Although the iOS 18 release cycle is running really slow (thanks to Apple Intelligence), Apple is just five months away from unveiling the next-gen iOS 19. Like with previous iOS generations, the leaks and rumors for iOS 19 have already started surfacing, speculating the new features iOS 19 will bring to iPhones and the models that will support it.
This post details everything you need to know about the upcoming iOS 19, from compatible devices to expected features to possible delays.
iOS 19: Expected features
Besides the usual slate of performance updates, we do not know much about iOS 19 currently. However, rumors are rife about significant upgrades to Apple Intelligence’s capabilities and a major overhaul of Siri.
A more evolved version of Siri
Bloomberg reported last year that we will see a “more conventional Siri” in iOS 19, powered by “more advanced large language models (LLMs).” The report further states that this new substantial upgrade will transform Siri to behave and interact “more like a human,” making it capable of “handling more sophisticated requests,” similar to how ChatGPT or Google Gemini works.
However, Mark Gurman, in his latest Power On newsletter, reported that Apple is behind in the development schedule of the more ChatGPT-like Siri. Because of this delay, Apple has scrapped its plan to unveil the evolved version of conversational Siri at WWDC 2025 in June this year. So, whether a more evolved version of Siri will arrive at iOS 19.4 in March next year or if Apple will push the Siri upgrade to iOS 20 remains unknown.
While rumors suggest that iOS 18-supported iPhones will be iOS 19 compatible, only a handful of them will get access to all the new features, similar to what happened in iOS 18 with Apple Intelligence features.
Redesigned Camera app
In a recent YouTube video posted on the Front Page Tech channel, John Pressor showcased how the completely overhauled Camera app design might look in iOS 19. As showcased, the controls and menu in the Camera app are more translucent, a striking similarity to what is already available in VisionOS, Apple’s proprietary software for the Vision Pro headset.
Furthermore, the camera’s viewfinder covers a much larger real estate screen by default as compared to iOS 18. As shown in the renders, the camera controls are organized into two categories: Photo and Video, located at the bottom of the app. While most camera controls are on the bottom side, additional controls for video resolution and frame rate still appear at the top, which makes more sense.
It’s uncertain whether the purported design changes resembling visionOS will even come to the Camera app, let alone other iOS 19 apps.
RCS 3.0 support
Though Apple was forced to do it, the Cupertino tech giant’s decision to incorporate RCS messaging with iOS 18 was welcomed by users worldwide. However, iOS 18 only supported version 2.4 of the RCS messaging protocol, so all the new features and improvements GSMA announced with RCS version 2.7 are still missing for iPhone users.
Moving on, Apple confirmed in a recent statement that the company is planning to support end-to-end encryption in RCS messaging with future software updates. This means the tech giant would be supporting RCS Universal Profile 3.0.
While there is no word on the exact timeline for supporting RCS version 3.0, Apple mentioned that it will happen with future software upgrades, so we believe it will happen somewhere in the iOS 19 lifecycle.
iOS 19: Expected delays
Although iOS 19 is expected to come with substantial upgrades, it is unlikely that all the features will be available at the launch. It is also possible that we might see a delayed launch timeline compared to the usual one. This is because Apple is already lagging with the iOS 18 rollout. It still hasn’t released some of the most anticipated Apple Intelligence features and will most likely release them with iOS 18.4 in March 2025.
According to Mark Gurman, Apple engineers are still rumored to be working on iOS 18 when they should already be working on iOS 19 by this time. This delay in ongoing iOS 18 development and rollout means that we will have to wait until spring 2026 to get our hands on all the new features of iOS 19 as the work on them is believed to be delayed.
iOS 19: Concept
Although all the iOS 19 features, except the LLM Siri, are still unknown, a designer named Oofus has created a video that offers some ideas that Apple should consider including in the upcoming iOS 19 to woo the users.
While the features displayed in the video are just concepts, not the actual features, two features showcased in the video intrigued me the most. The first one is named Flick, which completely overhauls how we share photos and videos via Airdrop by using NameDrop.
Second, the ability to add stickers to the lock screen will further cement Apple’s focus on offering users customization options. In addition to these two features, the video also discusses new customization options in the Messages app, including the ability to add a custom theme in conversations and a revamped screenshot interface.
You can watch the full concept video below:
iOS 19: Release date and timeline
If we follow the typical Apple fashion, the Cupertino tech giant will most likely reveal the upcoming iOS 19 at WWDC in June 2025. Beta testers will get their hands on the iOS 19 first developer beta as soon as the event concludes. Apple generally releases the first public beta one month after the first developer beta, so we expect the first iOS 19 public beta to be released somewhere in July 2025.
Wrapping up…
That’s about it for now. We will regularly update this post with new leaks and rumors about iOS 19 features.
Do you have an iOS 19 feature wishlist? We would love to hear about it in the comments below.
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