You get a single, clear view of the platform updates released today across iPhone, iPad, Mac, watch, TV, and vision devices. The update brings a beautiful new software design called Liquid Glass, a translucent material that reflects and adapts to your surroundings to keep content front and center.
In this brief guide, you’ll see which software updates arrived and how they change the way you use apps and system features. New tools expand intelligence with Live Translation, visual recognition, Genmoji, and on-device Shortcuts that protect privacy.
Platform highlights include faster ways to handle calls, Messages improvements, music lyric translation, and Wallet order tracking. iPad gains a new windowing system and pro features, macOS gets a smarter Spotlight, and watchOS adds sleep score and health alerts.
You’ll also learn how visionOS shapes spatial browsing, widgets, and shared experiences for apple vision users. These updates are available as free software updates, and they aim to save you time while delivering a more focused experience.
Key Takeaways
- You can install free updates today across all major devices to access new features.
- Liquid Glass brings a cohesive, responsive new software design to the system and apps.
- Apple Intelligence now offers Live Translation, visual intelligence, and creative tools that run on-device.
- Platform-specific improvements—like iPad windowing and macOS Spotlight updates—boost productivity.
- watchOS adds meaningful health features such as sleep score and hypertension notifications.
What you need to know right now about Apple’s 2025 software releases
You can install the new updates today across iPhone, iPad, Mac, watch, TV, and vision devices. After the update, try headline features like live translation messages right from your screen without waiting for later builds.
Apple confirmed all six platforms—iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS Tahoe 26, watchOS 26, tvOS 26, and visionOS 26—are available apple free updates. New apple intelligence features are live in beta with core languages supported now and additional available regions languages coming soon.
Keep in mind that some features may available only in certain areas or languages. You should check which apple intelligence features and health alerts apply to your region and which watch models they require.
Your privacy matters: many experiences, including Live Translation in Messages, FaceTime, Phone, and AirPods, run on device so conversations stay private. This system-level approach helps apps you use every day feel consistent across devices from the moment you finish installing updates.
A beautiful new software design with Liquid Glass
A translucent material called Liquid Glass reshapes how your device presents content and controls. This new software design behaves like real glass: it refracts colors from your wallpaper, reflects subtle surroundings, and adapts in real time so your content stays front and center.
How Liquid Glass refracts, reflects, and dynamically adapts to your content
The material called liquid uses real‑time rendering and specular highlights to add depth without distraction. It shifts between light and dark environments so images and text remain readable. Tab bars shrink as you scroll and expand when you return to navigation to keep you immersed in the app.
Where you’ll see Liquid Glass across apps, Control Center, and system UI
Controls, sidebars, widgets, the Lock Screen time, Dock, and the control center all share this same look. Sidebars on iPad and Mac refract what’s behind them to preserve context, and the menu bar becomes transparent to make displays feel larger. Users will notice cleaner visuals and faster access to the things they need.
Apple Intelligence elevates your experience across devices
Your devices now include intelligence that helps you translate, search, and create without leaving the app you're in. This system ties new apple intelligence into everyday tasks so you work faster and keep private data on device when possible.
Live Translation in Messages, FaceTime, Phone, and with AirPods
Use live translation messages inside chats, FaceTime, Phone, or with AirPods so you can speak across languages in real time. The processing runs on device for privacy, letting users keep conversations local and secure.
Visual intelligence for onscreen content, search, and actions
Point the camera or take a screenshot, highlight text or objects, and ask questions about the content. You can search similar images or products in supported apps and create quick actions like adding dates from a flyer to your calendar.
Genmoji, Image Playground, and Shortcuts
Make Genmoji by blending emoji and descriptions, then refine creations in Image Playground with ChatGPT styles like Watercolor. Shortcuts call apple intelligence models on device or via Private Cloud Compute for heavier tasks.
Developers can access on‑device models to build smarter features that work offline, giving users richer experiences across apps without sacrificing privacy.
iOS 26 improves the features you rely on every day
iOS 26 brings focused changes so common tasks finish faster and with less noise. You’ll see refinements across calls, messages, media, and system apps that save time and reduce interruptions for users.
Call Screening, Hold Assist, and smarter Messages with polls and backgrounds
Call Screening now blocks unknown numbers and Hold Assist keeps you on hold until a real person answers. These features cut interruptions and help you reclaim time during busy days.
Messages adds polls and custom Backgrounds so users shape conversations and set tone. You can also screen messages from unknown senders to lower unwanted noise.
Camera, Photos, Safari updates plus Apple Music lyrics translation and pronunciation
Camera and Photos include tweaks that speed capture and browsing. Safari and the Phone app get subtle conveniences that make daily use smoother.
Music now offers Lyrics Translation and Pronunciation so you follow songs and say artist names correctly, improving how you engage with content.
Apple Games app, AirPods recording controls, Wallet order tracking, and CarPlay enhancements
The new Games app curates titles for each user and surfaces what you love. AirPods can act as a remote mic for higher‑quality recordings from the Camera app.
Wallet auto-detects orders and summarizes shipping details so tracking is simple. CarPlay brings a compact call view, Tapbacks in Messages, widgets, and Live Activities to keep notifications glanceable while driving.
iPadOS 26 unlocks powerful new experiences on iPad
iPadOS 26 transforms how you arrange work and play on a tablet, making complex layouts feel natural. The update keeps the iPad simple while adding tools that help you move faster and do more with touch, Pencil, or a cursor.
All‑new intuitive windowing system, menu bar, and supercharged Files
You’ll arrange multiple apps with a new windowing system that snaps and switches smoothly. The menu bar surfaces commands with a swipe or cursor, so tools stay close without clutter.
The Files app adds deeper organization and folder customization. Put important folders in the Dock for one‑tap access to content across your workspace.
Preview, Journal, Background Tasks, and pro audio capture
Preview brings PDF editing with Apple Pencil Markup and AutoFill for quick signing and annotation. Journal offers a focused canvas for notes and sketches.
Background Tasks run long jobs while you keep working. You also get finer audio control and high‑quality local recording for podcasts, voiceover, or field work.
Developers will adopt the updated system so apps share consistent windowing behaviors and controls. The new look and Liquid Glass cues reduce visual friction and help your content come forward.
macOS Tahoe turbocharges productivity on Mac
macOS Tahoe rethinks the Mac desktop so you get faster access to the tools you use most. The redesign adds color options for folders, refreshed app icons, and widgets that you can tune to your workflow.
Personalization with updated Control Center, icons, widgets, and a transparent menu bar
Your Control Center makes it simple to adjust system settings at a glance. A transparent menu bar and new icon colors make the display feel larger while keeping familiar controls in place.
Spotlight’s biggest update: new browsing views, enhanced search, and quick actions
Spotlight adds browsing views for files and apps, smarter relevance in results, and quick actions so you can send an email or create an event without switching contexts. These changes save you time and reduce friction across tasks.
Continuity with the Phone app, Call Screening, Hold Assist, and Live Activities
Continuity brings the Phone app to Mac with Recents, Favorites, and voicemails. Call Screening and Hold Assist help you triage interruptions, and Live Activities from your iPhone appear on Mac for real‑time tracking.
Shortcuts gain intelligent actions and direct access to on‑device intelligence, and developers will update apps so menus and widgets match the new design. Overall, Tahoe tightens the workflow many users rely on daily.
watchOS 26 delivers more personalized ways to stay healthy, active, and connected
watchOS 26 brings smarter on‑wrist health checks and workout coaching that fit your daily routine. You’ll see new, everyday tools that help you sleep better, train harder, and handle alerts without reaching for your phone.
Sleep score, hypertension alerts, and Smart Stack hints
You’ll wake to a sleep score that explains rest quality and suggests simple steps. FDA‑cleared hypertension notifications can alert you to signs of chronic high blood pressure, though availability varies by region and model.
Smart Stack hints surface timely suggestions so you can act faster during the day. These prompts make common tasks feel seamless across your apple watch experiences.
Workout Buddy, redesigned Workout app, and quick interactions
Workout Buddy uses your past workouts and on‑device intelligence to deliver spoken motivation in a natural voice. The Workout app gets its biggest layout refresh, so starting and managing sessions takes fewer taps.
Live Translation in Messages works on your wrist, and a new wrist flick gesture helps you dismiss notifications and calls hands‑free. Notes arrives on the watch so you can capture ideas at a glance.
tvOS 26 elevates the Apple TV experience
tvOS 26 refreshes the living room experience with features built for sharing music, calls, and profiles. You’ll find social playback and faster ways to jump into conversations that fit a party or family night.
Sing in Apple Music, FaceTime Contact Posters, and improved profiles
Sing in Apple Music turns your iPhone into a wireless mic so you see real‑time lyrics and visual effects on the big screen. Friends can join from their phones to queue songs and react with on‑screen emoji, keeping energy high.
FaceTime Contact Posters make starting a living room call simple. You pick a poster and tap to connect without juggling devices. Profile updates let viewers switch back to personalized recommendations, playlists, and watchlists quickly.
You’ll notice the visual polish and images that make the interface feel more alive while staying familiar. Apps and the app grid match the broader design, so navigation is consistent across apps you use every day.
Overall, these updates fit naturally into your routine today—whether you’re hosting karaoke, sharing a movie night, or making a quick family call. The result is less friction and more fun for users in the living room.
visionOS 26 brings groundbreaking spatial experiences to Apple Vision Pro
VisionOS 26 turns your room into a personal canvas where apps, photos, and tools sit where you place them. Widgets now persist in your space so key info reappears each time you put on Vision Pro.
Widgets, Personas, and spatial photo scenes
You’ll pin widgets in your space so your calendar, controls, and glanceable data return exactly where you left them. Updated Personas make video calls feel more natural and expressive.
Spatial scenes add depth to images, transforming flat photos into moments you can step into and relive.
Spatial browsing, shared experiences, and phone continuity
Safari supports spatial layouts and 3D objects embedded on pages, improving shopping and learning across apps. Shared viewing lets people in the same room watch a film or collaborate in real time.
You can unlock and check your iPhone while wearing Vision Pro, and store hand and eye data on iPhone to simplify sharing between users.
Immersive environments and native playback
Explore the new Jupiter Environment to watch storms evolve over time. Native playback now supports 180° and 360° video from supported cameras, preserving natural perspective in immersive clips.
Accessibility features, availability, and regions/languages you should check
You’ll find deeper accessibility support that surfaces useful controls and readable text across the system. These updates bring practical tools for many users and improve how content appears and sounds on devices.
Reader, Braille, Magnifier, and App Store labels
Accessibility Reader offers a systemwide reading view with font, color, and spacing options plus Spoken Content so you can listen hands‑free.
Braille Access lets you connect a braille display to navigate apps and menus more efficiently.
Magnifier for Mac supports external cameras so you can zoom in on distant text or whiteboards.
Accessibility Nutrition Labels in the App Store help developers describe features so you preview accessibility details before download.
Availability, regions, and language support
iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS 26, watchOS 26, tvOS 26, and visionOS 26 are available today, but features may available only in some countries.
Live Listen controls and real‑time Live Captions come to available apple watch models where local rules permit notifications and health alerts.
Check which features may available in your region and which available regions languages are supported now. Apple intelligence models will add languages over time, so confirm supported languages for your devices before relying on translated text or spoken content.
https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2025/09/new-versions-of-apples-software-platforms
Refer to the official update summary for a clear checklist of changes across platforms. It gives you one place to verify features, availability, and regional notes so you can plan what to enable first after the update.
The summary outlines how Liquid Glass and on‑device intelligence affect apps and the overall experience. You’ll see compact examples that show how a feature behaves in real use, helping you decide which settings to try on day one.
Use the page to map updates to your workflows and to confirm which features are available for your device models and languages. The notes include developer guidance and app examples that show how on‑device models integrate with common apps.
Keep the summary bookmarked as a living reference while you explore. It saves time and helps you check specifics without hunting across multiple pages.
What this update means for you across iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Apple TV, and Apple Vision Pro
This update ties design, intelligence, and useful features together so your devices work more like a single system.
You’ll notice the new software design brings consistent controls and clearer content across phone, tablet, Mac, and vision headsets. Live Translation and visual tools speed communication on the screen without leaving an app.
Health and time‑saving features on apple watch and iOS, Wallet order tracking, and faster Spotlight searches cut daily friction. On apple vision pro, spatial scenes and persistent widgets change how you view images and text in space.
Keep in mind features may available only in some countries and that staged language rollouts mean some experiences arrive later. Install the free update when it’s available apple and enjoy a more seamless user experience across your devices today.