Radically new iOS?: What Apple could present at WWDC

Apple's WWDC developer conference begins on June 9th, and as always, Tim Cook and his team will be giving the first glimpse of the company's upcoming operating systems on the first day. Some of these are already known, including a completely new design for iOS and iPhones.

When it comes to Apple products, the annual launch of the new iPhones in the fall garners the most worldwide attention, but the developer conference WWDC is actually the one that deserves the most attention. At the launch on June 9, Apple CEO Tim Cook and his team will unveil new operating systems that will affect hundreds of millions of people who use the company's devices. First up is iOS for iPhones, which could see a completely new design for the first time in many years.

Many iPhone users are creatures of habit who often view changes to the operating system with a critical eye. This is one of the reasons why Apple last fundamentally changed the iOS design in 2013 with iOS 7. According to Bloomberg writer Mark Gurman, however, this will happen again this year, affecting not only iOS but also macOS, iPadOS, watchOS, and tvOS. In a phone Q&A session , he said the goal is consistent controls, icons, buttons, dynamic user interfaces, and mechanisms.

When asked what this might look like, Gurman replied that he could imagine parts of the user interface being updated to be more in line with visionOS. In addition to many translucent and floating elements, this could mean circular app icons instead of the current square ones. The changes are "dramatic" and may take some time to get used to, Gurman said. "But I think people will ultimately like it. "

iOS

According to Bloomberg, Apple even plans to synchronize the numbering of its operating systems, with all ending in 26. If this is true, there will be, among other things, no iOS 19, but iOS 26.

The new iOS will likely come with a dedicated gaming app that integrates Apple Arcade and the App Store, among other features. 9to5Mac and Bloomberg have independently reported on this.

According to Gurman, Apple is also working on a chatbot that will serve as a personal health coach. Among other things, it will offer suggestions for healthier living based on data collected by the Health app. Users may also be able to enter their eating habits to optimize their diet.

Gurman also reported that Apple is introducing improved battery management with iOS, which will enable longer battery life with the help of AI. After the update, you'll also see on the lock screen how long it will take to charge your iPhone.

According to MacRumors , iOS 26 may bring the ability to use AirPods in conjunction with the Translate app as interpreters for bilingual conversations. According to 9to5Mac , the Messages app could also get a new translation feature. According to the report, texts will be translated virtually in real time as they arrive.

Siri

Apple probably won't make as much of a fuss about Apple Intelligence this time as it did last year, but AI still plays an important role, as can be seen from the possible innovations mentioned above.

A major problem for the company is that its own AI capabilities cannot keep up with those of its major competitors. Therefore, Apple relies on collaborations, such as with OpenAI (ChatGPT). It's highly likely that Google Gemini will now also come on board. According to Bloomberg , Google CEO Sundar Pichai has expressed hope of closing a corresponding deal with Apple by mid-year.

According to MacRumors, Apple has had to postpone its planned large-scale language model for Siri, as development is behind schedule. Instead, it is assumed that existing in-house AI features such as writing tools, Image Playground, and intelligent replies will be presented in improved versions.

iPadOS

Most of the new features in iPad OS are similar to those in iOS. However, according to leaker Majin Bu, the operating system could adopt some additional features from macOS. When connecting a Magic Keyboard, a menu bar will appear at the top of the user interface after the update, just like on a Mac. Multitasking will also get an optimized mode with Stage Manager 2.0.

macOS

There won't be any significant changes to macOS other than the likely design change. It's worth mentioning that Apple has already confirmed that you'll be able to use an iPhone as a magnifying glass when connected to a Mac.

watchOS, visionOS and tvOS

Anyone wearing an Apple Watch on their wrist won't be surprised by the round app icons, but watchOS is also expected to adopt further elements from visionOS. According toMacRumors , a watch could also serve as an extension of AI functions running on the iPhone after the update. It could also play an important role in connection with the potential new fitness chatbot.

Other than all other Apple operating systems adopting the visionOS design language, Vision Pro users are unlikely to experience any significant changes. Mark Gurman has heard that users will be able to scroll through content with their eyes in the future, but that could just be a distant prospect.

tvOS isn't expected to see much change other than new numbering and a design change. However, the expected new gaming app would be a bigger deal for Apple TV.