WWDC: Apple unveils universal software design for all platforms

At the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), Apple Inc. made announced a universal design platform, extending across platforms — iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS Tahoe 26, watchOS 26, and tvOS 26 (which also now have a new numerical nomenclature based, starting with “26”). The new cross-platform universal design, taking advantage of a new material called Liquid Glass. This translucent material “reflects and refracts its surroundings, while dynamically transforming to help bring greater focus to content, delivering a new level of vitality across controls, navigation, app icons, widgets, and more,” the company claims.

“At Apple, we’ve always believed in the deep integration of hardware and software that makes interacting with technology intuitive, beautiful, and delightful,” said Alan Dye, Apple’s vice president of Human Interface Design. “This is our broadest software design update ever. Meticulously crafted by rethinking the fundamental elements that make up our software, the new design features an entirely new material called Liquid Glass. It combines the optical qualities of glass with a fluidity only Apple can achieve, as it transforms depending on your content or context. It lays the foundation for new experiences in the future and, ultimately, it makes even the simplest of interactions more fun and magical.”

Controls, toolbars, and navigation within apps have been redesigned. Previously configured for rectangular displays, they now fit perfectly concentric with the rounded corners of modern hardware and app windows, establishing greater harmony between hardware, software, and content. Controls are crafted out of Liquid Glass and act as a distinct functional layer that sits above apps. They give way to content and dynamically morph as users need more options or move between different parts of an app. And with thoughtful groupings, it’s easier for users to find the controls they need.

Tab bars and sidebars have been redesigned with the same approach. In iOS 26, when users scroll, tab bars shrink to bring focus to the content while keeping navigation instantly accessible.

The new design extends across iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS, with updates to system experiences like the Lock Screen, Home Screen, desktop, and Dock. To maintain the focus on the subject of photo wallpapers on the Lock Screen, the time is now crafted out of Liquid Glass and fluidly adapts to fit elegantly behind the subject.

Other WWDC announcements relevant to the photo/imaging industry:

Apple elevates the iPhone experience with iOS 26

Apple previewed iOS 26, a major update that brings a beautiful new design, intelligent experiences, and improvements to the apps users rely on every day. Updated design elements also deliver fresh experiences in apps, the company said. A simplified, streamlined Camera layout helps users keep their attention on the moment they’re capturing, and the Photos app is updated to feature separate tabs for Library and Collections views.

AirPods are now a camera remote, too

New features for AirPods 4, AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation (ANC), and AirPods Pro 2 include a new camera remote function: Users can press and hold the AirPods stem to take a photo or start and stop a video recording on iPhone or iPad.

macOS Tahoe 26 brings Pinned Collections to Photos

Apple previewed the next major macOS release — macOS Tahoe 26 — which introduces an Photos design, including Liquid Glass elements, enhancements for customization, easier workflows, and sidebar consistency with iPadOS. Pinned Collections now come to Mac, so users can access the collections they use most with a click on the sidebar. Users will also find new buttons to quickly access filtering and sorting options in all views, and the ability to customize the size of Collections tiles, so they can view their library just how they like.

visionOS 26 adds content support for Insta360, GoPro and Canon content

Apple previewed visionOS 26, adds support for 180-degree, 360-degree, and wide field-of-view content from Insta360, GoPro, and Canon, while new enterprise APIs allow organizations to create spatial experiences unique to visionOS.  visionOS 26 also makes spatial photos more realistic, leveraging a new generative AI algorithm and computational depth to create spatial scenes with multiple perspectives, letting users feel like they can lean in and look around. Users can view spatial scenes in the Photos app, Spatial Gallery app, and Safari, while developers can use the Spatial Scene API to make their app experience even more immersive. Enterprise APIs and Tools

watchOS 26 delivers more personalized ways to stay active, healthy, and connected

Apple previewed watchOS 26, with a minor update to the Photo face. The Photos face will now shuffle images based on Featured content from Photos, so users can see images of their most meaningful moments every time they raise their wrist or tap the display.