WWDC25 Recap and Thoughts

Apple’s WWDC 2025 Keynote was held on June 9th, 2025, and there is a lot to discuss.

Across the entire Apple ecosystem, the company is introducing a new design system, what they call “Liquid Glass.” This new design has translucent, reflective UI materials that dynamically adapt to content. All of the OS’s go to 26. Gone are iOS 18, macOS 15, visionOS 2, and so on – everything is just version 26. Many of the tech rumor blogs and sites have been diving deep into new features that have been announced in the beta, so in this post, I want to share my thoughts on some of the new design changes and what Apple and Mac Admins can begin to do to plan for the changes coming later this fall.

My thoughts on the design change.

I can truly remember back in iOS 7 when Apple changed the look and feel of things, and was met with a wide range of emotions. Some people loved it, some people hated it, but eventually, it grew on everyone. This year is no different. The Mac Admins Slack was full of admins sharing their initial opinions and reactions to how the new Liquid Glass design looked and felt. Myself, I’m not the biggest fan right now. I have exotropia and amblyopia, which is the medical term for “lazy eye.” My vision in one eye is significantly worse than the other, and because my eyes are not centered with one another, I dedicate energy to focusing out of one eye at a time. Sometimes, it affects my ability to judge depth and distances correctly, and it also made for a heck of a time watching older 3D movies in theaters with those blue and red glasses. Because of this, Apple’s decision to layer content on top of more content in a translucent, see-through way makes me hope that there will be an accessibility feature to turn off that translucent-ness.

iOS 26 Phone app with translucent menu at the bottom allows for the user to see what is behind or underneath the menu bar.

This stuck out so much that it was hard to focus on the other beneficial features announced during the keynote. The glassy design may become problematic for myself within macOS where borders and clearly defined lines appear to try to give way for translucence in some areas but not others. I can only hope that app developers have been also paying attention to new accessibility features over the years and take extra time to incorporate accessibility into their code.

But enough about me, let’s talk about Mac Admins!

Beta Season Renewed

Apple Admins and Developers alike can begin testing against the latest betas right now! AppleSeed for IT is available, free, for organizations to test management and deployment on current hardware and software. AppleSeed for IT comes with its own set of release notes geared for small business and enterprise teams alike, and are full of data to help teams properly plan for the fall release.

It is my recommendation that at least one person within your organization install the latest versions of all of the betas on dedicated test devices. Using a Managed Apple Account, organizations can file feedback directly to Apple as their organization through the Feedback Assistant App. Feedback isn’t always about something not working properly but also about the end-user experience, and the earlier feedback is provided, the better chance that Apple can implement changes before the general release of the various operating systems. As admins, if we do not provide feedback detailing things such as deployment blockers, degraded performance, bugs, and more, both to Apple and third-party application/service vendors - then we only allow for a harder time when things still don’t function as smoothly as possible when it comes time to deploy the upgrades to the enterprise.

There is also a security component to why you should be beta testing as soon as possible. Historically, once a new operating system is released to the general public, previous versions of macOS, iOS, iPadOS, and more may not receive all of the security patches as the latest and greatest. A perfect example of this; macOS 15.5 addressed 50 vulnerabilities tied to CVEs while macOS 14.7.6 which released on the same day, addressed 33 vulnerabilities tied to CVEs.

Organizations and teams who work within highly secure environments are incentivized to do what they can to get to the latest OS as soon as possible to ensure that all available patches are applied to their systems.

What’s New In Device Management

Admins can watch the WWDC25 Session - What’s new in Apple device management and identity to learn about some features and functionality coming soon that will be of great benefit to how we manage and deploy systems across our supported platforms. A few things we can look forward to:

Apple Services Updates

• Managed Apple Accounts: New ability to download a list of personal Apple accounts on your domain to help with account transition
• Access Management: New controls to prevent personal Apple accounts from being used on organization-owned devices without requiring MDM
• Device Inventory Improvements:
  • Added cellular information (IMEI and EID)
  • Release device information now includes who released it and when
  • Adding MAC addresses for Bluetooth and Wi-Fi on iPhone and iPad
  • Adding AppleCare warranty coverage information into Apple Business/School Manager
• New APIs: Introducing Apple Business Manager and Apple School Manager APIs for device inventory and MDM server assignment
• Deployment Enhancements:
  • Apple Configurator for iPhone now supports adding Vision Pro to organizations
  • Account-driven enrollment can now use MDM server for service discovery URL
  • New device management migration feature to easily move devices between MDM servers

Device Management Enhancements

• Software Updates: Declarative device management for updates now available on Vision Pro and Apple TV (older MDM-based update management deprecated)
• Safari Management: New declarative configuration for bookmarks and setting default home pages
• Apple Intelligence: Controls extended to Vision Pro to meet regulatory requirements
• Return-to-Service Improvements:
  • iPhone and iPad can preserve managed apps when reset, saving download time
  • Vision Pro now supports return-to-service with a “Reset for Next User” option
• Additional updates include battery health information for iPad, setting default apps for messaging/calling, and new network extension capabilities

App Management Updates

• iOS/iPadOS App Control: New options to define update behavior on a per-app basis
  • Enforce or disable automatic updates
  • Pin apps to specific versions
  • Real-time visibility into installation progress
  • Control cellular downloads
• macOS Tahoe: App Store apps, custom apps, and packages can now be deployed using declarative device management
• Managed App Framework: New framework for developers to build app configuration capabilities

Identity Integrations

• Platform SSO in Setup Assistant: Streamlined registration during automated device enrollment
• Authenticated Guest Mode: New shared-use mode allowing users to log in with cloud identity from the login window
• Tap to Login: Users can tap iPhone or Apple Watch on Macs to quickly log in
  • Uses corporate badges/school IDs in Apple Wallet
  • Credentials stored securely as access keys in Secure Enclave
  • Requires external NFC reader on Mac

The Growing Need in Partnering with Developers

Many software developers often choose macOS over Windows for software development. And if your experience has been anything like mine, you’ve probably dealt with the friction that comes with attempting to enforce security best practices while also allowing developers the flexibility needed to be able to do their jobs. I believe that partnerships between developers and IT teams must be built as Apple continues to enhance what can be done natively on macOS without too much third party applications.

What am I getting at exactly? In previous organizations that I’ve worked at, when it came to developers, I’ve been tasked with blocking specific applications on end-user devices - no exceptions, no excuses. Some of those applications included VMWare Fusion and Parallels, Docker, VirtualBox, and more.

Blocking tools such as VMWare Fusion prevented users from creating unmanaged VMs on macOS, but with the native Virtualization framework, one can create a VM without the application. Additionally, VMWare Fusion and Parallels aren’t the only virtualization software available on macOS, with UTM being a common free alternative.

Docker Desktop for Mac allows developers to build and run containerized applications. Now, with macOS 26 Tahoe, Containerization is coming natively to macOS. Apple has open-sourced the Containerization framework and is available on Github at https://github.com/apple/containerization and the container tool at https://github.com/apple/container.

Instead of moving to figure out how to block this and block that, a new approach for many organizations should be - how can we partner with developers to unleash these native tools and frameworks to enhance the development environments while ensuring that security and privacy are at the core of all that development teams do? This is where early feedback to Apple also comes into play - requesting management capabilities if it’s not currently planned. No more dealing with developers demanding that they stay on older versions of macOS because they haven’t updated their code in 10 years. Now, the question is how can we help those developers speed up their adoption time on the latest OS.

Documentation, Documentation, Documentation…

With all of these new exciting updates and features announced at WWDC 2025, a critical aspect that cannot be overlooked is documentation. The introduction of significant changes, especially the redesigned user interface with Liquid Glass and new device management enhancements, underscores the need for clear, comprehensive documentation. Both user-facing guides and internal IT procedures must reflect these updates accurately to avoid confusion, streamline adoption, and enhance user satisfaction.

Starting documentation early, ideally alongside beta testing, is crucial. As Mac Admins, our role isn’t just about deploying technology; it’s about enabling people. Documentation empowers users by helping them confidently navigate changes, understand new features, and leverage productivity improvements introduced with iOS 26, macOS Tahoe, and beyond. Whether it’s guiding users through the accessibility features to mitigate potential visual impacts of the new design system or clearly communicating changes in device enrollment processes, effective documentation is essential. Or maybe you want to call out how macOS Tahoe Transforms Launchpad Into App Library.

Accessibility enhancements in macOS also deserve dedicated sections in your documentation. As emphasized in WWDC’s accessibility session, refining application navigation with VoiceOver, ensuring keyboard shortcuts are consistently implemented, and clearly explaining how these improvements benefit users enhance inclusivity. Documenting these accessibility features, including how they interact with the new Liquid Glass UI, ensures that all employees—like myself—feel supported by technology.

Extra Security Spotlight: Apple’s Quantum Leap

One of the standout sessions from WWDC 2025 was “[Get ahead with quantum-secure cryptography]” (https://developer.apple.com/videos/play/wwdc2025/314), which focused specifically on quantum computing. While still evolving, quantum computers pose a real threat to traditional encryption methods that safeguard our data today.

Apple emphasized the importance of preparing now for the era of quantum computing, where standard encryption could become vulnerable. To protect against these future threats, Apple is implementing quantum-secure encryption across its platforms, including default quantum-secure TLS in iOS 26 for critical network communications like CloudKit and iMessage.

For IT teams, this means it’s time to start evaluating how quantum-secure cryptography will fit into your organization’s security strategy. Apple’s CryptoKit now offers user-friendly tools to help developers build apps and systems that are resistant to quantum threats.

The takeaway is clear: Apple is proactively addressing emerging security challenges. As administrators, keeping pace with these advancements will ensure your organization’s sensitive data stays secure, both today and in the post-quantum future.

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To watch the WWDC Keynote, you can visit https://www.apple.com/apple-events/

To learn more about all the exciting announcements from WWDC 2025, be sure to check out Apple’s comprehensive newsroom articles:

• Apple Introduces a Delightful and Elegant New Software Design
• Apple Intelligence Gets Even More Powerful
• Apple Elevates the iPhone Experience with iOS 26
• macOS Tahoe Makes the Mac More Capable, Productive, and Intelligent
• Apple Supercharges its Tools and Technologies for Developers

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Underused macOS Feature

The networkQuality Tool

Apple ships a built-in command-line tool called networkQuality that tests upload/download speeds and responsiveness. Great for remote troubleshooting!

Try it:

networkQuality

Bonus: Add --json for scriptable output.