iOS 19/26: New features that may be coming to your iPhone – and when

Every year in June, we are introduced to the next version of iOS, Apple’s iPhone operating system, during the keynote address that kicks off WWDC (Apple’s worldwide developers conference). During the event Apple will reveal some, or all, of the new features coming to iPhones later in the year.

In this article we will run through what we know about the new features coming in the next version of iOS. Perhaps the biggest surprise of all is that all indications are that it won’t be called iOS 19 this time. Instead Apple will name the new release in line with the year – so expect it to be called iOS 26. More on that below.

iOS 26 probably won’t arrive on compatible iPhones until this September, but you don’t have to wait until then to experience the new features. Every year Apple runs a beta-testing program where developers and anyone who signs up for the beta can try out the software before it is released following the Apple iPhone Event in September. If you want to join that beta testing program you will find information about how to do so below, including when the first iOS 26 beta will be available.

New iOS release date: When is the new iOS update coming out?

Our first glimpse of iOS 19 – we should probably just get used to calling it iOS 26 – will be at WWDC25 on June 9, after which the operating system will be in beta until Apple releases it to the public in the fall.

Apple typically releases the new version of iOS to the public on the Monday following the launch of the new iPhone. Based on recent history, we expect iOS 19 to release to the public around the time of the on either Monday, September 15, or Monday, September 22.

Here are the release dates for the most recent versions of iOS:

• iOS 18: Monday, September 16, 2024
• iOS 17: Monday, September 18, 2023
• iOS 16: Monday, September 12, 2022
• iOS 15: Monday, September 20, 2021

New iOS name: The new iOS could be called iOS 26, not iOS 14

Apple’s name for the next iOS has always been predictable. iOS 4 was followed by 5, 6, 7 and so on. The current iOS is iOS 18, so the next one will be iOS 19 right? Apparently not! All indications are that iOS 19 won’t be called iOS 19 at all, instead it will be iOS 26.

A May 28 story from Bloomberg says Apple is going to unify all its various operating system names/versions, taking a page from car models and using the coming year as a basis. iOS 19 would then be iOS 26, while macOS 16 would be macOS 26, with tvOS 26 and watchOS 26 and visionOS 26…

It’s a long overdue change, if true.

New iOS Developer and Public Betas

The full version of iOS 19/iOS 26 will launch in September, but you won’t have to wait until then to try the new software out. Apple’s developer beta and public beta will be running throughout the summer months, so if you want to try out the new features before they are released to the general public you can do so.

After Apple announces the new version of iOS at WWDC in June it will then release an iOS Beta to developers. This year the WWDC keynote will take place on June 9 so we expect the developer beta will be available that day. The public beta usually comes a month later, around the beginning of July.

Between WWDC and the official release in the fall, Apple will release a string of beta releases, typically eight or so in total. We share details of how to join Apple’s beta software program so you can test the new software as soon as the beta arrives, separately.

Anyone using the beta is encouraged to file bug reports using the included Apple’s Feedback Assistant app so that the company can address them. If you want to learn more about the beta read: What’s in the latest iOS beta and how to get it.

iOS 19/26 Compatibility: Which iPhones will get with the new iOS?

Three iPhone models are reportedly about to lose iOS support. These are the iPhone XR, XS, and XS Max. This rumor comes from an anonymous X account with an impressive track record of accurate predictions. So it may be true.

However, there was a report in December 2024 that suggested iOS 19 will be compatible with every iPhone that supports iOS 18. That includes:

• iPhone 16 / iPhone 16e / iPhone 16 Plus / iPhone 16 Pro / iPhone 16 Pro Max
• iPhone 15 / iPhone 15 Plus / iPhone 15 Pro / iPhone 15 Pro Max
• iPhone 14 / Phone 14 Plus / iPhone 14 Pro / iPhone 14 Pro Max
• iPhone 13 / iPhone 13 mini / iPhone 13 Pro / iPhone 13 Pro Max
• iPhone 12 / iPhone 12 mini / iPhone 12 Pro / iPhone 12 Pro Max
• iPhone 11 / iPhone 11 Pro / iPhone 11 Pro Max
• iPhone XS / iPhone XS Max
• iPhone XR
• iPhone SE (3rd and 2nd generation)

Of course, it will also support the new iPhone 17 models that will launch around the same time.

As always, some features won’t be available on older models, as they lack the hardware resources for it. Apple Intelligence features are already incompatible with all but the iPhone 15 Pro, 15 Pro Max and the entire iPhone 16 range, so we don’t expect it to be any different if Apple roles out any more Apple Intelligence related features and enhancements. Check which is the latest iOS version your iPhone can run for more information.

While Apple hasn’t officially announced iOS 19/iOS 26 yet, it has been hard at work on the big iPhone upgrade for quite a while and some rumors have started to leak out. It looks like the next version of iOS will be a bigger change than we’re used to, at least visually. Based on the most reliable leaks and rumors, here’s what you can expect when it arrives later this year.

All the new features won’t come with that initial release; over the months that follow the initial release more features will be pushed out to iPhones in iOS 19.1, 19.2, and so on. Or…

Major design overhaul

The headline feature of iOS 19/26 (and Apple’s other operating systems iPadOS 26, macOS 26, tvOS 26, watchOS 26) is said to be a massive change to the user interface design. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, who seems to be well connected when it comes to this sort of thing, says the star of WWDC will be the new design – code-named Solarium. Apparently, we’re talking about the biggest change since iOS 7, when Apple dropped the skeuomorphic design in favor of flat symbolic icons, changed the lock screen, notifications, and more.

We don’t know what this new interface will look like or what interaction changes it will bring with it, but the rumors say it is loosely based on some of the concepts in the Vision Pro interface. Gurman claims it is “is slicker and more modern” due to adopting elements from visionOS. Think circles rather than squares as that seems to be the theme.

New apps like Apple Invites and Apple Sports may give us some clues to the interface conventions we can expect, as they don’t have have interfaces that fit in with most of Apple’s older apps.

Apple

Gurman also says “consistency and unification across the operating systems” will be a major theme of WWDC. Which indicates that there will be more consistency across iPhone, iPad, and Mac, along with a major improvement to the productivity features of iPadOS.

For example, one rumor says the iPad will get a menu bar when docked to a Magic Keyboard, and that Stage Manager is being overhauled. The iPhone, meanwhile, is said to get a “Stage Manager like” multi-app view when hooked up to an external display.

It’s not just the obvious operating systems either. 9to5Mac reports that CarPlay is getting a UI design to match iOS 26.

Siri delays and other Apple Intelligence features

Apple has been having trouble with some of it’s AI efforts, especially the Siri features that were supposed to come in iOS 18.4 (personal context, screen awareness, and in-app actions). These features have been pushed back until next year, which means they should come as an update to iOS 19 in early 2026.

A bigger Siri update, based on large language models (LLMs), that can hold natural conversations with the user, is now so delayed that it is expected to come perhaps as part of iOS 20, where it was once thought to be an update to iOS 19.

At least Siri will finally get the new capabilities that we were supposed to have by now. Apple is also said to be expanding the use of Apple Intelligence in more of its apps. We haven’t heard of specific examples, but Apple Intelligence could be used for things like Apple Music playlist generation, suggesting apps in the App Store, or in the Health and Fitness apps.

However, we may not hear of any AI-related features at WWDC25. In a late May report, Bloomberg’s Gurman said Apple won’t deliver “any AI breakthroughs” at WWDC.

Stage Manager for iPhone

We’ve heard rumors in a few places that Apple is working on a big Stage Manager update for iPad and Mac. From 9to5Mac we get a hint that it might even work on iPhone (if not all the time, then at least with an external display connected).

Stage Manager should allow for much more flexible placement and sizing of windows in the new version. For iPads, you might even see a Menu bar when the iPad is docked into a keyboard.

“Powered by Apple Intelligence”

Rumors say one of the recurring themes of iOS 19/26 is going to be a number of features that Apple markets as “Powered by Apple Intelligence.” These won’t all be generative-AI features, but rather include many of the sort of AI-powered features Apple has employed for years across its apps.

Some Apple Watch features will be promoted this way, though the AI models themselves will run on your iPhone, with the Apple Watch simply serving as your wrist-bound interface to it.

Another example is a new battery saving mode that will use AI to analyze your usage patterns to decide when it can lower the power draw of certain applications or features to save battery without impacting the user experience.

A new Calendar app based on Mayday app (which Apple acquired last year) relies on AI to help manage your calendar.

9to5Mac reports that Messages will be able to automatically translate messages using AI. Messages will also let users create polls.

RCS 3.0

Apple’s current implementation of RCS (Rich Communication Services, used to offer more advanced texting features with Android users) is based on the GSMA Universal Profile version 2.4, which is a little dated. Version 2.7 came out last year, but hasn’t been implemented by Apple yet. It adds support for custom emoji reactions, editing and deleting messages, and improved spam handling. RCS 3.0 adds encryption for 1-to-1 messages.

Apple has announced support for end-to-end encrypted RCS messages on all it’s platforms “in future software updates,” so it is likely to add support for all the features in RCS 2.7 and 3.0 in the iOS 19 cycle.

AirPods live translation

One rumor from Mark Gurman at Bloomberg says iOS 19 is going to get “bolstered translation technology” and, as part of it a live translation feature for AirPods. The AirPods will need a firmware update as well, and it’s not clear which models will support the feature.

Your AirPods would send text to your iPhone where the foreign language would be recognized and translated in the Translate app (or the under-the-hood service that powers it), and translated audio sent back to your AirPods. Other earbuds have had similar features for years, so it will be interesting to see if Apple goes further or has superior functionality.

Accessibility features

Apple has announced that several accessibility features will be coming to iOS 19 in the fall. Among the new additions are Accessibility Nutrition Labels let users see whether an app will be accessible to them before they download it; Braille Access, which turns the iPhone into a “full-featured Braille note taker,” and Accessibility Reader, a new reading mode with font, color, and spacing options.

iOS 19/iOS 26: App updates

With each iteration of the iPhone operating system Apple usually gives some of the included apps some attention, and sometimes introduces new ones. This year the following updates are expected.

Home app upgrades

While not specifically mentioned in any of the current leaks or rumors, we find it hard to believe that Apple won’t have some significant improvements to the Home app, HomeKit, and related services in iOS 19.

Why? Well, Apple is expected to release a wave of new smart home products throughout 2025 and 2026. A new Apple smart home hub is first: it’s rumored to be an affordable 7-inch tablet that runs a custom operating system (code-named Pebble). It will support Apple Intelligence, FaceTime, and tie in with other Apple services but isn’t expected to have an App Store.

After that, likely in 2026, Apple is said to be working on a new indoor smart security camera and a smart doorbell that would use Face ID to unlock your door the way it unlocks your phone. Further down the road, a smart home product with a movable screen on a robotic arm has been rumored, all of which will require deep integration with the iPhone and Home app.

The rumored “HomePad” was rumored to launch in the spring of 2025, but was delayed to the fall so it can have an interface that aligns with the big iOS 19 / macOS 15 interface changes. It’s hard to imagine Apple pushing a product like that into the market without some significant changes to the look and feel of the Home app. Read about every new Apple product coming in 2025.

Updated Camera app

Jon Prosser claims to have seen the new Camera app in iOS 19, which is completely redesigned with a somewhat visionOS-inspired design. Options are condensed, the viewfinder takes up more space, and there’s lots of transparency.

The Photographic Styles feature may come to video, too.

Gaming app

iOS 19 will reportedly include a dedicated gaming app, according to a report from Mark Gurman of Bloomberg. The App will also be available for Mac, iPad, and Apple TV, it is claimed.

The app is said to tap into the App Store’s games section and Apple Arcade, offer editorial content about new games, and centralize everything currently found in Game Center. The Mac version of the app will “tap into games downloaded outside of the App Store,” according to Gurman. 

Music and full-screen animated lock screen artwork

9to5Mac reports that animated album art will now display on the lock screen when using the Music app.

Notes and Markdown support

9to5Mac also reports that users will be able to format their entries in the Notes app by using Markdown syntax.

Health app updates

The Health app may get some new features, according to Mark Gurman of Bloomberg in a March newsletter, though these are not expected to be available at launch. Apparently we may get an AI-powered health coach that will give us personalised recommendations and warnings. These could come in the form of videos about healthy eating and heart disease.

There’s also a suggestion that we could see food tracking added to the Health app.

Author: Jason Cross, Senior Editor, Macworld