic, making FaceTime chats feel like you’re actually sitting across from someone. On the web, you can interact with 3D content directly in your environment thanks to the new Spatial Web. And when you're multitasking across different spaces, visionOS now remembers how you set things up. So whether you're working in the kitchen or watching something in the living room, your spatial configuration comes back exactly the way you left it.

tvOS 2025 may be Apple’s most visually striking update yet. Inspired by the Liquid Glass design language, the interface feels more cinematic and immersive than ever before. As you scroll through content, poster art expands with rich animations and subtle motion. 

Apple also redesigned playback controls to make watching even easier, whether you're jumping between episodes or adjusting audio without leaving the screen. And for Apple TV+ fans, the keynote teased several exciting original shows coming later this year. We're anticipating plenty of TV-watching in our future.

With macOS Tahoe, Apple focused on giving Mac users more control, more customization, and continuity across devices. The new Liquid Glass menu bar is translucent, adapting to your background and bringing a modern aesthetic to your desktop.

With the new Folders, you can now add color, emojis, and even icons to stay organized your way. Control Center got a major upgrade, too: it’s now fully customizable, so you can pin the toggles you use most. Spotlight also saw improvements, making search faster, smarter, and more action-oriented.

macOS Tahoe leans even further into continuity. Live Activities from your iPhone now appear right on your Mac, and your phone’s contacts, recents, and voicemail sync automatically for a seamless communication experience.

If you share our love of automation, you’ll love Quick Keys and Intelligent Shortcuts, new Apple Intelligence-powered features that let you trigger common actions with just a few keystrokes or language commands.

iPadOS 26 carries over the sleek design language of iOS 19 and adds features that make the iPad an even more powerful multitasking machine. A new windowing system gives you more control over how apps behave. You can resize windows with a grab handle, arrange them with a flick, or use Exposé to preview what’s open and quickly jump around.

The updated menu bar helps you navigate apps and content more efficiently, while the Files app finally brings long-requested features like list view, folder customization, and full dock integration. There’s also a new Preview app for viewing PDFs, and improved audio tools including voice isolation, studio-quality vocals (when using AirPods), and local capture for in-app recordings.

Background Tasks make it possible to run heavy-duty processes (think video exports or AI rendering) while continuing to use other apps without slowdowns. And the best part of all? iPadOS 26 is compatible with the entire current iPad lineup, including iPad Pro, iPad Air, iPad, and iPad mini.

When’s the next Apple event? Apple’s iPhone event takes place in early September. Stay tuned for more updates from Apple and Nomad! 

Where can I watch the full keynote? Watch the full keynote on Apple's Developer YouTube Channel.

Where can I watch past keynotes? Check out a recap of WWDC 2024 here and a recap of WWDC 2023 here.