Apple has officially announced it will showcase iOS 19 and iPadOS 19 at this year’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), which runs from June 9 to June 13. The company’s usual keynote, where new software updates are unveiled, will begin on June 9.
iOS 19 Release Date
iOS 19 will be released this September, with a potential release date being September 16, 2025. The software will arrive alongside the iPhone 17 series, so we are fairly confident the official release of iOS 19 will take place in the same time frame.
Apple typically announces new iPhones on the second Tuesday of September and releases them ten days afterward, but new iOS versions typically get pushed to the public roughly a week after the respective iPhone event. As we expect that the new iPhone 17 series will be announced on September 9, iOS 19 is possibly coming a week later.
However, we will get to see iOS 19 much earlier than that. iOS 19 will be showcased on June 9 during the opening keynote of the Apple WWDC’25 developer conference, which will run through June 13.
Major Redesign Expected
This year’s WWDC keynote is set to bring major updates to iOS and iPadOS. Reports suggest that iOS 19 and iPadOS 19 will feature a new design inspired by VisionOS, the interface used by the Vision Pro headset. The new design aims to create a more consistent look and feel across Apple devices and promises a more unified experience for users on mobile platforms.
iOS 19 Top New Features
New iOS features usually stay secret until Apple makes an official announcement. That is why there are few rumors about upcoming changes. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman said Apple is shifting away from releasing major updates once a year. Instead, the company will roll out new features as they are ready.
This means most features won’t appear all at once in the iOS 19 update. Instead, they will appear gradually in smaller updates like iOS 19.1 and iOS 19.2 over the next few months. These minor updates will become more important as a result. The way Apple handles feature releases has changed from past years, when new functions were often launched together with big updates.
Apple Intelligence
Recent rumors suggest iOS 19 will mainly focus on improving existing Apple Intelligence features instead of introducing new ones. This move makes sense given the limited options currently available in the suite.
We’d probably get “more of the same” from those Apple Intelligence features that are currently available. These might include:
- More diverse Image Playground tools and creative options
- Expanded and more capable Writing Tools capabilities
- Richer Genmoji options and expanded capabilities
This also means we shouldn’t expect major or revolutionary AI features at the upcoming WWDC 2025 in June. However, there could be hints about upcoming AI developments.
Apple still has work to do with Siri, expected to improve sometime in 2026. Some sources say the release could be pushed back to 2027. Several insiders believe Apple might miss that target altogether.
Gemini on the iPhone?
Apple Intelligence has been a public relations disaster recently. The service has failed to meet last year’s promises. To fix this, partnerships with rival companies might become more important.
Apple already works with OpenAI’s ChatGPT, allowing users to ask ChatGPT questions directly from Siri. Rumors say Apple is close to partnering with Google for new features. If true, it would let iPhone users access Gemini-powered AI functions directly through Siri.
This isn’t about the Gemini app already available on the App Store. Instead, it would embed Gemini features into Siri itself. Users could then send complex queries to Gemini and get answers, just like with ChatGPT.
Google’s AI platform is very strong right now. An alliance with Google could help Apple get better AI features faster. Until Apple’s tools improve, this partnership could be a useful option.
Gemini is considered one of the best AI assistants today. It can do more than Siri, especially because of its multimodal skills and better understanding of natural language. However, it can’t control an iPhone the way it manages Android devices. Still, its abilities make it a strong alternative in the meantime.
New accessibility features
Ahead of WWDC 2025, Apple has announced new accessibility features coming to iOS 19. These updates are expected to appear in the WWDC keynote as well. One new feature, Accessibility Nutritional Labels, will show users which accessibility options each app supports before installing.
Another addition, Braille Access, allows users with low vision to take notes in Braille and perform math calculations with Nemeth Braille. Accessibility Reader offers customization for fonts, colors, and spacing through the Magnifier app.
iOS 19: Design changes
iOS 19 will introduce a major visual change to Apple’s mobile operating system. The flat design used for more than ten years will give way to a modern, glass-like style. This new look will take inspiration from the design in Apple’s VisionOS for the Vision Pro headset.
Since iOS 7, the interface has remained mostly flat and simple, replacing the skeuomorphic style of earlier versions. This new design may also come to macOS and iPadOS for a more uniform appearance.
This visual refresh has influenced many other phone brands to adopt a similar style. While the minimal design has grown familiar, Apple is ready for a change.
Redesigned App icons
The biggest update is expected to be the icon shape. The traditional squircle shape, common in iOS icons, might be replaced by icons with softer, more rounded edges. These icons will still not be fully circular like those on the Vision Pro. Jon Prosser notes that the corner radius appears to be around thirty degrees, matching other elements in iOS.
Reports claim that the navigation will be optimized as well, streamlining the interface navigation.
Redesigned Control Center sliders
The Control Center may see a small update in iOS 18, which offers more customization options. Jon Prosser from FTP reports that the brightness and volume sliders will have a slight curve, matching the new design look. It is a minor change but adds a touch of style.
Redesigned Stock Apps
The new camera app will feature a translucent design. Photos and videos will be shown in separate categories, with options changing to suit different situations.
This redesign might also bring rounder interface elements and possibly round app icons. This marks a change from the usual rounded square icons seen on iOS so far.
Enhanced Lock Screen Shortcuts
iOS 19 is expected to tweak the shortcuts on the lock screen. They could get a glass-like shimmer effect that moves as the phone shifts. This fits with the glassy look in iOS 19. Last year, iOS 18 added customizable lock screen shortcuts, letting users replace defaults like the flashlight and camera.
iOS 19 Performance and Battery Improvements
Leaks suggest iOS 19 will include an AI system to improve battery life. It will analyze how each user uses their iPhone and manage background tasks more efficiently.
This AI feature may be part of Apple Intelligence and might only be available on the iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 16, and iPhone 17 models. It could be especially useful for the upcoming iPhone 17 Air, which has a thin body and a small battery. Better efficiency could make a big difference in such models.
iOS 19 Supported Devices
According to the rumor mill, iOS 19 will arrive on every device that was eligible to get iOS 18, though other reports seem convinced that the iPhone Xs, Xs Max, and iPhone XR might get dropped from the support list.
This means that either no iPhone will be dropped from the support list in 2025, or three of the oldest supported devices right now could be axed. Granted, these are models released back in 2017 and use a 7nm Apple A12 Bionic chip, so pretty much ancient as per today’s standards.
Here’s a list of all iPhones that will get iOS 19.
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