iOS 19 Rumors and Leaks: Everything We Know So Far

iOS 19 Features Everything We Know So Far About the Upcoming Update

In the tech industry, leaks appear every other day — sometimes, several in a single day. With so many brands (and so many people) involved in each product’s development and manufacturing, some loose ends are inevitable. This is also the case for Apple’s next iPhone software update. Check below what we already know, thanks to rumors and leaks, about iOS 19.

What Features Is iOS 19 Expected To Have?

There are two types of features we can expect in iOS 19: enhancements of existing ones, and new functionality. It’s not set in stone which aspects we’ll see with each kind of update, but here’s what is already known — and speculated.

Apple Intelligence Improvements

Apple Intelligence logo

Apple Intelligence’s rollout has been, to say the least, less than stellar. Notification summary, for instance, one of its main utilities, is being heavily criticized for its inaccuracy. There are also functionalities announced but delayed, old features removed, and stability issues all over the place. Unsurprisingly, users aren’t giving a single damn about the toolset.

iOS 19 will arrive with a big responsibility: to make customers want to use AI features. At least, there’s one thing we can guarantee: more languages will arrive soon. Apple promised support for Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish, and Vietnamese in 2025. Indian and Singaporean English localizations are expected as well.

The geographic restrictions for the EU and China should be lifted this year, too. However, this change isn’t necessarily related to iOS 19, though Apple may choose to promote it as such.

Overhauled Siri

Siri has been through some important changes last year, including ChatGPT integration. In 2025, the trend continues: Siri should get its own LLM, acting as an AI tool without the ChatGPT backbone.

The virtual assistant will be able to recognize context in prompts and offer situational-aware responses, for instance. According to rumors, the changes are expected to start arriving in iOS 18.4, with iOS 19 cementing Siri’s new positioning.

Redesigned Camera App (and Maybe More)

FrontPageTech iOS 19 camera redesign render
Image credit: FrontPageTech

According to a leak received by Jon Prosser of FrontPageTech, iOS 19 may bring a redesign in the Camera app. For starters, the different photo and video modes are condensed under a pop-up menu instead of a text carousel. There are also new animations for the UI elements and quite extensive use of transparency and blur effects.

That last part may point out something bigger. Prosser speculates a major design change may be coming to iOS in the near future. New looks are quite overdue, if you consider the last time it happened was when iOS 7 ditched skeuomorphism. That happened in 2013, over a decade ago.

And how would the new iOS look? FrontPageTech‘s host is a lot like visionOS. Makes sense, considering movements like redesigning the Settings app in macOS Ventura (and tweaking it in Sequoia) to resemble iPadOS. If Apple aims for consistent looks across all its devices and operating systems, this is a way of doing that.

One point, Prosser adds, is that there is a good chance the UI overhaul won’t come all at once. He considers (and I agree) that Apple could modernize system apps and change smaller UI elements, only introducing a major redesign later.

That’s something Apple has done before, e.g., with macOS design changes: the Aqua interface became increasingly flatter over the years. Glossy elements were gradually replaced, and then, in 2014, OS X Yosemite introduced completely flat looks.

The staged redesign hypothesis also makes up for a good timeline for iOS 20, with 2026 being the actual overhaul. Unlike iPhones, which got irregular numbering, iOS kept consistent versioning since launching — which means 2026 marks 20 years of iPhones. Do you know what else is likely to arrive in 2026? The foldable iPhone.

New Emojis

Apple skipped 2024’s update to the Emoji standard, and iOS 18 versions so far haven’t gotten the new icons. The company may decide to implement them alongside the 2025 additions in iOS 19.

More Advanced Health App (and Watch Features)

Apple Watches have been evolving constantly since their inception, with the Ultra models showing the company wants to compete seriously. Other health-related features, like the AirPods Pro 2 hearing aid mode, confirm this. I wouldn’t be surprised if the manufacturer brings even more health monitoring features in iOS 19.

Trouble-Free RCS

Generic iPhone error message dialog balloon with exclamation mark

After years of being teased by Android manufacturers (and Google itself), Apple finally brought RCS messaging support to iOS 18. It hasn’t been a smooth sail, however: issues range from poor carrier adoption to severe security flaws.

There’s still a lot of potential for RCS, however, and huge business opportunities. It’s expected that iOS 19 will bring improvements to the messaging system, patching vulnerabilities and closing the compatibility gap.

Language Features

Smarter multilingual keyboards, better localization, and translations that consider the cultural context. All of these features are rumored to be included as a “language features super pack” in iOS 19.

Features iOS 19 Won’t Get

There are, however, some features that won’t see the light of day in iOS 19 — if ever. They can be related to functionality Apple won’t implement unless forced to, or simply stuff that isn’t ready yet.

Third-Party App Stores and Payment Methods

Apple’s strategy has been to face lawsuits everywhere, repeating the same beaten argument of how its walled garden protects customers. It’s highly unlikely the company will open up to other app stores and payment methods in countries it isn’t legally bound to.

Better Sound Controls

For professional reasons, I always carry one Android phone and one iPhone. If I’m, say, going to sleep while expecting an important call, I leave the ringtone on and turn alerts off. On my Android phone, that is.

Support for separate audio controls (calls, media, ringtones, and notifications) hasn’t been available in iOS so far. There’s nothing leading us to believe this will change anytime soon.

iOS 19 Supported Devices, According to Leaks

The iPhone 11 family is guaranteed to receive iOS 19

Rumors have been kind of conflicting in this aspect. Some rumors imply that only the iPhone 11 and newer models will receive iOS 19. Others, however, say the XR, XS, and XS Max might be supported as well.

There may be a reason for the multiple versions. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, arguably the most renowned Apple analyst, says the company hasn’t defined iOS 19’s full feature set.

While some functionalities, like Apple Intelligence, are restricted to newer hardware, some iPhone models may be ruled out entirely, too. If the company considers them not fit to run the most recent version, they could be left on iOS 18. For now, the list goes as follows:

  • iPhone: XR, XS, and XS Max, and newer
  • iPhone SE: second generation (2020) and newer.

That includes the still-unannounced iPhone SE 4 (or iPhone 16E), expected to launch in April. The iPhone 17 family, in turn, should be made official alongside iOS 19, and run this version from day one.

Launch Date for iOS 19

While a precise release date for iOS 19 can’t be nailed down just yet, there are some vague indications. In recent years, new iOS versions have been announced in early June, with a Developer Beta released the same day. The testing cycle, including Public Betas and Release Candidates, takes place in the following weeks. The final iOS build will be made available to everyone in mid to late September, the same day iPhones launch.

It’s likely that iOS 19 will be announced in the week of 9 to 15 of June, this year. The final version should arrive between September 19 and September 26.

iOS 19: Early Builds and Beta Program

Register And Unregister in the Apple Beta Software Program

As stated above, the testing stage involves multiple early builds. These are pre-release versions, often with missing features, full of bugs, and with plenty of instability. The order is:

  1. Developer Beta (less stable).
  2. Public Beta (unpolished, but usable).
  3. Release Candidate (near ready, becomes final build if no serious issues appear).
  4. Public release (final build).

The betas and the Release Candidate often go through various iterations. They’re numbered sequentially, like Developer Beta 1/2/3, Public Beta 1/2/3, or Release Candidate 1/2/3.

In previous years, only registered developers, who paid a $100 annual fee, could install Developer Betas. More recently, these builds became available for anyone with an Apple Developer account — which takes five minutes to create. Just go to the Apple Developer website, enroll with your regular Apple Account, and you’re good to go.

iOS update buttons displaying update now or tonight options, alongside with details about the latter, over a default iOS 18 wallpaper

New software versions are often something to get excited about. They bring new features, new visuals, and better user experience. Until Apple officially announces iOS 19, however, all we can do is keep track of the rumors and leaks.

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