Near the beginning of the WWDC26 keynote, Apple Senior VP of Software Engineering Craig Federighi said:
We are always challenging ourselves to make our products ever more responsive, even more reliable, and that much more delightful to use. So instead of just introducing a host of new features, we’re also taking the features you already rely on and making them even better. Because we believe the best operating systems aren’t just built on big breakthroughs, they’re built on sweating the details.
Federighi then handed off to Stacey Ford, Apple’s VP of OS Program Management, who continued:
Attention to detail has always been core to Apple’s DNA. And this year, our teams doubled down on our relentless dedication to make the experience feel more polished and intuitive. We scoured every part of the OS for opportunities to refine our systems from the UI to the foundations. Nothing was off limits, no enhancement too small. We made things faster, smoother, even easier to use, and we took care of a bunch of things you’ve been asking about.
As she spoke, at precisely 6:21, the screen filled with a slide showing hundreds of changes Apple has made in the OS releases.
The sheer volume of changes is heartening because it shows that Apple really is paying attention and implementing refinements, not just offering presentation platitudes. However, because the slide is a marketing piece rather than a set of release notes, many of the items raise questions only Apple can answer. Those answers may be forthcoming in the PDF feature lists that Apple publishes at release. Heck, it would be nice to see even this level of detail in the release notes for interim updates.
The slide was on screen for only a few seconds, but that was long enough to grab a screenshot. You’re welcome to click it to zoom and try to read everything, but that way lies madness. Instead, I OCRed it using ChatGPT, Claude, and Apple’s own Live Text feature in Preview. ChatGPT did the best job of categorizing, so I fed it the Claude and Live Text lists and had it incorporate changes based on differences. I still can’t guarantee perfect accuracy. If something seems off, you can verify it yourself: use Live Text in Preview to select any text on the screenshot, then Select All, copy, and paste into BBEdit or another text editor to search.
The next problem is that there are 264 items listed on that slide, so I’ve grouped them by platform and app, with a few extra categories for things that didn’t fit elsewhere. (In reality, I had ChatGPT do a first pass, and then I moved numerous sections and items around because I disagreed with many of its decisions. It was still a time-saver.) Some items may not be in the right spot since I had to guess at where they went from only a few words.
To make it easier to read through this massive list, I used the HTML details and summary tags, which make the list collapsible. Everything is open to start, but you can close each section as you read to reduce the chance of getting lost in the list.
Which of these changes are you most looking forward to?
“Sweating the Details” Changes in OS 27
Liquid Glass
Updated Liquid Glass
Customize Liquid Glass
Updated app icons
macOS 27 Golden Gate
More consistent window positioning persistence across external displays
Support for Mac mirroring in 5K resolution
More high-resolution and high-refresh-rate display modes for external displays
Edge-to-edge sidebars
Updated menu bar icons
Consistent corner radii
Uniform toolbars
More distinct active windows
Colorful sidebar icons
Option-click to secondary sort
Autosize and reset columns
Smoother animations in Mission Control and Spaces
Swipe down to refresh in macOS
Faster user account creation in macOS
HDR for macOS system UI
iOS 27
Extra-large widgets in iOS
Real-time updates for widgets when app is open
Independent alarm volume
Live Activities in Dynamic Island in landscape
Faster app launches
Optimized CPU scheduler
Smoother unlocking on iPhone
Lock Screen consistently stays awake while scrolling notifications
Faster Lock Screen switching
Smoother scrolling in Control Center and Control Gallery
Smoother scrolling in App Library
Smoother scrolling in the widget gallery
Faster and more reliable NFC reading
iPadOS 27
Optional persistent menu bar on iPad
iPhone app resizing in iPadOS
App names in iPad status bar
Faster browsing and transfers in Files in iPadOS
Faster window switching in iPadOS
Faster window closing in iPadOS
Faster menu bar access in iPadOS
Undo and redo Home Screen edits in iPadOS
Extra-large widgets in Today view in iPadOS
Smoother paging between Home Screen pages
Expanded touch support in Sidecar
watchOS 27
Dynamic app grid in watchOS
Tap gesture on Apple Watch
Consolidated Find My app in watchOS
Redesigned settings in the Apple Watch app
New Smart Stack suggestions in watchOS
Maps Parked Car widget in Smart Stack
Transit cards and IDs in Smart Stack in watchOS
Guest key in watchOS
View card balance in Wallet in watchOS
More accurate step tracking on Apple Watch
Faster media playback in watchOS
Better battery efficiency on Apple Watch
Improved battery insights
Improved Wi-Fi connectivity in watchOS
More efficient emergency alert monitoring
Faster app extension launch in watchOS
More efficient water detection on Apple Watch
tvOS 27
More responsive Control Center in tvOS
Smoother animations and app launches in tvOS
Larger text sizes in tvOS
AppleCare coverage details in Settings in tvOS
Faster AirPlay connections to Apple TV and HomePod
Smart downloads on Apple TV
visionOS 27
Support for panoramas in visionOS
Spatial scene support for panoramas in visionOS
Use your panoramas for Environments in visionOS
Look and tap to view and respond to notifications in visionOS
Extra-small widget option in visionOS
Improved Control Center in visionOS
Multiple tab views in Safari in visionOS
Widget for Mac Virtual Display in visionOS
New windows with curvature in visionOS
Faster boot and connect to Wi-Fi in visionOS
Camera
Easier-to-reach Camera experience
More accurate photo orientation
All options displayed in Camera settings
Faster Camera launch in Low Power Mode
Camera uses less power in Low Power Mode
Smoother camera switching when zooming in video
Photos
Add keywords to photos and videos in Photos
Star ratings in Photos
Search returns more pleasing photos of people and pets in Photos
Search for photos and videos using additional metadata
Customize slideshows in Photos
Save any slideshow as a video in Photos
Selection view in Photos
Album organization improvements in Photos
Captured by Me collection in Photos
Identity Documents collection in Photos
Choose a specific pet in Photo Shuffle
Option to include photos of yourself in Photo Shuffle
Save a video frame as a photo
Faster to start uploading to iCloud Photos
Option to prioritize syncing to iCloud Photos
Faster Text Recognition in photos and documents
Faster loading of new captures in Photos
Faster rendering of Collections tab in Photos
Faster to open full-screen view from Photos widget
Shared Albums
Full-resolution photos and videos in iCloud Shared Albums
Participate in iCloud Shared Albums from Android and Windows
Additional participant permissions in Shared Albums
Easier to invite others in Shared Albums
Easier to save photos from Shared Albums
Expire your Shared Albums
Filter photos and videos in Shared Albums
Recent activity in Shared Albums
React with any emoji in Shared Albums
Messages
Drawing app in Messages
Improved Messages syncing across devices
Failed messages automatically retry sending
Continuous sending of photos, videos, and texts in Messages
Find offloaded media in Messages
Thumbnails displayed for offloaded media in Messages
Search for conversations in Messages by phone number or contact’s nickname
Consolidated notifications for multiple Tapbacks in Messages
Faster to add recent camera captures in Messages
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
Safari
Faster start page content loading in Safari
Faster web application performance in Safari
Faster handling of JavaScript in Safari
Smoother scrolling in Safari in macOS
Smoother animations and graphics in Safari
Smoother start page resizing in Safari
Enhanced power efficiency for Safari in iOS and macOS
Web audio no longer interrupts system audio
Apple Music and Music Playback
New AutoMix transitions
Refreshed artist pages in Apple Music
Refreshed album pages in Apple Music
AirPods Custom EQ
Faster Apple Music playback start
Faster Now Playing view loading in Music
Improved reliability of Apple Music streaming
Maps
Enhanced Flyover in Maps
Natural language search for routing in Maps
Visited Places in Maps available in more markets
More accurate Visited Places in Maps
Guides in Maps available in more places
Offline Maps update improvements
Find My
Live Activity for Precision Finding with Friends
More flexible sharing options in Find My
Find My UI enhancements
Calendar
Modify multiple Calendar events
Streamlined Calendar event details
Stylized notes from third-party Calendar accounts
Smoother Calendar scrolling
Notes
Drawing in Notes in macOS
Copy and paste as Markdown in Notes
Section links in Notes
Divider lines in Notes
Reminders
Grocery List in Reminders language expansion
Expanded language support for autocategorization in Reminders
Weather
Updated hourly and 10-day views in Weather
FaceTime, Phone, and Calling
Dual camera in FaceTime
Improved FaceTime quality on poor connections
Switch between two iPhone devices with the same phone number
FaceTime Live Captions for Traditional Chinese
Call Recording transcriptions support for Traditional Chinese, Japanese, and Brazilian Portuguese
Live Voicemail transcription for English (Singapore) and Japanese
Wallet, Apple Pay, and Car Keys
Easier card selection and payment management with Apple Pay
Proactive car key setup
Wallet Order Tracking support in Australia and Canada
AirDrop
Faster AirDrop transfers
Faster AirDrop recipient discovery
iCloud and Collaboration
Access requests for items shared via iCloud
More easily accessible share link for iCloud collaboration
Richer iCloud collaboration link previews
Faster access to shared content on iCloud.com
Home and HomeKit
View streams from compatible cameras simultaneously in the Home app
Support for 4K camera recordings in the Home app
More reliable HomeKit camera storage
Faster HomeKit accessory pairing
Faster smart home accessory updates
Networking and Connectivity
More seamless transitions between Wi-Fi and cellular networks
Ethernet status in menu bar in macOS
Improved Bluetooth power management
Improved connectivity for Thread home accessories
More power-efficient Personal Hotspot on N1 devices
Faster network file browsing
Improved RDMA over Thunderbolt
iPhone Mirroring
App resizing in iPhone Mirroring
Control Center access in iPhone Mirroring
DRM video support in iPhone Mirroring
Apple Account, Recovery, and Security
Easier to access recovery codes for Apple Accounts
Quick Start with a recovery contact
Password help accessible from the Lock Screen
Faster Rapid Return to Service
CarPlay
Audio MiniPlayer in CarPlay
Audio scrubbing in CarPlay Now Playing
Improved navigation heading and GPS accuracy in CarPlay
Improved wireless CarPlay reliability
Shortcuts and Automation
Redesigned Shortcuts editor
Expanded Get What’s On Screen capabilities in Shortcuts
Else if support in Shortcuts
Store data in Shortcuts
Group conversation support in Shortcuts
Screenshot and notification automations in Shortcuts
Spotlight
More relevant Spotlight search suggestions
Faster shortcuts and actions indexing in Spotlight
Preview and Document Handling
More document formats in Preview
Faster PDF saving
Fitness, Fitness+, and Workout
More accurate route maps in the Fitness app after workouts
Improved distance accuracy during treadmill workouts
Faster workout start in the Workout app
Synced step count in the Health and Fitness apps
Fitness+ workouts for perimenopause and menopause
Sort by completed Fitness+ workouts
GymKit on iPhone and AirPods Pro 3
Health and Sleep
Perimenopause and menopause symptom logging in the Health app
Perimenopause and menopause support in the Health app
Perimenopause and menopause education in the Health app
Faster data updates in the Health app
Support for time zone changes in Sleep
Podcasts
Search within shows in Podcasts
Updated video podcasts experience in macOS
Redesigned Podcasts app for tvOS
Apple News and Stocks
News+ audio support in iPadOS
Improved performance in Apple News
Smoother animations in News and Stocks articles
Journal
More intuitive journaling streaks
Increased attachment limits in Journal
Time stamps for Journal entries
iCloud sync status for Journal entries
Freeform
Drawing in Freeform in macOS
Collaborative folders in Freeform
Smoother Freeform board performance
More reliable right-to-left text editing in Freeform
Faster board previews in Freeform
Dark Mode adaptive canvas in Freeform
Sharing and Media Extensions
Support for media sharing from third-party apps
Content-based recipient suggestions for sharing photos and links
Keyboard, Language, and Internationalization
Faster loading of emoji and sticker keyboards
New UI language for English (Canada) and English (Philippines)
Smart language and keyboard configuration suggestions
Automatic punctuation when typing on multilingual keyboards
New keyboards for languages including Afrikaans, Basque, Baybayin, English (Philippines), Galician, Guarani, Luxembourgish, Xhosa, and Zulu
New keyboards for Indigenous languages, including Blackfoot, Comanche, Cree, Kiowa, and Tsuu’tina
Improved conversion from phonetic scripts like Pinyin and Kana when typing in Simplified Chinese and Japanese
Multilingual grammar checking
Scribble support for Hindi and Marathi with Apple Pencil
QuickPath and typing suggestions for Vietnamese VNI keyboard
Onscreen context for more relevant typing suggestions for Chinese and Japanese
New keyboard layout for Slovenian and Estonian
Natural language time formats for Chinese and Hindi
Faster multilingual text processing for handwriting in multiple languages
Punctuation suggestions as you type in Chinese
Chaizi typing
Alternate calendars for India support current time zone while traveling
Holiday-aware alarms in China
Accessibility
Faster Voice Control response in iOS
Pairing and handoff improvements for MFi hearing devices
Easier reading and editing of PDFs using VoiceOver
Show Borders for macOS accessibility
Streamlined setup for Touch Accommodations in iOS and iPadOS
Streamlined Assistive Access setup
Faster entry and exit from Assistive Access and Guided Access modes
Gaming
Improved game controller settings
Improved PlayStation Access controller support
Improved navigation in Game Overlay