Apple has released one of its most ambitious software updates to date, rolling out iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS Tahoe, watchOS 26, tvOS 26, and visionOS 26. The updates introduce a sweeping new design language called Liquid Glass, expand the reach of Apple Intelligence, and bring fresh capabilities to nearly every device in the company’s ecosystem.
The most noticeable change across Apple’s platforms is the new design system. Liquid Glass is a translucent interface material that refracts and reflects its surroundings, dynamically shifting to highlight content and reduce distractions. It marks the first time Apple has synchronized a design refresh across all of its major operating systems at once, giving iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and Apple TV a shared visual language while retaining the character of each platform.
Apple Intelligence, the company’s on-device AI system, also gains significant new features. Users can now take advantage of Live Translation in Messages, FaceTime, Phone calls, and even AirPods, breaking down language barriers in real time. Visual Intelligence has been expanded to allow users to take a screenshot and instantly query ChatGPT or search supported apps for more context or similar products. Genmoji and Image Playground add new ways to generate expressive emoji combinations and experiment with creative image styles. On the health and fitness front, Workout Buddy offers spoken motivation during workouts, drawing on the voices of Apple Fitness+ trainers to deliver personalized encouragement. Developers are also gaining access to Apple’s intelligence models, enabling apps like Streaks, CARROT Weather, and Detail AI Video Editor to add more contextual and intelligent features.
On iPhone, iOS 26 brings deeper customization options to the Lock Screen with adaptive time layouts and spatial 3D photo effects. Apple has added call screening and a hold assist feature to the Phone app, giving users the ability to filter unknown calls and automatically hold for live agents. Messages gains the ability to create polls and set backgrounds for conversations, while Apple Music introduces live lyrics translation and pronunciation. Wallet now supports package tracking, and Maps adds a visited places history. The update also debuts the Apple Games app, a curated hub for discovering and organizing games, while CarPlay receives a more compact call view and widget support.
For iPad users, iPadOS 26 is the biggest release yet. It introduces a full-fledged windowing system, allowing apps to be resized and arranged more freely than before, with a new menu bar that surfaces app commands in a desktop-like fashion. The Files app has been reworked to offer more organization tools and custom folders, while a dedicated Preview app now handles PDFs with Apple Pencil markup and autofill support. Creative professionals gain new background task management and local audio capture, and the Journal app makes its way to iPad with full Pencil support.
Mac users upgrading to macOS Tahoe will see a redesigned interface, including a transparent menu bar and new personalization options for app icons, folders, and widgets. Spotlight receives its largest update to date, adding browsing views, enhanced search, and the ability to trigger quick actions such as sending emails or creating calendar events directly from the search bar. Continuity brings the iPhone’s Phone app to Mac, complete with recent calls, favorites, voicemail, and new features like call screening and hold assist. Live Activities from iPhone also sync in real time to Mac, making it easier to track deliveries, rides, or sporting events.
Apple Watch is being positioned more firmly as a health device with watchOS 26. A new sleep score gives users insight into their sleep quality, while FDA-cleared hypertension notifications can alert wearers of potential high blood pressure risks. The Workout app gets its biggest redesign since launch, adding Workout Buddy with AI-powered motivational audio. Two new watch faces, Flow and Exactograph, expand personalization, while everyday usability improves with wrist flick gesture controls, Smart Stack hints, and the arrival of the Notes app on the wrist.
On Apple TV, tvOS 26 emphasizes group entertainment. Apple Music Sing now allows iPhones to double as wireless microphones for karaoke-style sessions. Multiple participants can join in, with lyrics, emoji reactions, and visual effects displayed in real time on the TV. Profile improvements make it easier to return to personalized recommendations and playlists, while FaceTime Contact Posters streamline calls from the living room.
Vision Pro users receive new tools with visionOS 26, including support for widgets in the spatial interface and more natural-looking Personas. Photos can now be viewed as three-dimensional spatial scenes with added depth, while Safari enables spatial browsing that embeds 3D objects directly into web pages. Shared Vision Pro experiences, such as watching movies or collaborating on projects in the same room, add more social utility to the device. Apple has also added a new Jupiter environment that simulates the planet’s storms in real time.
Accessibility is another area Apple has focused on. The updates add Accessibility Nutrition Labels to the App Store, letting users know which features an app supports before downloading. Mac gains a Magnifier app that uses external cameras to zoom in on surroundings, while a new systemwide Accessibility Reader allows users to customize fonts, colors, and spacing. Braille Access offers more powerful navigation for braille display users, and Live Listen with real-time captions is now supported on Apple Watch.
All of the updates are available starting today as free downloads, though some features will roll out gradually or vary by region. Hypertension notifications, for example, are initially available only on newer Apple Watch models, and Live Translation on AirPods is limited by geography and supported languages. Still, the combined rollout of iOS 26, macOS Tahoe, and the rest of the platforms represents one of Apple’s most comprehensive software updates in years, weaving design, intelligence, and health together across its ecosystem.
