When Tim Cook introduces Apple’s World Wide Developer Conference on Monday, June 9 at 10 a.m. Pacific, it looks like the company will reveal its biggest software overhaul in years. For many iPhone users, the software, thought to be called iOS 26, will make them feel like their existing handset is suddenly a whole new iPhone. Here are the latest details.
After last year's WWDC24, Apple has more up its sleeve for this year.
Getty ImagesiOS 26: The New Name
If you’ve missed the recent news on the renumbering about to take place, it’s thought that every new OS announced at WWDC will have the same number, referring to the year in which it will mostly be updated: 2026.
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So, instead of iOS 19, we’ll see iOS 26, alongside watchOS 26, macOS 26, iPadOS 26 and tvOS26. The biggest number leap will come with the Vision Pro which will jump from visionOS 2 right to visionOS 26. More details of this here.
iOS 26: The New Design
We’re just a week away, and it seems the software will be designed alongside new versions of iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Vision Pro and Apple TV operating systems, all designed to be much more similar to each other, and provide a more cohesive feel between devices.
The internal codename for the software is Solarium, which conjures images of brightness and sunlight — though many codenames are selected at random, it’s worth remembering. Still, if it takes its design cues from the Vision Pro, as has been reported, then there will be a light, translucent look to things.
iOS 26: The Key Upgrades
According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman in his latest Power On newsletter, there will be plenty of changes beyond the design update. Expect to see new iPad features to build on its productivity capabilities, making it more like the Mac. Apple is thought to be opening up its Apple Intelligence models to developers “which will let them integrate the technology into their own apps,” Gurman says.
There’ll be neat productivity updates across all platforms, such as making it easy to share Wi-Fi sign-in details across all your devices, “a handy improvement for logging in at gyms and hotels,” he claims. Though, and I don’t mean to be controversial here, but shouldn’t you be doing other things at the gym rather than signing into multiple gadgets?
iOS 26: Battery Life
There’s a lot more to come, including a calligraphy pen for Apple Pencil and live translation for AirPods, but one really stands out for me: an AI-powered battery management set-up which will make devices last longer between charges.
That alone means I can’t wait for the new OS to land. The announcement is just days away, then the developer betas of the software will arrive, with the first public beta expected in July, and general release in September.
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