‘Once in a decade’: How Apple is using AI to make your iPhone smarter than ever

The sweeping changes were announced at the tech giant’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), where Apple unveiled a fresh look called Liquid Glass, new tools for call screening and live translation, a smarter Siri, and a major shift in how its software is named.

“This is the kind of project that only comes along once every ten years,” said Apple’s software chief Craig Federighi.

New name, new brain: iOS 26

Apple is skipping the expected iOS 19 and jumping straight to iOS 26, aligning the software name with the year.

But it’s more than cosmetic; this update is deeply focused on making your devices more helpful.

At the heart of it is Apple Intelligence, the company’s all-new AI system designed to understand context, predict needs and work quietly in the background.

It powers everything from live translation to personalised suggestions, smarter shortcuts, and even tools to clean up photos.

Call screening, Hold Assist, and smarter messaging

The Phone app now uses AI to screen calls from unknown numbers silently.

If it’s legit, the call rings through. If it’s spam, you’ll never hear it.

There’s also a new Hold Assist feature that keeps your place in the queue when calling customer service.

“We’ll detect hold music, let you put your phone down, and alert you when a real person picks up,” Federighi explained.

Messages have also been upgraded. Unknown numbers are now filtered into a separate inbox, with options to silence or verify them.

You can also get smart, auto-generated summaries of messages and notifications.

Live translation on the go

FaceTime, Phone and Messages now come with real-time translation (text and voice) all processed privately on your device.

You can even have bilingual conversations with live captioning during FaceTime calls.

The ‘liquid glass’ look

The new “Liquid Glass” interface is more than just a pretty face.

It reacts to your content and surroundings, creating depth and motion that make the screen feel alive.

App icons now shimmer with light, and menus appear semi-transparent and dynamic.

“It’s the optical clarity of glass with the fluidity only Apple can deliver,” Federighi said.

Across iPhone, iPad, Mac and Watch, UI elements float, glow, and adapt to what’s on screen. Even home screen wallpapers now have 3D effects and dynamic clocks that shift based on the background.

A smarter Siri (but not just yet)

One of the most anticipated updates, a smarter, more personal AI-powered Siri, wasn’t ready in time.

Federighi admitted the revamp “needs more time to reach a high-quality bar” and promised more details later this year.

When it launches, Siri is expected to pull in data from across apps like Calendar, Messages and Mail to offer truly personal responses and suggestions.

Apple Watch’s new AI workout coach

The Apple Watch also gets a serious fitness boost.

A new Workout Buddy will use AI to analyse past workouts and deliver in-the-moment motivation based on your history.

All complete with natural-sounding spoken encouragement.

“It’s not just data anymore. It’s real-time insights and feedback when you need it most,” said Apple Watch product lead Stephanie Postlewaite.

There’s also a major UI refresh for the Workout app, new gestures like wrist flick to silence alerts, and dynamic Smart Stack suggestions that know where you are and what you’re doing.

Apple Intelligence in action

One standout demo showed how a student could use Apple Intelligence to compare lecture recordings with their typed notes, and automatically fill in gaps.

Other use cases include summarising emails, notifications and voice memos, suggesting smart replies, and auto-finding action items across your digital life.

There’s even an AI image clean-up tool to erase unwanted background objects in photos without exporting to Photoshop.

A unified Apple ecosystem

From now on, all Apple devices will use a year-based naming system, iOS 26, macOS 26, watchOS 26, to help simplify updates.

Apple says the change reflects how users jump between devices more than ever before, and how closely integrated the ecosystem has become.

Tech analyst Carolina Milanesi said the updates are designed to tighten Apple’s grip on its user base: “It keeps people within the Apple ecosystem, which is exactly what investors and customers want.”

 

Smaller but smart upgrades

• Camera & Safari: Simplified interfaces and easier access to key features.

• Wallet: Now tracks deliveries automatically from your email.

• Maps: New ‘Visited Places’ view, smarter commute tracking.

• AirPods: Studio-grade recording, camera shutter control, and voice isolation.

• Parental Controls: More granular content filters and time limits.

• Safari: Built-in fingerprinting protection as default.

Apple plays catch-up in the AI race

The sweeping updates come as Apple faces intense competition from AI-forward rivals like Google, Microsoft, Meta and OpenAI.

Apple shares are down 16.3 per cent this year, while Microsoft and Meta have surged.

Even so, Apple says it’s not rushing AI for the sake of headlines. “We believe privacy is non-negotiable,” Federighi said.

What’s next?

The developer beta is live now. A public beta drops in July. Expect the full release, with the iPhone 16 in September.