The Most Important Announcements From Apple’s WWDC Conference: From Siri Artificial Intelligence to Visual Intelligence.
This year’s WWDC was a big success . Tim Cook took the virtual stage for the final time to present the company’s announcements across all its platforms. As expected, this year we’ll get iOS 27 , iPadOS 27, macOS 27, and other updates, as well as new Apple Intelligence features and the long-awaited artificial intelligence-powered Siri, known as, well, ” Siri AI .”
Apple’s 75-minute keynote covered a lot of ground, but you don’t need to watch the entire presentation to catch up. Instead, I’ve summarized all the announcements Apple made at WWDC 2026 below:
WWDC 2026: macOS Golden Gate
The first major announcement of the day was the long-awaited (for Apple fans) name macOS 27. While Apple has standardized the naming schemes for its other operating systems, it still gives macOS a unique name, following tradition. In recent releases, these names have been California-related, and this year is no exception: macOS 27 is macOS Golden Gate.
WWDC 2026: Design and Performance
This year, Apple made a number of design changes, affecting every aspect. The “liquid glass” effect isn’t going anywhere, but it’s now more readable. Apple is also finally introducing a “liquid glass” slider, allowing users to control the effect’s appearance on their devices. Toolbars have been made more clearly defined for improved accessibility, and sidebars in macOS now extend to the edges of windows. Apple also ensured that all macOS windows have the same corner radius, so you shouldn’t notice any inconsistencies in window edges. App icons have also been updated: Apple now adds multiple layers of “liquid glass” to all icons.
The company also noted overall performance improvements across its products. Animations should become smoother, iPhone and iPad apps should launch faster, new photos in the Photos app will appear up to 70% faster, and AirDrop will be up to 80% faster. Older iPhone models, including the iPhone 11, can run iOS 27 and should perform better than iOS 26. iOS has also become smarter when switching between Wi-Fi and cellular networks, and you can now send messages even if a large image is still waiting to be sent. Indexing has also received a significant improvement: new items should be indexed immediately so they appear in search results. The software should become smarter and display more relevant results at the top of the search results list in the Mail app, even if the email was sent a long time ago.
Apple took a moment to highlight some other new features in this section, such as the ability to access iCloud Shared Albums for Android and Windows users, with support for full-resolution image sharing. In the Health app, cycle tracking now supports perimenopause and menopause. You can now customize the AirPods equalizer , and panoramas in Vision Pro can be transformed into immersive environments . In Maps, the Fly Over feature boasts high detail, with buildings and even trees fully visible, and is definitely a contender for Google Maps.
WWDC 2026: Trust and Security
At WWDC 2026, Apple devoted a significant portion of its time to discussing child safety features. The company states that it is collaborating with experts and researchers to foster healthy usage habits on its devices. Parents can now choose which websites their children can visit (children can request permission before visiting new sites) and control who their children can communicate with on their Apple devices.
Parents can now manage three main categories on their children’s devices: Entertainment, Games, and Social Media. They can choose how long their children have access to each category and on which days. They can also set different schedules for games and social media on weekends and school days. Apple also has a new website for parents where you can learn more about how to manage your children’s use of Apple devices.
WWDC 2026: Apple Intelligence and Siri AI
Apple has partnered with Google to create its “new generations” of entry-level Apple models. Apple claims these new models are more powerful than ever and can handle far more tasks across a variety of environments (text, images, speech, etc.). Apple insists its AI is private: private cloud computing processes your data without any intermediaries. Even Apple can’t see your data. The company also runs AI processes on the device itself whenever possible.
Of course, the most important announcement today was Apple’s Siri AI update—the company’s second attempt at a major Siri update. Apple claims Siri has become a much more powerful assistant than before. You can ask Siri about a concert in your area; based on the answer, you can ask how to get tickets; after she answers, you can ask her to set a reminder based on the context of her answer.
She also knows what’s displayed on your screen. If you see an image of a landmark online, you can ask Siri what it is; when she responds, you can ask her how to get there, and Siri will open the route in Maps. You can also ask her to show you photos from your last family vacation; based on those results, you can ask her to add only photos of specific people to your family album.
Siri’s voice sounds more natural than before. What’s more, you can customize Siri’s voice, adjusting its tempo and emphasis. (Although this requires a newer Apple device, such as the iPhone 17 Pro or Air.) Dictation has also become more context-aware, better understanding things like punctuation. Apple claims Siri has become more conversational, so you can easily communicate with Siri regardless of context.
A new dedicated Siri app has been added, allowing you to access past conversations across all your devices. Siri is also located in Dynamic Island, and you can access it from there at any time. If you ask Siri to send a message, you’ll have the option to review and edit it before sending.
On macOS, Siri is located in Spotlight. You don’t need to open Siri to use it: just start typing, and macOS should recognize it as a request from Siri. You can use it to compare multiple files, as well as any other tasks typically used by chatbots. If you have Vision Pro, you can move the Siri icon anywhere in the room and point to it to start a conversation.
WWDC 2026: Visual Intelligence and Writing Tools
Visual Intelligence is now available in the Camera app as a new Siri button . The basic principles remain the same: you can use it to learn more about what’s in the camera’s field of view. But it has new capabilities: you can use Visual Intelligence to split a bill with friends by pointing the camera at the receipt, or point the camera at your food to learn more about its nutritional value. You can use the screenshot tool in macOS and iPadOS to learn more about a specific area of the screen. With Vision Pro, you can ask Siri about your windows and objects in the room around you.
Writing tools are also getting several updates: you can describe the document you need to write to Siri in natural language, and she’ll generate a draft for review. When using this feature in Mail and Messages, Siri will adjust your writing style based on how you typically communicate with that contact.
WWDC 2026: Artificial Intelligence in Apps
Safari is getting major AI-powered updates: the app gains AI-powered tab management that can organize tabs by topic and dynamically update them as you browse. Safari can also track webpages, such as price drops. You can also use Apple Intelligence to create custom extensions for various features you need. The Passwords app will now automatically update your compromised passwords, and this feature also works in Safari.
The Messages app can understand the context of your chats and suggest reminders and notes. If someone asks for a photo, iOS can help you find it. The Mail app can suggest suggestions based on the message content. In Calendar, you can describe a new event in natural language, and the app will create it for you, including adding contacts, dates, times, and locations. The Phone app will be able to interact with other apps based on the call: if you call an airline, the Phone app will be able to find your flight number in your email if the airline requests it.
The Home app also features several new features: notifications from accessories will dynamically update as the situation changes, rather than overwhelming you with multiple alerts. The app also uses Apple Intelligence to analyze video footage from security cameras and provide descriptions of events captured on video. This simplifies searching through video footage, even across multiple cameras.
The Shortcuts app now supports natural language shortcut creation : you can describe what you want to create in a shortcut, and it will create it for you, without requiring you to know how to do it yourself. The Image Playground app has also been significantly improved and can generate photorealistic images. You can also change the style of any photo. The app supports iterative editing: you can continue sending requests, and Image Playground will create images based on those already generated. It also supports generating contact posters and lock screen wallpapers.
Finally, the Photos app also received several important updates. Three new improvements: the “Cleanup” feature should now work better, with improved AI-generated fills to remove unwanted elements. The “Expand” feature expands the image around the subject if the original shot was too close-up. The “Spatial Reframe” feature uses AI to reframe the photo as if you were adjusting the crop when you originally took it. The background is blurred, indicating the area that will be filled using generative AI.
One important point Apple overlooked: while Apple Intelligence remains free, some features, such as image generation, now have daily usage limits. However, most iCloud+ plans support increased usage limits.