Apple today unveiled a design overhaul for its operating systems, previewing a visionOS-inspired look with transparent icons, dubbed Liquid Glass.

Meanwhile, those operating systems get a new naming scheme. Rather than jumping from iOS 18 to iOS 19 or macOS 15 to macOS 16, for example, everything is now version 26. (Here’s what’s new for iOS 26 and mac OS Tahoe 26.) It’s a nod to the release year, even though they’ll launch in late 2025. Think of it like a car’s model year.

(Credit: Apple/PCMag)

Liquid Glass is translucent and intelligently adapts between light and dark environments for a “lively experience,” Apple says.

During an opening keynote at WWDC, Apple’s SVP of Software Engineering, Craig Federighi, noted that the last major redesign of its mobile OS was iOS 7. At that point, the company was “inspired” by the Retina display and A6 silicon, but “a lot has changed,” so Apple is leaning into more powerful silicon in newer Apple gadgets.

(Credit: Apple/PCMag)

According to Alan Dye, Apple’s VP of Human Interface Design, Liquid Glass brings more “clarity to navigation and controls.” It refracts light and reacts to movement for a “new level of vitality.” As people scroll, tab bars will shrink and expand based on what’s on the screen.

Look for Liquid Glass across iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS on the Lock Screen, Home Screen, desktop, and Dock.

(Credit: Apple/PCMag)

WWDC 2025: Everything Revealed in 10 Minutes

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About Chloe Albanesius

Executive Editor for News

I started out covering tech policy in D.C. for The National Journal, where my beat included state-level tech news and all the congressional hearings and FCC meetings I could handle. I later covered Wall Street trading tech before switching gears to consumer tech. I now lead PCMag’s news coverage and manage our how-to content.

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