WWDC 2025: Key iOS 26 Updates Announced

Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) is one of the most popular events held every year to inform developers about exciting new features and provide tutorials about the integration of such features.

WWDC 2025 was held from 9th June to 13th June and contained numerous memorable announcements and events. Apple has made some significant changes to the way its messaging and push notifications work. For example, now any messages from unknown contact numbers will be automatically filtered. Businesses need to know about such changes to ensure successful marketing via SMS as well as push notifications.

We will go through all such major changes announced in WWDC, such as iOS 26 updates, and other key things that can impact the future of mobile engagement.

Overview of Apple WWDC

It is one of the most anticipated events of the year among marketers, developers, and Apple users. from 9th June to 13th June. The event was primarily held online, but some students and developers got to attend the event physically at Apple Park.

Source：https://developer.apple.com

Major iOS 26 Updates Impacting Business Growth

Apple has unveiled the iOS 26 updates and announced that it will be available for all users of iPhone 11 and later. The following are the major iOS 26 updates you should know about because they can impact your personal and business growth:

1. Liquid Glass Interface

One of the biggest changes in iOS 26 is the introduction of the liquid glass interface. It means the interface looks like a glass when you are pulling down the lock screen. You'll also be able to see how the apps interact in a moving pane of glass. Moreover, highlights are added around the app icons. These highlights will shift when you move the phone in your hand.

Source：https://public.bnbstatic.com/

2. Lock Screen Photo

Another prominent update is that the lock screen now adapts to the photo. It is now stretched to produce the depth effect. Moreover, when a new notification pops up, the photo will shift up to ensure it is not blocked by notifications.

3. 3D Effect Photos

iOS 26 will also contain a feature to convert 2D photos into a 3D effect from the native Photos app. You can save such pictures on your device or also apply them to the lock screen.

4. Call Screening Feature

Call Screening is one of those features that was highly demanded by iOS users, as it was already present in many Android phones, such as the Pixel. Apple has finally added the Call Screen feature in iOS 26.

Source：https://www.smartcompany.com.au/

It allows you to answer calls automatically from unknown callers in the background without getting any alerts. Your phone will only ring once the caller gives a specific reason for the call. Moreover, you'll be able to see the caller's response on screen before deciding whether to pick up the call.

5. Real-Time Translation

iOS 26 is also going to include the feature of real-time translation in Messages and FaceTime. Such technology is also present in Samsung and Google phones. You can even turn on the translate feature in the Phone to translate what the other person is saying on calls.

WWDC 2025 Message Push Updates – What Marketers/Developers Must Know

WWDC 2025 has also announced some significant iOS updates important for marketers and developers. These are:

iOS Update 1: Smart Notification Prioritization

Apple introduced the smart notification feature a few years back to ensure users were not getting any spammy messages, but users had to enable this feature from the settings.

Source：https://www.digitaltrends.com/

With iOS 26, the smart notification prioritization feature is built in. Now, all the unknown SMS senders will be filtered automatically by default. In this way, the SMS messages from unknown senders will be moved to a separate folder. However, time-sensitive messages will be delivered directly to the inbox.

Key Takeaways for Marketers / Developers

This iOS update announced at WWDC has significant implications for marketers and developers. They must now ensure that their SMS messages are recognized as a transaction, so that the receiver gets the notification.

Similarly, signed-up users should be encouraged to save the sender ID as a contact during the onboarding process.

Omnichannel marketing strategies need to be implemented to provide a multichannel journey for the target users. In this way, even if your audience does not receive the SMS notification, you'll reach them via another notification channel.

iOS Update 2: Enhanced Interactive Notifications

The new iOS update announced at the WWDC 2025 also has significant improvements in terms of interactive notifications and overall features.

Users can now customize the chat backgrounds on the Messages app and also easily set prioritized notifications. Moreover, the chat option in messages now comes with the option of creating polls in group chats to increase interactivity.

The synchronization of iOS and CarPlay is another way in which notifications' interactivity is going to improve in iOS 26.

iOS Update 3: Cross-Device Sync Improvements

Apple has always focused on creating an engaging experience for its users through unified software and devices, such as iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Significant improvements have been announced at WWDC 2025 to improve cross-device synchronization.

Source：https://bgr.com/

For example, Live Activities is one feature that was only available on iOS until now. It will now also be available on macOS and CarPlay to ensure users can get real-time updates, such as delivery notifications, on their car dashboard or Mac computer.

The introduction and syncing of such features mean Apple is continuing with its goal of creating an integrated environment for users who typically use multiple Apple products.

Key Takeaways for Developers

Marketers and especially developers have to design the Live Activity interface considering the fact that users can be using the software in their car or on their Mac. Moreover, brands also have the chance of experimenting with different engagement features, such as community challenges.

Why EngageLab is Your Critical iOS 26 Push Partner?

Considering the numerous iOS updates announced at WWDC 2025, it is important for businesses to use a reliable customer engagement platform like EngageLab to comply with Apple's policies and ensure their messages and notifications are delivered to the target audience.

Here's how EngageLab can help you:

1. Bypass Apple's Restrictions

EngageLab is a platform that is specifically designed to help businesses maximize user management and engagement by sending messages via different channels. As a result, the algorithms and technology behind it are fully equipped to comply with Apple's changing requirements and also bypass their various restrictions.

Get Started For Free

EngageLab provides complete guidance, customer support, and tutorials, such as iOS certificate settings, to help you integrate EngageLab with your Apple ecosystem and reach the target audience. Such a detailed and complete configuration ensures you are ready to combat Apple's restrictions and send your marketing SMS messages and notifications.

2. Multi-Channel Push for Guaranteed Delivery

The global high delivery rate of EngageLab is also assured by the fact that it has multi-channel and multi-data nodes to support channel complementation, ensuring full message delivery regardless of the restrictions placed by Apple.

Moreover, EngageLab is not limited to any one specific channel. It supports all prominent channels to reach the audience, including app push notifications, web push notifications, SMS, and WhatsApp. You even automate the marketing campaigns on these channels to reach the iOS users via multiple channels.

3. ROI-Driven Services

EngageLab ensures that companies are able to use the customer engagement platform without breaking their bank. This is the reason why EngageLab has a pay-as-you-go pricing model.

Moreover, the entire working of EngageLab is designed in a way that it can boost your ROI as soon as you start using it. You can integrate EngageLab within 3 minutes via a user-friendly API interface and reach a global audience.

With AI-powered features like analytics, push notification creation, the capability of bypassing Apple's restrictions, and keeping up with iOS updates, you can rely on EngageLab to run ROI-driven customer engagement marketing campaigns.

4. Future-Proof Your Push Strategy

Many iOS updates and changes in notification policies were announced at Apple's WWDC 2025. This is a common procedure for Apple, as every year there is a major iOS update and new iPhone models are being released.

The best way to keep up with such significant changes is to future-proof your push strategy with a reliable tool like EngageLab . It is powered by powerful AI algorithms and a team of experts who are always on the lookout for any software updates and changes in compliance requirements related to sending marketing messages and push notifications.

Conclusion

All you need to know is that automatic message filtration from unknown numbers, glass design interface, better integration, and better interactivity are the key updates of iOS 26. These changes can change the way businesses interact with iOS users, such as through messages or push notifications.

The fact that Apple is going to flag messages and notifications from unknown sources as spam can be quite damaging for businesses. But you can use an omnichannel marketing and customer engagement platform like EngageLab to bypass such restrictions and send the messages and push notifications via multiple channels. It ultimately ensures high deliverability to your target audience, leading to higher engagement and profits.

So, sign up today nd equip yourself to optimize customer engagement even with updates like iOS 26.