Apple WWDC 2025 Live: New Updates for iOS, Apple Intelligence, Mac OS – CNET
Source: CNET
The new look comes with lots of features for Apple’s devices, including a refreshed Phone app, windowing for the iPad and an enhanced Spotlight for the Mac.
Apple’s WWDC 2025 is here, and the company’s unveiling a new Liquid Glass design that’s getting a broad release to the iPhone, Mac, Apple Watch, Apple Vision Pro and more of the company’s devices. The conference is ongoing, and you can see all of our coverage so far below along with our posts written during the keynote.
The Camera app in iOS 26 is nearly bare, populated primarily with a shutter button and a switch to toggle between Photo and Video modes. It’s the one app so far where I imagine Apple’s designers said, “Let’s do Liquid Glass, but even less.” And from a visual standpoint, I get the appeal: You want to be absorbed by the photo you’re about to take, not distracted by the controls around the periphery.
But I’m admittedly wary of the fact that, without any cues about how to access features such as switching modes, changing cameras or enabling other capture features, we’re left with gestures that must be memorized just to see what happens. Sure, I’ll develop muscle memory as I test it out, but what about relatives who only take occasional pictures? They’re going to be left swiping in all directions, hoping to get to the features they want.
How many people will swipe up to access settings like the timer or Photographic Styles and inadvertently close the app because they’ve swiped from the bottom of the phone, not the bottom of the app? A single tap brings up settings like video resolution and frame rate, but a single tap has also been the way to set an autofocus and exposure point.
The current Camera app suffers from this type of obfuscation, too: You need to tap an unmarked carat button (^) at the top to reveal options that appear near the shutter button at the bottom, or you have to know that a single short swipe up within the preview area will make them appear.
I’m not claiming this is an interface failure yet — it’s the first developer beta, after all, and a lot can change between now and iOS 26’s release in the fall — but it’s going to be one of the first things I try out when I get my hands on the software.
Apple’s iOS 26 will be available for the iPhone 11 and later, which does mean that 2018’s iPhone XS, XS Max and XR will not be making the upgrade from iOS 18. Apple continues to provide security updates to older iPhone models like the iPhone 7, but as far as features go, those three will stick with what’s offered with iOS 18.
Here is the full list of supported iPhone models that will get iOS 26:
Apple Music’s karaoke mode has been available since 2022, but singing into a microphone wasn’t easy. As part of TVOS 26, you’ll be able to use an iPhone connected to an Apple TV to perform along with the music.
Apple’s WWDC 2025 keynote has wrapped, and instead of watching the full 1-hour-and-32-minute event, you can check out our 10-minute supercut to see the biggest highlights.
I switched from the Pixel 3 XL to an iPhone 12 Pro Max in 2021, and I’ve sorely missed several of Google’s calling features that are only now making their way to the iPhone in iOS 26.
The biggest one for me is Hold Assist, which sounds very similar to the Pixel’s Hold For Me. Apple’s edition of this feature will automatically detect hold music and mute it while keeping the call connected. This way you can put your phone down and do something else. Then, once the agent is back, your phone will ring in time for you to come back. Pixel’s edition of it does much the same thing, and when I had that phone, it was incredibly useful when I had to make calls to insurance companies that nearly always put you on hold for a long time.
I’m also excited about Call Screening, where iOS will ask an unknown caller questions before prompting you with details to decide if you should pick up the phone. I’m curious how much control we’ll get with this feature, as Pixel’s Call Screening lets you decide what the questions are as the screening happens. Samsung’s Galaxy phones have a similar Text Call feature, which answers your calls while allowing you to correspond over text instead of speaking directly with an unknown caller.
While it might look like Apple is behind its rivals when it comes to AI, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. It’s not a sought-after feature among users right now, according to analyst Paolo Pescatore. “The subtle addition of Apple Intelligence across key services will help grow awareness and provide users with confidence to drive further engagement,” he said.
He added that perhaps what’s more important and what Apple continues to do well is provide a “unified software experience” across its devices. The “coherent feel” and “tight integration” that Pescatore notes exist between all of Apple’s hardware, software and services will likely be more crucial to keeping people sticking with the company’s ecosystem than its AI efforts for right now.
WWDC 2025 closed
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