iOS 19 – or is it iOS 26, as rumors suggest? – is almost there. Apple will almost certainly announce the latest version of the iPhone operating system next week at WWDC 2025. As such, rumors about the functionality of iOS 26 came quickly, and still approaching the big event. Although none of these rumors can be confirmed for the moment, they always give us a good idea of what Apple could consider behind the scenes.
Apple changes the name of iOS?
So seems. While we thought (logically) that the next version of iOS would be called iOS 19, Apple would have other plans in place. According to Mark Gurman de Bloomberg, iOS 19 will be iOS 26, taking the name of the following year. Apple would have done this with all its OS titles, including iPados 26, MacOS 26, Watchos 26 and Visionos 26.
A new look for iOS 26
While iOS has changed considerably in recent years, the global design language has always followed the last revision of the user interface: iOS 7 in 2013. It has been almost 12 years since Apple mixed things, leaving users to design their own locking screens and their application icons.
According to Gurman, however, this could change with iOS 26, as well as with iPados 26 and macOS 26. The details are rare, but Gurman reports that Apple sources say that the company wants to better align the design languages on its different products, without completely merging these bones, while simplifying the way you interact with these devices. This means that iOS 26 could adopt the design of visionos, which uses circles instead of squares for application icons, translucent window elements and 3D adoption – although this last element can be difficult to translate on a 2D screen.
You can see these elements exposed in this concept video by Jon Prosser. If the rumors are correct, we could consider “one of the most dramatic software revisions in the history of the company”.
In addition to a new look, iOS can be a little less buggy. Gurman says that stability is a great priority for Apple this year, which is music to my ears.
Live translation for AirPods
Gurman also says that Apple works on a live translation function for certain AirPods models. If you have a conversation with someone who speaks a language you do not know, your airpod translates and will automatically dictate these words in your target language. When you talk, your words will be translated and dictated by your iPhone, via the Translate application.
This feature is not revolutionary – Google’s pixel buds have offered it for years. But that would be an excellent addition to iOS 26 and AirPods users.
Accessibility characteristics
Apple does not reveal much about its next updates before announcing them officially, but accessibility features are an exception. Last month, the company unveiled a list of accessibility features to come on devices “later this year”. Although they do not name the iOS 26 updates and other “26”, it is quite obvious that it is the updates that we will see them.
There is a new accessibility feature that makes text easier to read on iOS; Magnifying arrives on Mac; You will see “nutrition accessibility” labels on the App Store, to indicate how accessible an application is; Apple Watch obtains live legends and vehicle movement signals arrive at Mac.
Mode ‘Desktop’
The rumor is that Apple works on an office mode “like a stage manager” for USB-C iOS with iOS 26. The function would allow you to connect your iPhone to an external monitor, so that you can extend the screen of your iPhone to the larger screen.
It may not be a real “desktop” experience, like Samsung Dex, in that you may not be able to use your iPhone as a laptop in this way. But this could facilitate the sharing of the screen of your iPhone when you want to connect to a larger screen.
You only need to connect to public WiFi networks only once
If you use several devices on public WiFi networks, it is difficult to connect each manually. This could change with the next Apple updates: Gurman says that once updated, you will only have to connect to WiFi with an Apple device (your iPhone, iPad or Mac) and the rest will connect automatically.
Battery improvement
Here is a great use for AI: optimization of the battery life. The rumor says that iOS 26 will analyze your habits of use and determine the right times to reduce performance in the name of preserving the battery life. Diving time between costs is something we can all take.
In addition, the company can add a load indicator to the lock screen, so you know how long your battery has remained to load. This small feature was sorely lacked on iPhones for years. Apple offers it on MacBooks, but only in Activity Monitor. I hope it brings him back to the menu bar in a future update.
What do you think so far?
Your iPhone will perform (probably) iOS 26
With a little luck, your current iPhone should be compatible with iOS 26, assuming that you are currently running the latest software. Citing a source in Apple, the French website iPhonesoft.fr reports that any phone that executes iOS 18 should also be compatible with iOS 26. However, the iPad 7 will not be as lucky, because the website indicates that it will not be included in the update of iPados 26.
However, a macrumors source says that Apple plans to remove the iPhone XR, XS and XS Max this year. We will have to wait and see what Apple announces on Monday to find out which phones will always be supported.
A new game application
According to Gurman, Apple works on a dedicated game application for iOS, iPados, MacOS and TVOS, intended to replace the existing game center. The application will allow you both to launch titles, as well as to check the leader’s tables, to chat with friends and to see your achievements.
If it is true, it will be an interesting timing, given that the announcement will be four days after the launch of the Nintendo Switch 2. I have doubts that such an application could compete with a game of play like Nintendo, or that it will really extend beyond the traditional experience of short and soft mobile game, but who knows. Maybe Apple is about to become a serious game business. (I doubt it.)
The shortcuts obtain the integration of Apple Intelligence
The shortcut application allows you to configure “shortcuts”, which you can use to automate tasks on your Apple devices. Gurman says that with iOS 26, Apple incorporates Apple Intelligence in the shortcut application, which could allow you to create shortcuts with natural language – or, in other words, describe the shortcuts you want and that AI builds them for you.
Small updates
According to 9TO5MAC, Apple plans to add a new functionality or two to a handful of applications. This includes:
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Messages: Automatic translation for incoming and outgoing messages, as well as polls.
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Music: full screen animation works on the lock screen
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Notes: Markdown support, a huge plus for pro-notes users
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Carplay: a redesigned user interface to complete iOS 26
The merger of Siri and Apple Intelligence
According to Gurman, Apple plans to merge Siri with Apple Intelligence during the Patch iOS 26 patch cycle. Yes, the assistant is currently listed as part of Apple Intelligence, but behind the scenes, he supposedly has a new LLM in progress which would unify his currently divided architecture and allow him to manage more frequently complex requests. Currently, its AI features are much more limited, and most SIRIs do not use this type of AI at all.
Gurman says he expects the merger to be completed in the spring of 2026 with the launch of iOS 26.4. His report indicates that, originally, Apple’s plan was to launch an Siri more conversational in the same update, but it was delayed and should not be revealed at WWDC 2025.
Gurman also indicates that, as Apple has not yet completed the deployment of Apple Intelligence’s functionality from last year, unexpected features should not be expected for a while.
