Summary of large-scale renovations and new features of iOS and macOS expected to be announced at Apple's developer event 'WWDC2025'

Apple is scheduled to hold its developer conference ' WWDC25 ' from June 9, 2025 local time, and the keynote speech where the main announcements will be made is scheduled to be broadcast at 2:00 on June 10th, Japan time. We have compiled rumors of new operating systems and new features that are expected to be announced during this event.

Apple WWDC 2025 Preview: iOS 26, macOS 26, New AI Features, iPadOS 26 Redesigns - Bloomberg
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-06-06/apple-wwdc-2025-preview-ios-26-macos-26-new-ai-features-ipados-26-redesigns

WWDC 2025: What to expect from this year's conference | TechCrunch
https://techcrunch.com/2025/06/08/wwdc-2025-what-to-expect-from-this-years-conference/

Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman, who is familiar with Apple-related information, said that Apple is not expected to make any announcements at WWDC25 that will erase its lag in the field of AI. Instead, Apple will focus on improving its OS design and productivity.

Apple is expected to make a major update to its operating system design at WWDC25, and it has been reported that the design changes will be applied not only to iOS and macOS but also to all operating systems including CarPlay.

Apple plans to implement major design updates for iOS 19, iPadOS 19, and macOS 16, which could be the biggest update since iOS 7 and macOS Big Sur - GIGAZINE

Apple plans to revise the UI design based on the new design language 'Solarium,' which will use transparent and glass-like materials based on visionOS, the operating system for Apple Vision Pro. Garman predicts that the design of the toolbar and tab bar will change, and app icons and other buttons will also be redesigned. Widgets will also be redesigned to match the new UI design, but the functions themselves will remain the same. It has also been reported that this new design language was developed to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the iPhone .

Apple plans to make major changes to the OS design of not only iOS 19 but also Apple Watch and Apple TV based on the new design language 'Solarium' - GIGAZINE

It is reported that in addition to the design change, the naming convention will also change. The naming convention will be based on the year following the release year, rather than the previous version number, so it looks like iOS 26 will be released at WWDC25.

Apple may change its naming convention so that its operating systems can be identified by the year instead of the version number - GIGAZINE

While the WWDC25 keynote is expected to be dominated by OS redesigns, most of the core iOS and iPadOS apps will likely not get a full overhaul beyond a redesign, with the exception of the main apps Phone, Safari, and Camera, which will get major overhauls.

The Phone app has remained largely unchanged since the original iPhone release, but in iOS 26 it will reportedly adopt a new view that combines favorite contacts, recent calls, and voicemails into a single scrollable window, though users will be able to switch between the old interface and the new view at will.

Safari will be getting a major visual update, introducing a more transparent, glass-like looking address bar.

In recent years, Apple has added various new features to its camera app, such as spatial video, panoramic shooting, and slow-motion shooting, but as a result, the existing camera app has become a little difficult to use. Therefore, Apple is aiming to revamp the camera app in iOS 26 with an emphasis on simplicity.

The messaging app is also set to be upgraded, with features to rival Meta's WhatsApp, such as the ability to create polls and set background images. Background images will be synced across devices, and group chat backgrounds will display the settings of other users.

Additionally, Garman expects the macOS Preview app to make its way to iPadOS and iOS for the first time, allowing users to manage, annotate, and edit PDFs on their iPad or iPhone. The launch screen will be in the same style as Pages and Keynote, with a large Preview logo at the top of the screen and a gallery of document options below it.

Game Center, a gaming social network for Apple product users, will be transformed into an Xbox-style gaming app. Game downloads and access to Apple Arcade will be consolidated, and the app will have five tabs: 'Home,' 'Arcade,' 'Let's Play Together,' 'Library,' and 'Search.'

Game Center for Apple users will be replaced by Xbox-style game app - GIGAZINE

Apple Vision Pro will support EyeScroll, a new way to navigate up and down through documents, web pages, and first- and third-party apps. Additionally, Apple Vision Pro will support third-party hand controllers like those used by PlayStation VR.

Apple plans to completely revamp the iPad's multitasking to make it more Mac-like, but Garman points out that this new functionality may require a Magic Keyboard or other device.

The Apple Pencil will be updated to include a digital lead calligraphy pen, and iOS and iPadOS keyboards will support a bidirectional mode that lets you switch between Arabic and English.

Gurman also points out that Apple is planning a feature that would allow users who log into multiple wireless networks on one device, such as at a gym, hotel, or office, to automatically log into those networks on their other devices as well.

Gurman also noted that Apple will likely announce new information about Apple Intelligence, which is at the heart of the company's AI strategy. Specifically, Apple will make available to third-party developers the large language models that underpin Apple's generative AI capabilities. Apple will also unveil upgrades to its on-device and cloud-based AI models.

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The company also plans to release a real-time translation feature for calls and text messages using AI, and is preparing a feature to translate conversations in real time for AirPods users.

In addition, Apple Intelligence will be built into the Shortcuts app, giving users more freedom to automate tasks than ever before.

In addition, Apple plans to introduce a battery optimization mode that uses AI to reduce battery consumption, but this feature may be released at the same time as the iPhone 17 Air, which is scheduled to be released around fall 2025. This is thought to be to deal with the smaller battery capacity of the iPhone 17 Air due to its slimmer design.

It is reported that the 2024 'iPhone 16' will have Apple Intelligence as its biggest selling point, and the 2025 'iPhone 17' will have a new ultra-thin mid-range model 'iPhone Air' and a revamped lineup - GIGAZINE

Apple is also looking to add Google's Gemini as an alternative to ChatGPT, which works with Siri, etc. This plan has been public since 2024, but Garman points out that the integration of Gemini is not scheduled to be announced at WWDC25.

Apple executives express intention to integrate Google's AI 'Gemini' into Apple products - GIGAZINE

The Siri upgrade is expected to eventually allow access to personal information and content on the device, as well as more precise control over apps and in-app features, but this is still a long way off, and Garman asserts that Siri will 'not' announce any notable new features at WWDC25. This evolved Siri is called LLM Siri, and it seems that it will be released at least one to two years away.

Apple is considering releasing 'LLM Siri' in 2026, which will be powerful enough to compete with ChatGPT - GIGAZINE

Regarding Apple's AI-related announcements, Gurman wrote, 'The changes brought about by AI are surprisingly small and unlikely to shock industry observers, especially given the rapid innovation coming from Google, Meta, Microsoft, and OpenAI.'

Apple has also appointed veteran executive Kim Voras to lead its AI division in an effort to revamp its struggling AI business.

Apple is serious about strengthening its AI division, veteran executives known for project management are transferred to strengthen Apple Intelligence and Siri - GIGAZINE

Apple is revamping its Calendar app and releasing it across all platforms. It was originally scheduled to be released sometime in 2025, but at the time of writing, it is expected to be released alongside the 2026 releases of iOS 27 and macOS 27. These upgrades are apparently being called 'Buttercup' and 'Honeycrisp' internally.

Apple is also working on an overhaul of its Health app, teamed with an AI doctor-based service (codenamed Mulberry), neither of which are expected to be unveiled at WWDC25, but rather as part of Buttercup, at the earliest in late 2026.

In 2024, Apple announced Swift Assist, a feature of Xcode that uses Apple Intelligence to complete code. However, it has not been released due to issues such as AI hallucinations. As a solution, Apple plans a new version of Xcode that uses third-party LLMs (localized language models) stored remotely or locally on the Mac. Apple is already working with Anthropic, an AI company known for developing Claude, to use this feature internally.