Apple announced iOS 26 on Monday at WWDC 2025, but there were many rumors that have surfaced before the event, including the new name for the operating system, a dedicated gaming app, and a virtual health coach.
Here is a summary of the most notable features rumored to be coming to iOS 26 that have come true. And be sure to check out the live coverage of the keynotes here.
New name
Instead of using version numbers, Apple has changed its operating system to reflect the year of release. This means that iOS 19 will be renamed iOS 26, just like how you specify iOS 19. This name change also applies to other software updates, such as the iPados 26, Macos 26, Watchos 26, TVOS 26, and Visionos 26.
Overhaul of major designs
The operating system, known as the most important design change since iOS 7, features a complete visual overhaul inspired by Apple's Vision Pro headset. The company calls its new interface liquid glass. This includes a translucent panel for navigation and circular app icons. Visionos-inspired designs are created across Apple's entire ecosystem (including CarPlay) with the goal of creating a more cohesive experience.
Additionally, three apps have undergone most changes – phones, cameras and safari. For example, the Phone app has a new option that allows users to merge their favorite contacts, recent calls and voicemail into a single view. Meanwhile, both the camera app and Safari have more visual updates, such as a transparent address bar for Apple's browser app.
Dedicated game app
Apple has also announced a new gaming app that integrates Apple Arcade and App Store gaming products. This comes after the company acquired the first game studio RAC7, according to DigitalTrends.
Virtual Health Coach
Apple has also announced its training buddy, an AI feature that will serve as an individual coach. The new chatbot is intended to motivate users through workouts in real time, and is intended to collect data from health apps, such as pace and total miles logs.
Bloomberg previously reported that the health app could be improved to include food tracking features, allowing users to record carbohydrate and caffeine intakes. However, Apple did not mention this during the event.
AI translation of messages
The Messages app has an Apple intelligence-driven translation feature that allows you to automatically translate messages as soon as they hit a user's inbox. Apple Intelligence enhances new polling capabilities that allow group chat people to vote and offer AI-generated voting suggestions. 9TO5MAC reported both features.
Additionally, the message added the ability to set the background image in the footsteps of WhatsApp and Instagram.
Preview app
Apple brings preview apps from MacOS to iPad users, allowing them to annotate and edit PDFs. This was reported by Bloomberg.
How about Siri?
One notable absence from today's keynote was the impressive Siri feature highlighted in Apple's 2024 presentation. The company said in March that new features were delayed.
Additionally, it was rumored that Apple has announced AI-powered battery management. This feature was reported to analyze device usage and make adjustments to save battery life. No rumors were announced about reverse wireless charging, which allowed users to charge accessories such as Airpods and Apple Watch directly from their iPhones.
Another update missing from the keynote is rumors about Genmoji, which is said to allow users to combine existing standard emojis.
The story was originally released on June 3rd and updated after rumors were confirmed.