WWDC 2025: Apple Unveils Its First Design Overhaul of Operating Systems Since 2013

Apple is celebrating its WWDC 2025, the annual developer conference, from June 9 to 13, which kicks off today with the traditional keynote from the company’s headquarters in Cupertino (USA). This edition follows two particularly notable ones: in 2023, the Vision Pro glasses were introduced, and in 2024, the Apple Intelligence AI system.

Tim Cook, the company’s president, has begun speaking in front of a rainbow at Apple’s headquarters. Cook, who is openly gay, is sending a signal in the Trump era.

With the slogan “Sleek peek,” Apple announced WWDC 2025. Some experts viewed this phrase as a hint about what was to come: the “most drastic redesign in a decade” of its operating systems. The Cupertino company used the event to announce a “universal” design across all its platforms. This is the first redesign of its operating systems’ appearance since 2013 and the first without the iconic Jonathan Ive leading Apple’s design. Ive has recently joined OpenAI.

With the new redesign also comes a change in how the operating systems will be named. Craig Federighi, Apple’s Vice President of Software, announced they will stop using a version numbering system to adopt one based on the year. Thus, Apple has presented iOS 26, iPadOS 26, tvOS 26, visionOS 26, macOS 26, and watchOS 26, all aligned with the year 2026.

Federighi showcased the iPhone’s lock screen, “where we all start our day.” This screen has been redesigned to intelligently integrate with the background image. According to what was shown, the time adapts and changes size based on available space. Apple also introduced a new design for the camera application and Safari.

Phone and Translation

The Phone app features a new design that groups users’ voicemails and missed calls. Additionally, photos of favorite contacts are now displayed prominently at the top of the screen. On the other hand, the Messages app incorporates polls, a feature already available in apps like WhatsApp. Apple also introduced new filtering tools for text messages, allowing users to separate messages from unknown senders into a special section.

Apple also announced a new live translation feature that translates text in Messages and provides real-time subtitles during FaceTime video calls. In phone calls, translation occurs in real-time while speaking. The Cupertino company confirmed that this feature will be available even if the other person does not have an iPhone. Although this feature represents an evolution within the Apple ecosystem, some of these capabilities have been available on Android for years.