What to expect at WWDC26: iOS 27, Apple Intelligence 2.0, and new hardware

Apple is gearing up for its most important software event ever. WWDC26 kicks off on June 8, 2026. This year brings massive updates that will completely change how you use your devices. The entire lineup is getting a heavy dose of AI, fresh designs, and long-awaited stability improvements. Let's dive into the biggest software features and potential new hardware coming your way.

Next-level accessibility

The biggest iOS 27 changes start with accessibility. Apple is using on-device AI to completely rethink how you interact with your phone.

AI-powered VoiceOver now actually understands your surroundings. You can point your camera at a restaurant bill or a t-shirt and ask your iPhone what it sees. It doesn't just read raw text. It fully understands the context of the image and answers your questions naturally.

We are also getting system-wide live captions. If a video lacks captions, on-device AI will automatically generate them for you in real time.

Voice Control gets a massive upgrade too. You no longer have to navigate using complex grid overlays. You can just say things like "tap the orange folder" or "zoom in on the bottom right." The system handles natural voice input perfectly.

The Accessibility Reader now uses AI to simplify complex web layouts. It breaks down messy tables and text columns into easy-to-read summaries. The Magnifier app essentially becomes a visual AI assistant. You can snap a photo of a document and ask it specific questions directly.

Pro tip: If you use an Apple Vision Pro, you will soon be able to navigate and control a motorized wheelchair directly through the headset interface.

Apple Intelligence 2.0 and the Liquid Glass design

iOS 27 moves away from older designs and introduces a new Liquid Glass aesthetic. It feels more transparent, fluid, and reliable. But the real star of the show is Apple Intelligence 2.0.

This upgraded AI is baked directly into Safari, Photos, Messages, Notes, and Mail. One of the coolest new additions is AI-powered Shortcuts. The Shortcuts app used to be incredibly complex to set up. Now, you can just use natural language. You can tell your phone to "create a shortcut that logs my Apple Pay payments in a Numbers spreadsheet." The system builds the entire code and workflow for you automatically.

Siri is also getting a massive structural change. Apple is opening up Siri to third-party AI models. You will be able to set Google Gemini, ChatGPT, or Claude as your default voice model right in your settings. Siri handles the front-end animations and system tasks on your phone, while your preferred model does the heavy lifting for complex queries.

Massive bug fixes and device support

The jump to iOS 27 brings a huge focus on stability. Apple is deploying AI internally to detect and squash bugs faster. This means a much smoother experience overall, fixing many of the lingering stability issues from the previous year.

Wondering if your phone makes the cut? iOS 27 will support the iPhone SE 3 and every iPhone 12 model and newer.

iPadOS 27 and macOS Tahoe

iPadOS 27 continues its journey to become more Mac-like. You will see better multitasking, improved window management, and superior external display support. The Apple Pencil also gets a boost with new AI note-taking and summarization features.

On the Mac side, say hello to macOS 27 Tahoe. This update marks a definitive shift. It is exclusively for Apple Silicon Macs. If you have an Intel Mac, you will not get this update. The standout feature here is a completely rebuilt Spotlight search. It is finally stable and indexes your local files quickly and accurately.

Updates to the wrist and the living room

watchOS 27 leans heavily into Apple Intelligence for health and fitness. Workouts are getting smarter with better training loads and recovery metrics. The interface is also shifting toward voice-first interactions. This sets the stage for future screen-less wearables where your voice does all the work.

tvOS 27 brings AI to your living room. Expect better content discovery, improved recommendations, and a more robust FaceTime experience on the big screen. Your Apple TV is becoming a much more capable smart home hub.

New hardware teasers

WWDC is a software show. However, we expect to see a few exciting hardware announcements this year.

First up is a highly anticipated Apple Home Hub. Think of this as an iPad mixed with a HomePod. It acts as a dedicated central command center for all your smart home devices. You get a large display for widgets, FaceTime, and quick Siri access.

Pro users can look forward to a spec bump with the Mac Studio. We expect it to feature the brand new M5 Pro and M5 Max chips.

Finally, Apple might drop a major teaser for Apple Glass. Following up on the Apple Vision Pro, Apple is working on a lightweight augmented reality solution. We might get our first real glimpse at how Siri and Visual Intelligence will power these upcoming smart glasses.

That's a wrap

WWDC26 is shaping up to be a historic event. The heavy integration of AI across every single operating system is going to change how we interact with our devices daily. Between the massive Siri overhaul, the Liquid Glass design, and brand new hardware categories, it is an exciting time to be in the Apple ecosystem.