iOS 19 rumours suggest Apple is planning its biggest software overhaul in years

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It’s barely been three months since Apple released Apple Intelligence worldwide as part of iOS 18.2, but there are already rumours circulating as to what iOS 19 is going to look like. And there could be some big changes on the way to Apple’s iPhone software that goes beyond Apple Intelligence.

A focus on user experience?

Remember the seismic shift from iOS 6 to iOS 7 back in 2013? Well, word on the street is that iOS 19 might bring an equally dramatic redesign. According to Bloomberg, Apple is planning to revamp icons, menus, apps, windows, and system buttons, aiming for a more cohesive and user-friendly experience across devices. 

This overhaul is said to draw inspiration from visionOS, the operating system behind the Vision Pro headset, which was one of the most impressive things about the device. There’s not a lot of detail here but the bubbling speculation does seem to hint at something bigger.

Apple usually only makes minor tweaks and iterative updates, sometimes adding new features like the lock screen widgets in iOS 14. Who knows why Apple feels that now is the time to overhaul the design, but it could be something to do with how close some Android operating systems, like OneUI 7 from Samsung, have come to matching it.

Siri to get (another) brain boost…but it’s delayed

It seems like every year Apple says we’ll be getting an improved Siri experience only for it to appear and be a largely imperceptible change. Apple Intelligence with iOS 18.2 was supposed to fix that but Siri still remains a largely inferior AI assistant compared to Google Gemini.

Rumours were originally suggesting that iOS 19 would be the major turning point for Siri that would integrate Apple’s new LLM and greatly improve human-like interactions. That would mean we would have seen the new Siri unveiled at WWDC 2025. But now Mark Gurman is reporting that this update is now being delayed, likely until the release of iOS 20.

We will still likely see some minor improvements to Siri at WWDC 2025, but anything major seems off the cards. It’s not good news for Apple if true after the beating Apple Intelligence has got by almost everyone and the sense that they are some way off competitors in the AI space.

What else is coming with iOS 19?

Beyond what we have already mentioned, there isn’t a great deal of leaked information about iOS 19. One of the more substantial rumours though is a change to the Camera app.

Leaks hint at a redesigned Camera app in iOS 19, featuring translucent menus and a cleaner interface reminiscent of visionOS. A redesign like this would put emphasis on maximising screen space for your photo previews, making it easier to switch between modes and adjust settings on the fly.

Compatibility and Release Timeline

All devices supporting iOS 18 already will be eligible for the iOS 19 update. This includes models ranging from the iPhone XR to the latest iPhone 16 Pro Max which is great news for those of you rocking older phones; you’ve got one more year yet!

As for the rollout, Apple is expected to unveil iOS 19 at its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June 2025, with a public release likely in September.