iOS 19: the 5 upgrades I

The iPhone 16 Pro (Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

iOS 19 – or iOS 26 as it’s reportedly set to be called – looks like it could be a major upgrade on iOS 18, with rumors pointing to a massively overhauled design, among other changes.

We should know exactly what it will offer soon, as Apple is expected to unveil the new software at WWDC 2025 on June 9, but ahead of that I can’t help but wish for certain things.

So below, you’ll find five of the iOS 19 upgrades I’m most hoping to see at WWDC 2025 – these are a mix of things that have been rumored, and things that I’d just really like.

1. A whole new look

Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max REVIEW — iOS 18 on the iPhone 16 Pro Max (Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

One of the biggest rumors we’ve heard about iOS 19 is that it could look drastically different to iOS 18.

Going by information titbits so far, the design of the interface will be more consistent with that of macOS and iPadOS. But that doesn’t mean it will imitate those current designs – rather there could be big changes coming to all three.

This could include a glass-like, Vision Pro-inspired design, and a focus on making the whole operating system more intuitive and faster to navigate.

This all sounds great, and with iOS having stayed visually much the same for quite a while now, this could be just what the operating system needs to avoid feeling stale.

2. Great AI photo editing tools

Apple iPhone 16 Review — The iPhone 16 (Image credit: Future)

While Apple has started dabbling in artificial intelligence, the features it has so far launched leave much to be desired, with its AI photo editing tools in particular being a disappointment.

There’s no way Apple isn’t working on improvements for these, so this is one thing I want to see at WWDC 2025. Ideally, I’d like comprehensive image editing capabilities – including the ability to move and remove objects, extend backgrounds, change facial expressions, and more.

Some of this is already present in iOS, but it isn’t handled very well, meaning there’s lots of room for improvement.

Sadly, I’m not optimistic these upgrades will make an appearance, with one report suggesting that Apple’s WWDC 2025 keynote will be a “letdown” when it comes to AI. That doesn’t mean these improvements won’t come eventually, but reportedly most of Apple’s biggest AI projects won’t land before 2026.

3. An AI upgrade for Siri

Similarly, I’d also like to see the long-promised AI upgrade for Siri. By that I mean it becoming a lot more like ChatGPT or Gemini than what it currently is.

This would make it more personalized, conversational, and simply much smarter than the Siri we know and tolerate. If Apple could show this off at WWDC 2025 it could be a big win.

Sadly, as with most other major AI tools, leaks suggest we might not get this until 2026 – that doesn’t totally rule out Apple giving an early demo of it, but does mean it’s unlikely to be part of iOS 19.

4. Major upgrades to health and fitness

Apple Watch app health — (Image credit: Future)

Apple has put a lot of focus on health and fitness in recent years, with the pairing of Apple Watch and iPhone being a powerful tool to track your activity and vitals, but there’s still room for improvement.

Many third-party apps and rival platforms have a lot more features than Apple on this front, including tracking stress levels, energy, and recovery, providing AI insights, and more.

This is all stuff that’s theoretically possible with software updates, rather than needing any new hardware, so I’d like to see this sort of thing unveiled as part of iOS 19.

Apple is reportedly working on an AI upgrade for its Health app, so at least some of what I want is probably in the works. But as with the other AI stuff on this list it’s probably not going to be ready in time for WWDC, or the initial version of iOS 19.

5. A big gaming push

Apple iPhone 16e review — Resident Evil 4 on the iPhone 16e (Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

There was a time when iOS looked like it could become a strong gaming platform. Actually, there were a couple of times.

First in the early days before predatory monetization tactics took over, and second when Apple launched Apple Arcade, which was initially stocked with high-quality exclusives.

But games with eyebrow-raising monetization tactics like freemium and gacha did come to dominate the App Store,. And after a while Apple stopped chasing as many interesting exclusives on Apple Arcade, and instead focused more on casual games and altered versions of existing App Store releases.

As a result, it’s now hard to really recommend the iPhone as a gaming device, despite all its power. So I’d like to see Apple make a concerted attempt to bring more high-quality games to iOS.

There’s no specific suggestion this will happen, but it’s rumored that a new dedicated gaming hub could be included as part of iOS 19. This in itself sounds like it will be designed to showcase titles and provide easy access to games, as well as “in-game achievements, leaderboards, communications, and other activity.”

So it won’t necessarily mean any changes to the kinds of games that are available on iOS, but it’s possible that as part of this gaming push Apple will also bolster its Apple Arcade offering with some interesting releases.

iPhone 17: latest news and rumors for every expected model
iPhone 16 Pro review: pocket-sized brilliance and no concessions
Best iPhone: which Apple smartphone reigns supreme?

James is a freelance phones, tablets and wearables writer and sub-editor at TechRadar. He has a love for everything ‘smart’, from watches to lights, and can often be found arguing with AI assistants or drowning in the latest apps. James also contributes to 3G.co.uk, 4G.co.uk and 5G.co.uk and has written for T3, Digital Camera World, Clarity Media and others, with work on the web, in print and on TV.