Apple’s WWDC 2025 keynote was a whirlwind of news, from a whole new interface for Apple’s devices to new versions (and new names) for every Apple operating system.
But what features will actually make your life easier and better? What will save you time? That’s the lens that I used to analyze all the WWDC hype.
Here’s the seven biggest announcements from WWDC that I think move the needle.
Liquid Glass Interface
At first, I thought the Liquid Glass design for iOS 26 and all of Apple’s other platforms was just a slick coat of paint. And while it is that, the new look actually has some utility, too.
The new design uses translucent effects to make better use of your displays so you get closer to a full-screen content experience. So, for example, you'll see more of web pages in Safari when you scroll.
At the same time, Apple is streamlining the UI to make controls accessible without being too in-your-face, resulting in a cleaner look and feel. As Apple puts it, controls are a functional layer that sits above.
I especially like the new Camera app on the iPhone, which gives you two simple options in Video and Photo. To see more options, you just slide over.
Call Screen and Hold Assist
Yeah, Apple stole from the Google Pixel for these two iOS 26 features, but I'm not complaining.
First up, Call Screening can help screen your calls so you don't get spammed. The built-in assistant will ask the caller for their name and reason for calling, and you'll see the info pop up (as messages currently do in Live Voicemail) so you can decide if you want to make the call.
Hold Assist is exactly what it sounds like. When that dreaded hold music kicks in, you'll have the option to tune it out. You'll be notified when a live agent is available. Overdue but useful!
Workout Buddy
I've been waiting for the Apple Watch to get a bit more proactive in its coaching advice and words of encouragement. And it's here with Workout Buddy in watchOS 26.
Workout Buddy generates personalized, motivational insights based on your training data, including heart rate, pace, distance and Activity rings.
Workout Buddy could help you reach your personal best — and help you celebrate when you do.
For example, you might hear something like "Way to get your workout in! You went 4.3 miles in just over 38 minutes. Your average pace was 8 minutes and 58 seconds, and your average heart rate was 128."
Finally, good multitasking in iPadOS 26
Don't look now, but iPadOS 26 just got a lot more like macOS. For starters, there's a new windowing sytem that makes it easier to multitask.
You can easily resize app windows, and place them to the left or right of the screen with just a flick. And there's macOS-like window controls for closing and tiling windows.
As you might expect, you can also see all your open apps with a swipe up on your iPad's trackpad. And there's a new menu bar and Files app that will make Mac users feel right at home.
In other words, you might be tempted to get an iPad for your next MacBook.
A Big Visual Intelligence upgrade in iOS 26
Visual Intelligence on the iPhone isn't new, as you could already do all sorts of things with the live camera view. But the Apple Intelligence feature just got a lot better in iOS 26.
Visual Intelligence can now analyze what's on your screen. So if you see a pair of shoes you like in a chat app, you can look them up. Or Visual Intelligence could look at image of an upcoming event and automatically add it to your calendar, including the date, time and location.
All you need to do is take a screenshot and you'll see new buttons available to take action at the bottom of your iPhone's display.
Supercharged Spotlight on macOS 26
While iPadOS stole a lot of thunder from the Mac at WWDC, macOS 26 gets a very powerful new feature iPads don't have — at least not yet.
The new Spotlight is not just the place to find stuff on your Mac. You can now use this tool to get all sorts of stuff done. You can do everything from send an email and create a note to play a podcast.
It gets better. You can take action from within apps using the Spotlight bar via the App Intents API, as well as run shortcuts from the menu bar in the app you're using.
There's even quick keys shortcuts you can perform by just typing two letters. For example, you can type "sm" for sending an email to someone or "ar" for adding a reminder.
Shortcuts gets AI powers
If you thought the Shortcuts app was just for power users and nerds, I agree with you. But it just got an AI-powered makeover that should make it much more accessible (and useful).
Apple says that the Shortcuts app now taps directly into Apple Intelligence models to help generate responses.
For example, a student can now more easily build a shortcut that compares their class notes to the audio transcription, so they can more easily see what they may have missed.
You can also choose to leverage ChatGPT to provide responses that feed into your shortcut. There are also dedicated actions for things like summarizing text and creating AI images with Image Playground.
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