At the beginning of Apple’s WWDC 26 Keynote, they shared a full (or nearly full) feature list of improvements for the new iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, visionOS, and tvOS.
With macOS’s built-in OCR feature in Preview, it’s easy to export the list. And with a little help from Gemini and Claude, here is the categorization of all the improvements and a full analysis of what’s been focused on:
Full feature list
Apps & Productivity
Improved Top Results in Mail
Faster message loading in Mail
More reliable search indexing in Mail
Improved unread badge accuracy in Mail
Improved list formatting in Mail
Shortcuts
Group conversation support in Shortcuts
Else if support in Shortcuts
Store data in Shortcuts
Redesigned Shortcuts editor
Screenshot and notification automations in Shortcuts
Expanded Get What's On Screen capabilities in Shortcuts
Faster shortcuts and actions indexing in Spotlight
Notes & Freeform
Notes:
Drawing in Notes in macOS
Section links in Notes
Copy and paste as Markdown in Notes
Divider lines in Notes
Freeform:
Faster board previews in Freeform
More reliable right-to-left text editing in Freeform
Smoother Freeform board performance
Collaborative folders in Freeform
Drawing in Freeform in macOS
Dark Mode adaptive canvas in Freeform
Safari
Enhanced power efficiency for Safari in iOS and macOS
Faster start page content loading in Safari
Smoother animations and graphics in Safari
Smoother scrolling in Safari in macOS
Faster web application performance in Safari
Smoother start page resizing in Safari
Multiple tab views in Safari in visionOS
Faster handling of JavaScript in Safari
Calendar & Reminders
Calendar:
Smoother Calendar scrolling
Stylized notes from third-party Calendar accounts
Modify multiple Calendar events
Streamlined Calendar event details
Alternate calendars for India support current time zone while traveling
Reminders:
Grocery List in Reminders language expansion
Expanded language support for auto categorization in Reminders
Maps
Maps Parked Car widget in Smart Stack
Guides in Maps available in more places
Enhanced Flyover in Maps
Improved navigation heading and GPS accuracy in CarPlay
Offline Maps update improvements
Natural language search for routing in Maps
More accurate Visited Places in Maps
Visited Places in Maps available in more markets
Wallet & Apple Pay
View card balance in Wallet in watchOS
Easier card selection and payment management with Apple Pay
Wallet Order Tracking support in Australia and Canada
Transit cards and IDs in Smart Stack in watchOS
Document Management & File System
Easier reading and editing of PDFs using VoiceOver
Faster PDF saving
More document formats in Preview
Faster browsing and transfers in Files in iPadOS
Faster network file browsing
Autosize and reset columns
Thumbnails displayed for offloaded media in Messages
Photos & Media
Photos (Core App & Library)
Add keywords to photos and videos in Photos
Album organization improvements in Photos
Identity Documents collection in Photos
Captured by Me collection in Photos
Customize slideshows in Photos
Save any slideshow as a video in Photos
Faster to open full-screen view from Photos widget
Extra-large widgets in Today view in iPadOS / Extra-large widgets in iOS (Photos layout option)
Search for photos and videos using additional metadata
Search returns more pleasing photos of people and pets in Photos
Option to prioritize syncing to Cloud Photos
More accurate photo orientation
Faster rendering of Collections tab in Photos
Selection view in Photos
Faster to start uploading to Cloud Photos
Option to include photos of yourself in Photo Shuffle
Choose a specific pet in Photo Shuffle
Faster loading of new captures in Photos
Save a video frame as a photo
Star ratings in Photos
Shared Albums & iCloud Sharing
Filter photos and videos in Shared Albums
Full-resolution photos and videos in iCloud Shared Albums
Expire your Shared Albums
Easier to invite others in Shared Albums
Easier to save photos from Shared Albums
Additional participant permissions in Shared Albums
React with any emoji in Shared Albums
Participate in iCloud Shared Albums from Android and Windows
Access requests for items shared via Cloud
Recent activity in Shared Album
Apple Music & Audio
Improved reliability of Apple Music streaming
Refreshed album pages in Apple Music
Refreshed artist pages in Apple Music
New AutoMix transitions
Faster Apple Music playback start
Faster Now Playing view loading in Music
AirPods Custom EQ
Web audio no longer interrupts system audio
Podcasts
Updated video podcasts experience in macOS
Redesigned Podcasts app for tvOS
Search within shows in Podcasts
Camera & FaceTime
All options displayed in Camera settings
Camera uses less power in Low Power Mode
Faster Camera launch in Low Power Mode
Easier-to-reach Camera experience
Smoother camera switching when zooming in video
Support for 4K camera recordings in the Home app
Dual camera in FaceTime
Improved FaceTime quality on poor connections
FaceTime Live Captions for Traditional Chinese
Messages (Media Sharing)
Drawing app in Messages
Find offloaded media in Messages
Faster to add recent camera captures in Messages
Support for media sharing from third-party apps
Continuous sending of photos, videos, and texts in Messages
CarPlay & In-Car Entertainment
Audio scrubbing in CarPlay Now Playing
Audio MiniPlayer in CarPlay
Improved wireless CarPlay reliability
iOS
Phone & Cellular: Switch between two iPhone devices with the same phone number, Call Recording transcriptions support for Traditional Chinese, Japanese, and Brazilian Portuguese, Live Voicemail transcription for English (Singapore) and Japanese, More seamless transitions between Wi-Fi and cellular networks, More power-efficient Personal Hotspot on N1 device.
Camera: Faster Camera launch in Low Power Mode, Camera uses less power in Low Power Mode, All options displayed in Camera settings, Easier-to-reach Camera experience, Smoother camera switching when zooming in video, Dual camera in FaceTime.
Home & Lock Screen: Smoother unlocking on iPhone, Faster Lock Screen switching, Password help accessible from the Lock Screen, Lock Screen consistently stays awake while scrolling notifications, Smoother paging between Home Screen pages, Smoother scrolling in App Library, Smoother scrolling in the widget gallery, Smoother scrolling in Control Center and Control Gallery, Live Activities in Dynamic Island in landscape, Extra-large widgets in iOS.
Health & Journal: Perimenopause and menopause symptom logging, education, and support in the Health app, Faster data updates in the Health app, Synced step count in the Health and Fitness apps, More accurate route maps in the Fitness app after workout, Time stamps, cloud sync status, increased attachment limits, and more intuitive streaks in Journal.
System & Wallet: Faster Rapid Return to Service, Faster and more reliable NFC reading, Faster entry and exit from Assistive Access and Guided Access modes, Streamlined setup for Touch Accommodations, Independent alarm volume, Holiday-aware alarms in China, Proactive car key setup, Wallet Order Tracking support in Australia and Canada, Easier card selection and payment management with Apple Pay, Live Activity for Precision Finding with Friends, Option to include photos of yourself or choose a specific pet in Photo Shuffle.
Integrations: GymKit on iPhone and AirPods Pro 3, Redesigned settings in the Apple Watch app.
iPadOS
Multitasking & Interface: Faster window closing and faster window switching in iPadOS, Edge-to-edge sidebars, App names in iPad status bar, Optional persistent menu bar on iPad, Faster menu bar access in iPadOS, iPhone app resizing in iPadOS, Extra-large widgets in Today view in iPadOS, Undo and redo Home Screen edits in iPadOS.
Apps & Inputs: Faster browsing and transfers in Files, Scribble support for Hindi and Marathi with Apple Pencil, Faster multilingual text processing for handwriting in multiple languages, News+ audio support in iPadOS.
macOS
Window Management & UI: Smoother animations in Mission Control and Spaces, More consistent window positioning persistence across external displays, More distinct active windows, Swipe down to refresh in macOS, Uniform toolbars, HDR for macOS system UI, Colorful sidebar icons, Updated menu bar icons, Smoother start page resizing and smoother scrolling in Safari in macOS.
iPhone Mirroring: Control Center access, App resizing, and DRM video support in iPhone Mirroring.
Desktop Apps & Workflows: Option-click to secondary sort, Autosize and reset columns, Drawing in Notes and Freeform in macOS, Updated video podcasts experience in macOS, More document formats in Preview.
System & Hardware: Improved RDMA over Thunderbolt, Ethernet status in menu bar, Faster network file browsing, Faster user account creation, Support for Mac mirroring in 5K resolution, More high-resolution and high-refresh-rate display modes for external displays, Improved navigation in Game Overlay.
Accessibility: Show Borders for macOS accessibility.
watchOS
Fitness & Health: More accurate step tracking, Improved distance accuracy during treadmill workouts, Faster workout start in the Workout app.
System & Connectivity: Better battery efficiency, Improved Wi-Fi connectivity, Faster media playback, Faster app extension launch, More efficient water detection.
Interface & Interaction: Dynamic app grid, Tap gesture on Apple Watch, Maps Parked Car widget and Transit cards/IDs in Smart Stack, New Smart Stack suggestions.
Apps: View card balance in Wallet, Consolidated Find My app, Guest key, Support for time zone changes in Sleep.
visionOS
Environments & Interface: Use your panoramas for Environments, Spatial scene support for panoramas, New windows with curvature, Look and tap to view and respond to notifications.
System & Tools: Faster boot and connect to Wi-Fi, Improved Control Center, Extra-small widget option, Widget for Mac Virtual Display, Multiple tab views in Safari in visionOS.
tvOS
System & Apps: Smoother animations and app launches, More responsive Control Center, Smart downloads on Apple TV, Redesigned Podcasts app for tvOS.
Settings: Larger text sizes in tvOS, AppleCare coverage details in Settings.
CarPlay
Media & Nav: Audio scrubbing in CarPlay Now Playing, Audio MiniPlayer in CarPlay, Improved navigation heading and GPS accuracy, Improved wireless CarPlay reliability.
AirPods
Audio tuning: AirPods Custom EQ.
Analysis on improvement
"Faster" and "Smoother" have been the most heavily used words in this improved feature list. With the launch of OS26, which uses the Liquid Glass design language, it’s been a hot topic since Day 1 that it uses a lot of system graphics processing power. And now with the Apple Foundation Model running in the background, system resources are even further limited. It makes sense for Apple to improve overall device performance here and there to ensure top-of-the-line responsiveness, which has been its main advantage over Android.
Then there are also a bunch of improvements that are more or less related to the AI capabilities available on newer Apple devices. For example, better multilingual support or more relevant photo suggestions could both be based on the LLM's capabilities in those tasks.
Apple also didn’t forget about its ecosystem power. With the EU knocking on the door asking Apple to open up its systems for competition, while complying with some of those requirements (like USB-C and RCS in iMessage), Apple is still trying to build a better ecosystem elsewhere. iPad’s sidebar got touch support, and more features trickled down to watchOS.
In the end, as all of the features were just summarized on one slide and were only shown for about 5 seconds on screen, those improvements were definitely not the main focus of the event. However, it’s those details that keep getting polished and improved that make iOS and its siblings a more enjoyable experience for its users.