We’re in the endgame now, with less than a week to go until Apple unveils its next-gen operating systems. WWDC 2025 will be remembered for the massive changes Apple is about to deliver, rather than a focus on Apple Intelligence improvements.
AI might be all companies like Google and Microsoft talk about during their developer events, but Apple Intelligence has been disappointing so far. Apple still needs time to catch up, and I’m certain the company will eventually be able to match the AI offerings from its biggest rivals.
The underlying software isn’t just about AI, even though we’re heading toward an AI-centric computing experience. Apple is about to lay the groundwork for the future of its hardware. The big redesign coming to iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS 26, watchOS 26, and visionOS 26 is all about that. Apple wants a cohesive visual experience for the next wave of products.
The name change is part of that, too. Apple is going for uniformity here. The name will tell users what OS they’re on across devices. It should also align well with the reportedly changed schedule for new iPhone releases.
The new coat of paint and naming structure aren’t the only novelties Apple will introduce at WWDC 2025. Some of the new software features Apple has been working on have leaked already. Others surfaced online only recently, with a last-minute report shedding light on a few improvements coming to key Apple apps.
According to 9to5Mac sources, Apple has devised a few interesting features for the Messages, Music, Notes, and CarPlay iOS 26 apps that could be introduced in the near future, maybe as soon as next week.
These are some of the most-used apps on the iPhone, so it’s not surprising to see Apple aiming to improve those experiences beyond the big visionOS-inspired overhaul coming to the iPhone. Speaking of design changes, CarPlay is reportedly getting a big UI makeover to match the look of iOS 26 and other operating systems.
Messages is getting support for automatic translation of both incoming and outgoing messages. That’s a great feature to have built into the messaging platform, especially in the AI age. Many chat and voice apps already support live translation.
Rumors suggest that iOS 26 will bring live translation to AirPods, so including the same functionality in Apple’s default messaging system makes plenty of sense.
You might not need live translation for texts all the time, but it’ll be good to know it’s available when you need to chat with someone who doesn’t speak your language.
The Messages app is also getting support for polls, a feature that’s already available in other text apps. Running polls in chat apps isn’t something you’ll do often, but it can be really useful in group chats when you need people to vote on meeting spots, destinations, or other plans.
The Music app will get another visual upgrade on top of the UI changes coming to iOS 26. According to the blog, Apple will show animated album art in full-screen mode on the Lock Screen. It might not be something you want on all the time, but it’ll be nice when you’re playing music with the iPhone (or iPad) docked.
Since I mentioned the iPad, I’d expect all these features to be available across operating systems, not just iOS 26. iPadOS 26 is an obvious candidate.
Finally, the Notes app, which is one of my favorite Apple apps, will let you export notes in Markdown. It’s not something most people will use, but it’s great to see Notes catching up to the competition.
It’s unclear how many of these features will be demoed on stage at WWDC next Monday or how many will ship with the first iOS 26 beta. But if the report is accurate, I’d expect to see all of them arrive on iPhones and other Apple products over the next year.
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