WWDC 2025: Design Overhaul, Deeper Integration of Apple Intelligence

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Jun 10, 2025
  • Unlike last year, the company painted a clearer picture as to what Apple sees as the key benefits of Apple Intelligence today.

  • Apple’s restrained approach to rolling out more AI features may have disappointed those expecting dramatic announcements. However, the company is laying a solid foundation for greater intelligence across devices, apps and services.

  • This year, Apple highlighted one of its core strengths – delivering a unified and seamless experience across its hardware – and added visual appeal to it, the biggest visual overhaul after iOS 7.

At the 2025 edition of Apple’s WorldWide Developers Conference (WWDC), the company showed off a new, unifying interface for its devices, Liquid Glass, while also pushing Apple Intelligence deeper into its hardware and software platforms.

Unlike last year, the company painted a clearer picture as to what Apple sees as the key benefits of Apple Intelligence today – smarter features for users, more access for developer integration, and implementation across Apple devices. Missing were Apple Intelligence updates for Siri, but Apple’s current path provides more avenues for personalized experiences.

Apple's restrained approach to rolling out more AI features may have disappointed those expecting dramatic announcements. However, the company is laying a solid foundation for greater intelligence across devices, apps and services. This strategy avoids over-promising and sets realistic expectations for future developments. Improvements to Siri are ongoing and will require more time to materialize.

Visual refresh: Biggest design overhaul since iOS 7

This year, Apple highlighted one of its core strengths – delivering a unified and seamless experience across its hardware – and added visual appeal to it, the biggest visual overhaul after iOS7. The updated visual design, featuring the new Liquid Glass aesthetic, is set to further enhance user engagement across Apple's device ecosystem. Apple will have to carefully balance transparency with readability to make this work well for users.

WATCH: iOS 26 Developer Beta First Impressions

Apple Intelligence: Becoming pervasive across platforms

Apple continues to enhance its applications and device platforms with Apple Intelligence. Notable features include live translation in FaceTime, messages and phone calls, which promises to make communication more seamless and intuitive. Besides, Maps will now learn preferred routes and proactively prompt users if traffic conditions change, potentially impacting travel time.

Apple Intelligence is also integrated with group chats to suggest polls to facilitate decision-making within groups, based on the context of the chat. Furthermore, the ability to summarize and track orders outside of Apple Pay is interesting as it expands the reach of more comprehensive tracking capabilities.

Apple Intelligence: On-device AI for developers; Siri updates absent

Apple is pushing for developers to adopt on-device AI. The developers’ ability to access Apple's on-device models through the Foundation Models framework, coupled with the introduction of Apple Intelligence across iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch and Apple Vision Pro, is a positive move in the company’s AI journey where it has been perceived as lagging behind competitors. However, the AI of 2025 is different from the AI hype of 2024. Users are still getting warmed up to AI use cases. Apple is betting on personalization and communication use cases as differentiators in AI that are more reliable due to the use of a Small Language Model (SLM), something Apple is pushing for on-device AI with privacy in mind. However, Siri upgrades were absent.

Integration with third-party AI

Interestingly, Apple mentioned ChatGPT numerous times during its keynote, indicating a blurring line between relying on third-party AI and its own proprietary intelligence. ChatGPT now appears to be more integrated in more features, making a clear distinction harder.

Visual Intelligence

One of the interesting enhancements announced during the event was with Visual Intelligence, which allows users to take a screenshot and ask questions about the content of the image, such as about specific objects in the image or context of the image. The feature can also grab information from the image and populate calendar items. However, in terms of implementation, the “Circle to Search” in Android feels more natural and simpler to use.

With this Visual Intelligence enhancement, Apple’s strategy to open the platform becomes visible – the interface populates frequently used applications as potential apps for the user to initiate queries with. A query about an image with living room furniture could be completed with a lifestyle shopping app. The ability to access a variety of preferred apps through the Visual Intelligence interface ties users and developers closer together, fostering a more integrated experience on Apple devices.

iOS 26 highlights

The new Liquid Glass interface is a visual upgrade with more dynamic responses to touch and other actions. The Camera and Photos apps have also been redesigned to go more minimal and look less cluttered. There are also updates to Phone, Messages, Safari and other apps. The two very useful features added are Call Screening and Hold Assist.

Apple iOS 26

Developers now have access to the Apple Intelligence Foundation Model, which can enhance app functionality and expose users to AI features in more places. Other notable AI-powered features include live translation, personalized routes in Maps and enhanced emoji creation.

watchOS 26 highlights

watchOS 26 introduces the Liquid Glass interface and Workout Buddy, which collects current and historical data to provide personalized guidance. The Smart Stack interface now has access to more data and can present more contextual information proactively. Personalized playlist suggestions and more flexible widgets are also part of the update. The wrist flick gesture to dismiss a notification is also a neat addition.

Apple WatchOS 26

macOS 26 highlights

The macOS update, named Tahoe, includes live activities, a Liquid Glass interface, and the phone app on Mac. Intelligent Actions integrates AI with private cloud computing in shortcuts, allowing Spotlight to take actions in apps, such as starting to play a playlist.

Apple macOS 26

iPadOS 26 highlights

iPadOS now features more Mac-like capabilities, a new windowing/tiling system for apps, and local audio/video recording. These enhancements will solidify iPad's position as a robust device for both content creation and consumption on the go. The powerful new windowing system and the revamped menu bar are poised to elevate the entire app experience on the iPad and position it as a productivity device. The OS shift might also help iPad differentiate further from the foldable iPhone, likely to launch in 2026.

apple iPadOS 26

visionOS 26 highlights

visionOS introduces third-party controllers, widgets, shared experience configurations, better viewing and interaction for people in the same room, and more realistic personas.

apple visionos 26

Dedicated games app

Another notable addition is the introduction of a games app. The new app brings a games library, Apple Arcade, game recommendations and friends on a single platform to make it an all-in-one destination for games.

Apple CarPlay, CarPlay Ultra get Liquid Glass design, new features with iOS 26

iOS 26 also brings a significant refresh to Apple CarPlay with the new “Liquid Glass” design language, including the translucent UI elements and updated app icons with a clear theme. Apple has added a new “-1” screen as well with customizable widgets – from clock to reminders, smart home controls and calendar to stock updates, weather widgets and more.

Another major improvement is the compact view for incoming calls with a floating island. As it no longer takes over the entire screen, it does not obstruct the view, especially when navigating directions. Messaging is also enhanced with Tapbacks where you can react with emojis. Apple has also added a voice command feature, which uses the iPhone’s mic to open apps and navigate the UI with your voice.

CarPlay Ultra also gets deeper integration with your vehicle, extending the CarPlay experience to all driver screens, including the instrument cluster. It can display real-time content, and gauges like speedometer, fuel, and even advanced driver assistance system information.

Conclusion

Apple’s WWDC 2025 showcased a series of updates that reinforce its commitment to enhancing user experience through Apple Intelligence. Apple’s work on Foundation Models and App Intents framework will drive the future success of Apple Intelligence beyond the truly first-party AI-driven experiences.

The company continues to try to marry its hyper-focus on user privacy with a fast-moving AI landscape and bring new, enhanced features to its user base. Apple might still have some catch-up to do when compared with the Android ecosystem and Google's hybrid AI prowess with partners but limited to premium or high-tier devices.

Summary

Published

Jun 10, 2025

Author

Gerrit Schneemann

Gerrit has 17 years of experience in the telecoms and consumer electronics industry. With a long history of covering the global smartphone market, he provides clients with strategic insights and advice impacting short and long-term business needs and decisions. Before joining Counterpoint Research, he spent over a decade at iSuppli, IHS/Markit and finally Omdia, before a short stint at GfK Boutique.