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Apple's WWDC keynote is over for another year, but it left us with plenty to pick over.Such as? Well, the headline reveal was a new Liquid Glass-inspired design theme that represents the biggest visual change Apple's made to its software for a decade.That was far from the only announcement from Apple Park, though. From iOS to visionOS to watchOS to tvOS, all of Apple's various platforms received upgrades and new features. Some were big, some were small, but if you use an Apple device they'll all be worth knowing about.You can check out our full WWDC 2025 live blog for all of the news, but for a quick rundown of the highlights, read on.1. Liquid Glass is the biggest Apple design revamp in years @techradar ♬ original sound - TechRadar By far the biggest reveal at WWDC 2025 was the debut of Apple's new software design, based around a new digital material called 'Liquid Glass'.The untitled design centers on translucency and fluidity and brings with it more rounded elements, new app styles and a new clear theme. What's more, the visual style will be unified across all of Apple's software platforms, with everything from iOS, iPadOS and watchOS to macOS and tvOS getting the refresh.It's a much-needed update to Apple's design language and inarguably the biggest the company has made to its software platforms since iOS 7 arrived in 2013. We can't wait to get it installed.Read more: Apple reveals major visual redesign for iOS 26, macOS 26, and more at WWDC 20252. Apple's software platforms finally have consistent names @techradar ♬ original sound - TechRadar You can file this one under 'changes that don't really matter but that we love anyway': Apple has finally done away with the naming anarchy that reigned across its software platforms, renaming them all in a consistent manner.So, bid farewell to iOS 19, iPadOS 19, tvOS 19, watchOS 12 and macOS 16 – because none of them will ever exist. Instead, meet iOS 26, iPadOS 26, tvOS 26, watchOS 26 and macOS 26 Tahoe.See, Apple – that wasn't so hard was it?3. Design-aside, iOS 26 looks like a minor update @techradar ♬ original sound - TechRadar While the arrival of the Liquid Glass design language and the new name may be the headline changes coming to iOS 26, the next version of Apple's mobile OS will also bring with it a host of other small tweaks.These range from Live Translation in the Phone and Messages apps to functionality upgrades in the Camera and Wallet apps. There’s a new dedicated Gaming app, too, which unites third-party games with those of Apple Arcade and brings features that let you compete with friends.Apple Intelligence has also been better baked into iOS, with iOS 26’s Maps app smartly remembering the routes users usually take and serving up delay information where helpful.Visual Intelligence has also broken out of the Camera Control toggle and can now be used, in a similar fashion to Google Lens, to scan screenshots and extract information from them.In short, iOS 26 looks slicker and behaves smarter, and it will likely launch in all its glory on the iPhone 17. But if you’re brave and want to try a beta version of the software right now, check out our guide on how to download the iOS 26 developer beta.Read more: iOS 26 is official – here are the 5 biggest new features coming to your iPhone4. But it's game over for some older iPhonesWith iOS 26 comes a whole new design and a suite of features, but it also means consigning older iPhones to the smartphone bone orchard. That’s because iOS 26 will only be available on iPhone 11 models or newer.Older iPhones will instead be limited to iOS 18, which isn’t exactly terrible; it’s a very capable version of Apple’s mobile operating system. However, it does mean the likes of the iPhone X have entered their end-of-life phase.So, if you own an older iPhone and were considering getting a replacement battery for it, do make sure you can run iOS 26 or you could be prolonging the life of a device that won’t be supported by Apple for much longer.Read more: iOS 26 compatibility – does your iPhone support it? Here's the full list of supported devices5. iPadOS finally got some real love @techradar ♬ original sound - TechRadar After years of waiting, we finally have an iPadOS update that feels not only worthwhile, but monumental.iPadOS 26 is, as Craig Federighi said, the "biggest iPadOS release ever". With true windowed multitasking, a better Files app, and Preview coming to all current iPad models, plus improved Apple Intelligence for compatible iPads, Apple's tablet platform is once again a force to be reckoned with in terms of hardware and software.Read more: 'Our biggest iPadOS release ever' – iPadOS 26 has landed, here are the 10 biggest upgrades6. macOS 26 is… Tahoe @techradar ♬ original sound - TechRadar As expected, we also got a glimpse of the upcoming version of macOS, the operating system for Macs and MacBooks.Now renamed to macOS 26 Tahoe, its most exciting addition is arguably the expansion of Apple’s excellent Continuity feature, which allows you to seamlessly control your iPhone through your Mac.With macOS 26 Tahoe, you’ll be able to use the Phone app on your Mac to make and receive calls, as well as access previous numbers, favorite contacts and much more.It’ll mean you don’t have to pull your iPhone out of your pocket while working on your Mac, and it brings Apple’s vision of a unified ecosystem of products ever closer.With big changes also coming to the Spotlight tool, Live Translation abilities and better Mac gaming abilities, Tahoe looks like an update worth waiting for.Read more: macOS Tahoe 26 announced at WWDC 2025 with a new look and new numbering scheme: these are the best features for your new Mac or MacBook7. Apple Intelligence got some useful upgrades @techradar ♬ original sound - TechRadar Apple Intelligence might not have grabbed all the headlines at WWDC 2025, but Apple still announced some useful AI upgrades coming to iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch.For instance, Live Translation hopes to remove language barriers for good, allowing you to easily communicate via FaceTime, phone calls, and messages in different languages.Apple also announced screen-sharing functionality for Visual Intelligence, so you can ask questions related to content on your screen, similar to Google Lens. It’s a nice improvement to one of the best Apple Intelligence features currently available.For the first time ever, the world's most popular smartwatch just got AI functionality in the form of Workout Buddy, which will bring AI-powered motivation to your exercise by analyzing your workout data.Shortcuts is also getting Apple Intelligence capabilities, which should completely transform the experience of one of Apple’s most beloved apps.Finally, there are plenty of other small updates across iOS, iPadOS, and macOS, including generative AI backgrounds in messages, integration with reminders, and allowing third-party developers to access Apple Intelligence models.All in all, WWDC might not go down as the event where we finally see Apple’s AI dream realized, but the company has done a decent job at improving and adding to the first wave of Apple Intelligence that launched last year.Read more: Every Apple Intelligence upgrade coming to your Apple devices in iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS 26, and watchOS 268. But Siri was nowhere to be seenPoor old Siri. Apple's smart(ish) assistant was barely mentioned at WWDC, beyond a acknowledgement that its AI upgrade isn't here and that "we look forward to sharing more about it in the coming year".In the coming year?! Seriously?! How long can it take to bring one bit of software up to speed with the rest of Apple's AI developments? Longer than Apple initially thought, clearly.Still, if we're disappointed by that (non) development then presumably Apple is even more upset, given the speed with which the competition at Google, OpenAI, Samsung and Microsoft is moving.9. watchOS 26 does get an AI upgrade, though @techradar ♬ original sound - TechRadar Finally, Apple Intelligence arrives on your wrist, in ways both small and big.Workout Buddy is the big new flashy AI feature, but it's Hints, which uses context info to recommend actions depending on your location & activities, which is the real clever feature.Live translation for messages, a new Wrist Flick gesture, smarter Smart Stack and the watchOS Notes app round out the major changes for the newly named watchOS 26.Read more: watchOS 26: these are the 6 big updates coming to your Apple Watch soon – including an AI Workout Buddy and a Notes app10. Apple CarPlay got some welcome polish @techradar ♬ original sound - TechRadar Apple CarPlay Ultra may still only be for Aston Martin owners, but good old standard CarPlay just got some welcome upgrades thanks to iOS 26.Naturally, there’s the new ‘Liquid Glass’ design language that’ll spruce up the old 2D icons, plus a handy navigation bar to the left or right of the screen for quickly jumping into your favorite apps.Perhaps the most useful upgrade is a new, small pop-up overlay for phone calls that’ll get out of the way of your navigation. There’s also widgets (also seen on CarPlay Ultra) that’ll let you juggle info from multiple apps, while Call Screening will help you decide whether or not to take a call.All in all, the refreshed CarPlay should make it much easier to keep your eyes on the road, which is always a win in our book.Read more: Apple CarPlay just got 4 big free upgrades with iOS 26 – here's what you need to know11. tvOS' Liquid Glass refresh is for more than style aloneApple’s tvOS 26 updates for its Apple TV boxes are, unsurprisingly, led by the addition of a Liquid Glass design that mirrors the transparent visual enhancements coming to its other devices.In this case, however, that’s sort of a big deal – because transparent on-screen controls mean you can continue watching a show with the image remaining unobstructed.Other updates are more minor, with the iPhone now able to serve as microphone for the Apple Music Sing Karaoke feature on Apple TV, an ability to switch between custom display profiles upon wake, and a more personalized FaceTime experience.Read more: The 5 new Apple TV 4K features coming in tvOS 26 you need to know about12. visionOS' updates reminded us that the Vision Pro exists @techradar ♬ original sound - TechRadar Apple hasn’t forgotten about its mixed reality headset just yet, with this new suite of software updates for its visionOS platform.For starters, Apple Vision Pro users can look forward to spatial updates galore with visionOS 26: apps, webpages and content are all set to become more immersive thanks to improved 3D objects and 3D image support.Personas will also get a visual overhaul, with better-defined features and a generally less ghostly aura, plus gamers will soon be able to use their PSVR 2 controllers with Apple’s headset. Oh, and you’ll soon be able to decorate your home with virtual widgets.It might take more than that to persuade people to splash the cash on a Vision Pro, but for existing owners these upgrades will be welcome.Read more: Apple announces Vision Pro overhaul with visionOS 26 – here are the 6 biggest updates headed to Apple’s VR headset13. Apple Music got some neat new features(Image credit: Apple)Apple Music got a surprisingly large number of updates at WWDC 2025, with Lyrics Translation, Lyrics Pronunciation, AutoMix (for creating beat-perfect playlists and sets) all arriving, plus Music Pins to put your most-loved artists and albums right to the top of your Music home screen.But possibly the most important update is that Apple's Liquid Glass design language – which will appear on Apple Music as with all of the rest of Apple's software – will level up what you see on your device while a song is playing.That's because it'll provide more glass-like depth – and elements within a track's artwork will move with a more three-dimensional quality, in and out of focus, as it were.Plus, with tvOS 26, karaoke sessions can reach new levels of fun via Apple Music’s free perk, Apple Music Sing. How? Users will be able to transform their iPhone into a handheld mic for Apple TV and have their voice amplified as they belt out their very best go at TayTay's Eyes Open.Combined with Lyrics Translation (for perfect lyrics even if you’re not fluent in a song’s language) it sounds like music to our ears…Read more: Apple Music got 3 huge new upgrades at WWDC 202514. AirPods weren't quite forgotten(Image credit: Future)AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4 models are getting two key upgrades when iOS 26 comes: studio-quality mic recordings, and camera control.Small they may be, but both seem useful.The upgraded voice recording quality promises “Voice Isolation” to better pick your voice out from your surroundings, using advanced audio processing, and promises to work in calls, video and recordings.Camera control, meanwhile, means you can press and hold your AirPods’ stem to take a photo or start a recording, doing the same again to stop it.These aren’t the addition of hi-res audio or other things we hoped for from AirPods, and they’re only coming to AirPods Pro 2, AirPods 4 with ANC, and AirPods 4 (not AirPods Max or any older AirPods), but they’re nice to have.Read more: AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4 will get two useful free upgrades in iOS 2615. Craig Federighi is not afraid to send himself up(Image credit: Apple)WWDC usually starts with a mini-movie that's best described as 'vaguely comedic', but this year's was arguably one of the least cringeworthy.The film featured Craig Federighi, Apple's SVP Software Engineering, tearing around a race track as a promo for the Brad Pitt-starring F1: The Movie, which will hit theaters later this month.F1 looks pretty exciting in its own right, but the real star in the WWDC promo was Federighi – or rather his hair.Yes, the man who styles himself as Hair Force One ensured his carefully coiffured locks got prime billing here, removing his helmet to reveal, well, a scene that I can't imagine Steve Jobs ever having approved.But honestly, it was pretty good fun, and a nice reminder that Apple always benefits from taking itself a little less seriously. @techradar ♬ original sound - TechRadar You might also likeWWDC’s best announcement was something Windows did 15 years ago—here's why it's awesomeiPad just won WWDC 2025 – here’s why the iPadOS upgrades just made me cry tears of joyiOS 26 is giving the iPhone's Camera app an upgrade I've been waiting years for

Bold, sensual and talented, Oscar- and Golden Globe-nominee Sharon Stone was one of the most talked-about actresses of the '90s, making a powerful impression in such films as "Total Recall," "Basic Instinct" and "Casino." But a brain hemorrhage in 2001 nearly killed her, and set back her career. Lee Cowan profiles the actress, whose second chance at life includes raising three sons, outspoken activism, and a starring role in a new HBO mini-series, "Mosaic."

WWDC 2025 has just wrapped up, and it was one of the best keynotes in recent memory. While there were sweeping changes across Apple's entire range, from the already-lauded iPadOS update to iOS 26, as TechRadar's resident wearables expert, it's my beat to cover watchOS 26.And it's been a pretty big year for Apple's smallest device.There have been major changes to the Watch's user interface, as it will get the same slick Liquid Glass overhaul as all Apple's other devices, and there are flashy new Apple Intelligence features such as the AI Workout Buddy and Live Translation. There's even a much-clamoured-for on-wrist Notes app.However, the feature I'm interested in is Hints, a small change to Apple's widget stack that I think has the most potential to bring all of the Apple Watch's disparate features together into a lifestyle companion, unified under the Apple Intelligence banner.Hinting at GreatnessApple's new Hints feature works by taking contextual information about your surroundings and your previous behavior, and recommending actions based on its predictions. These recommendations take the form of a small visual prompt like the one above, so you can ignore it easily if you choose to do so.The two examples Apple gave were quite clever: if you arrive at the same pilates studio at the same time every week, Apple will look at your location, the time and date, your previous behavior, and understand you're about to start a pilates workout on your watch. A hot key to start your workout will appear as a visual prompt.The other example Apple used was during a hike. In this scenario, the Apple Watch detected you were off the beaten track, away from roads and near popular hiking destinations, and recommended you start a BackTrack to avoid getting lost again via a visual prompt.What this could mean for the future of Apple WatchThis could be, if expanded, a wonderful way to use the predictive power of Apple Intelligence to create a unified personal assistant. This could be more valuable than the Workout Buddy, and more significant than a UI redesign.Reminding you to start BackTrack could save you hours of wandering in the wilderness, and potentially save lives. If emergency services are contacted through Fall Detection, a prompt could serve up an on-wrist medical record for first responders, or link to your phone to show the Health app through your lock screen. A hotlink option to call your partner if you're halfway through your journey home, but stuck in traffic or delayed for another reason.The power of Apple Intelligence is going to be improving your life in small, everyday ways, and this watchOS 26 feature reinforces that fact. The feature is so unobtrusive on your Apple Watch's home screen when activated, meaning it's out the way but there when you need it. Like a butler discreetly signalling to you from the corner of a cocktail party.There are plenty of impressive-sounding security protocols in place around Apple Intelligence, which reinforces my positive feelings about it. I've generally, up until now, been quite negative about the predictive power of AI and its security implications. But for the first time, I'm starting to see the opportunities of an invisible personal assistant.You might also like...watchOS 26: these are the 6 big updates coming to your Apple Watch soon – including an AI Workout Buddy and a Notes appDoes your Apple Watch support watchOS 26? Here’s the full list of compatible Apple Watches (and which ones will miss out)Apple watchOS 26: Everything we know after WWDC 2025 today

I feel strangely numb. For years now – and I mean years – I have been advocating for Apple Music to have some kind of auto DJ feature that can beat-match your songs in a playlist. This was my most recent excuse to harp on about it.I first heard of this kind of feature in DJ apps a long, long time ago (I think Algoriddim's Djay was the first one I was aware of, but things go foggy back then), and I heard about the potential for machine-learning algorithms (you know, the things we now universally call 'AI' for marketing reasons) to make them work super-seamlessly.At this time, Apple was getting heavily into machine learning, promising to use it to suggest things on your Lock screen and manage your battery usage. So I made the case that this would be a really cool feature to have in Apple Music – much better than a boring old crossfade between tracks on your playlist.Now, at the time, Apple didn't even offer a crossfade… it only added that in iOS 17 two years ago, and last year we got a 'smart crossfade' in iOS 18. But in iOS 26 (Apple has switched to naming by year, rather than the version), I finally have my breakthrough.(Image credit: Brett Jordan / Unsplash)As one of several new features of Apple Music in iOS 26, Apple has announced 'AutoMix', which is exactly what I always wanted. Apple says, "AutoMix uses intelligence to transition from one song to the next like a DJ, using time stretching and beat matching to seamlessly move from one song to the next."I've always curated my playlists to flow reasonably nicely from one song to the next, trying to keep both variety and cohesion. What I've always wanted is the phone to take that to the next level (because I am no DJ), and now it's like a long-stuck splinter has been removed. I'm finally getting what I want; I don't know how to feel.Oh, wait, yes, I do: frustrated that AirPods still somehow don't have a higher-quality Bluetooth connection.Feeling BluetoothThe only scab I have picked at as consistently as the AI DJ – excuse me, AutoMix – is the fact that AirPods only support AAC-quality Bluetooth audio, even though it is the year of our Hi-Res Audio Lord 2025. Here I am complaining about it back in 2022, and that's only when I first started talking about it on TechRadar.Apple Music supports beautiful lossless audio, but AirPods still don't support anything beyond essentially the minimum of sound quality (okay, SBC is literally the minimum, but this is truly one step up).Actually, that's not quite true – the AirPods Pro 2 with USB-C are capable of higher-res audio when used with the Apple Vision Pro, so that's nice for those few thousand people. The new AirPods Max with USB-C also support wired Hi-Res Audio, but so does anything with a 3.5mm jack, so I'm talking wireless here.Fun fact: I bought my first Apple product in 2006, and it was a MacBook Pro that supported aptX! I don't expect Apple to support aptX, of course – that system is owned by Qualcomm, and I'm not a maniac – but the world has moved on in terms of what wireless audio codecs are available to us.AirPods Pro 2 are Apple most advanced earbuds, but they're still limited to the AAC audio quality that iTunes offered back in the early 2000s… (Image credit: Future)Take, for example, Bluetooth LE Audio and the LC3 codec that powers it. This is a new wireless music encoder that's adaptive, so when you have a strong connection to your phone, it can offer really high-resolution music streaming – but if you're far away or there's a lot of interference, it can lower the quality and still maintain consistent audio. And it can do this potentially using lower energy than older codecs, so it could extend battery life.It's available as part of the spec for Bluetooth 5.2, which is supported by many models of the best AirPods, as well as the best iPhones, for years.Apple has chosen not to support it, and it's driving me to distraction at this point. It seems like there must be a good reason, though Apple hasn't revealed it. It appears that the company experimented with using it on the AirPods Max all the way back in 2022, but it hasn't gone anywhere since then.Given how talented the AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods Max are at music reproduction anyway, maybe Apple just feels that it's unnecessary, but given that there's an open standard Apple can use, and the tech to run it is built into Apple's products already, maybe we could be the judges of that with an option to turn higher-res Bluetooth on or off?Either way, with another WWDC event gone without mention of it, I expect that means at least another year without it – unless Apple surprises us at the expected launch of AirPods Pro 3 later this year.I'll live – I'm currently using a Fiio BTR17 and Sennheiser HD600 for my hi-res thrills, and having a lovely time, thank you very much. It's just not a very pocketable solution.You might also like…AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4 will get two useful free upgrades in iOS 26iOS 26 is official – here are the 5 biggest new features coming to your iPhoneThe 5 new Apple TV 4K features coming in tvOS 26 you need to know about

In 2012, when Colorado voters passed Amendment 64, legalizing pot for recreational use was called "The Great Experiment." Five years later, recreational pot is now legal in eight states plus the District of Columbia, while 21 other states now allow sales of marijuana for medical use. But anti-marijuana advocates - including U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions - are pushing back against more permissive state laws. Barry Petersen looks at how that "Great Experiment" is working out.

While it still remains more of a dream than an obvious stop on Apple’s product roadmap, the company’s updates in macOS Tahoe 26 offer new evidence that Apple could one day sell Macs with cellular connectivity. Sure, the biggest takeaway from WWDC 2025 will probably be the new Liquid Glass design language the company is sprinkling over all of its operating systems, but based on the addition of a Phone app to macOS, Apple’s laptops and phones are converging in more ways than one.

The new Phone app, which combines recent phone calls, favorite contacts and voicemails all in one interface, will offer the same features in both iOS and macOS. That’s a first for Apple’s desktop operating system, which has a FaceTime app, but otherwise primarily interacts with phone calls through Continuity features. Currently, iPhone calls can be relayed and answered on a Mac, and you can place calls from the FaceTime app, but it’s far from intuitive. That should change in macOS 26. The Phone app lets you make calls, listen to voicemails and even use new features like Hold Assist as easily as you would on an iPhone.

Apple

Every year Apple nudges its platforms together, like letting you access your iPhone from your desktop with iPhone Mirroring or use your iPhone as a webcam with Continuity Camera. But porting apps directly from the iPhone feels like a more significant step. On iPad, which is sold in Wi-Fi and Cellular configurations, adding the Phone app (as Apple is with iPadOS 26) makes sense. The iPhone and iPad share a lot of similarities from both a software and hardware perspective. The Mac does not — at least, not yet.

In December 2024, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reported that Apple was "investigating the idea of bringing cellular connectivity to the Mac." Apple has been trying to move away from relying on Qualcomm’s cellular modems for years. The company bought Intel’s smartphone modem team in pursuit of that idea in 2019, and debuted the iPhone 16e, its first device with a custom Apple C1 modem, earlier this year. A cellular Mac seems like a perfect opportunity to put future versions of that modem, say a C2 or C3, to the test.

Even with better multitasking, there’s still plenty of tasks that are easier on a Mac than on an iPad. A cellular Mac could let you upload a professionally edited video out in the field, or communicate with your team without having to be tethered to a Wi-Fi hotspot. Both are possible on an iPad, but would feel more natural on a Mac.

Gurman suggests the company wouldn’t try to bring its custom modem to devices other than the iPhone until 2026 at the earliest, but Apple could be laying the groundwork from a software perspective right now. Macs already use Apple’s custom chips, and they’ll soon feature software that’s increasingly similar to the iPhone. All that's missing is a modem that can connect to cellular networks.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/laptops/the-phone-app-in-macos-26-is-another-baby-step-towards-a-cellular-mac-220854738.html?src=rss