All 264 Items on Apple’s WWDC26 “Sweating the Details” Slide

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

Mail

• 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