Everything We Know About iOS 19

iOS 19 Will Completely Redesign Your iPhone

Rumor has it that Apple will finally change the design of the iPhone. In fact, Apple analysts and leakers expect this change to be the biggest redesign of the iPhone since iOS 7. 

Yes, we've heard that before. We were all expecting iOS 18 to be the software update featuring this major redesign. While it did introduce a couple of new design changes, they weren't as significant as we had expected. With that said, it appears that the big redesign will take place this year.

What will this change look like? According to rumors, Apple is expected to update the design of its apps and the overall user interface to resemble visionOS, the operating system of the Vision Pro.

According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple's goal is to make the look of all its operating systems "more consistent" by giving them a similar design. Along those lines, macOS and iPadOS are also expected to adopt this change.

If you're like most of us and haven't used the Apple Vision Pro yourself, this design change is expected to make the app icons slightly rounder and give specific parts of the iPhone an opaque, glass-like appearance. Additionally, the tab bar in many different apps would appear floating at the bottom instead of what it looks like right now.

Is Siri Getting Smarter This Year?

Yes, we've heard this before, too. Thanks to iOS 18 and Apple Intelligence, Siri was supposed to become an extremely powerful virtual assistant with many cool new features.

That didn't happen, as Apple had to delay some of the new Siri capabilities, confirming in a statement that these new features will be available "in the coming year," which likely means 2026.

So, while a smarter Siri might not be launched alongside iOS 19, some new features may be added during the software update's lifespan.

Some features we expect Siri to have are the ability to understand personal context and what's on your screen. Additionally, you should be able to control more apps with Siri and even fetch specific information from messages or old conversations.

Apple Health Is Also Getting Smarter

Another rumor suggests that Apple may update the Health app. This app is already a must-have for anyone who wants to track their health-related activities. From your weight to your sleep quality and even your medication, everything is neatly stored in the Health app.

However, this year, the new Health app may leverage Apple Intelligence to become your "AI doctor" rather than just tracking your health. In theory, the app could analyze your health trends and offer personalized recommendations to enhance your well-being. 

These recommendations will also include videos created by professionals that explain why improving your health is essential and the consequences of not doing so. For instance, you might see a video showing what could happen to your body if you don't get enough sleep or if your heart rate is irregular.

The Health app is also expected to feature food tracking, which will enable you to track your macronutrients based on the type and quantity of food you consume throughout the day.

Unfortunately, these features aren't coming when Apple launches iOS 19. According to rumors, they will be available with iOS 19.4, which is expected to launch in 2026, similar to iOS 18.4. Additionally, they may not be entirely free; rumors suggest that Apple plans to launch them as part of a "Health+" subscription, either as a standalone package or as part of Apple One or Apple Fitness+.

Stage Manager Is Coming to iPhone

Do you remember Stage Manager? It's a cool multitasking feature that lets you quickly switch between all your open apps on iPad and Mac.

Additionally, when you connect your iPad to an external monitor, you can control it with two different screens, turning it into a laptop. Well, Apple may introduce Stage Manager to the iPhone in iOS 19.

The rumor comes from well-known leaker Majin Bu, who reported that iOS 19 will bring some form of Stage Manager to iPhones with USB-C ports. This means that only the iPhone 15, iPhone 16, and iPhone 17 models will be compatible with this feature.

The way Stage Manager on the iPhone would work is still not 100% clear. However, according to Majin Bu, you'll be able to connect your iPhone to an external monitor, which is already possible, and access a limited version of Stage Manager that allows you to extend your iPhone screen rather than just mirroring it.

It's too early to say for sure how accurate this is. Majin Bu has a mixed track record for accuracy, so we'd recommend taking this one with a grain of salt. Even if it's true, we also don't know what limitations may be involved, so don't expect your iPhone to work as perfectly as an iPad with Stage Manager.

iOS 19 Will Bring Dual Camera Recording (to the iPhone 17)

This might not be a very important feature for everyone, but it's still great that it's coming to Apple's native Camera app. 

According to rumors, the iOS 19 update will bring dual camera recording to the iPhone, which would allow you to record video from the rear and front-facing cameras at the same time.

Unfortunately, this feature is expected to be exclusive to the iPhone 17 and will not be available to everyone. 

The good news is that many different apps that let you record simultaneously from both cameras are already available on the App Store, so people with older iPhones can still use this feature.

The Camera App Is Getting a New Design

Besides a dual-camera recording feature, Apple's Camera app is rumored to introduce a new design.

We don't know the exact details yet, but this design change will improve the Camera app and make it easier to use. This means that Apple will remove many of the buttons currently available to make the interface a bit cleaner. 

Most of the options will be hidden behind specific buttons, and we expect Apple to add more options to the Camera Control to make it more useful.

You Will Be Able to Translate Speech With Your AirPods in Real Time

This is one of the coolest features rumored so far, albeit it's not entirely new in the smartphone world. According to Gurman, the iOS 19 update, along with a firmware update, will enable specific AirPods models to translate speech in real time.

For instance, if you're speaking with someone in a different language, you will hear the translated version of what they said on your AirPods.

Afterward, you can respond in English, and your iPhone will translate your words into the other person's language in real time.

Similar features, including Google Pixel's Live Translate feature, are already available on the market. However, it would still be incredibly useful to have this feature built-in on iOS.

Improvements Are Coming to RCS Texts

You probably know by now that Apple launched RCS support in iOS 18, which elevates regular texting with an Android user to a new level.

With iOS 19, RCS messages might become even better. Apple has confirmed that it plans to add support for end-to-end encrypted RCS messages, which means that no one will be able to intercept any of your messages, images, or other files you share with another device.

This change likely means that Apple will support RCS Universal Profile 3.0. That's the version that standardizes encryption across all platforms, and it also represents a significant update in other ways, so it could bring a couple of extra features that will make texting with Android users similar to using iMessage.

For instance, RCS 3.0 supports the ability to edit your messages or to unsend them. Not only that, but you could also use Tapback reactions to any message.

Of course, none of these extra features have been confirmed. Knowing the company, Apple might find a way to restrict them and just support end-to-end encryption. However, we'll have to wait until this update drops.

Apple didn't confirm that we'll see this feature in iOS 19. Instead, the company only confirmed that it plans to add this change in the future. RCS UP 3.0 was only published in March, so it might take a bit longer for Apple to adopt it.

When Will iOS 19 Be Available?

Unfortunately, you'll still have to wait a few months to use the public version of iOS 19.

Although nothing is confirmed, we already have a reasonably good idea of when Apple will announce the new iPhone update. As every year, Apple will announce iOS 19 during its Worldwide Developers' Conference (WWDC) keynote, scheduled for June 9 this year.

The first developer preview beta typically follows the keynote. Sometimes, it arrives the same day, but it's always available within 24 hours. Those early betas aren't stable enough to run on anything other than a test device, but they give you the option of jumping in to see what's new if you have an extra iPhone lying around.

The full version of iOS 19 will not be available until the iPhone 17 event, which will most likely happen in September.

Rumors suggest that iOS 17 will be compatible with iPhone 11 and newer models, which seems logical based on Apple's track record. A December report suggested even the 2018 iPhone XS/XR models would still be supported, but more recent rumors reveal they're unlikely to make the cut.

Of course, the older your device, the fewer features you might be able to try, but it's still nice to know that six-year-old iPhones are still being supported.