Every year we are presented with a new version of iOS (along with Apple’s other operating systems) at the Worldwide Developers Conference in June. It will then go through an extended beta testing period before being released in September.
However, some of the most important features of iOS are often scheduled to be introduced in subsequent updates. With iOS 18, the main Apple Intelligence feature didn’t arrive until iOS 18.1, with additional AI features in iOS 18.2 and even more coming in iOS 18.4 — nearly half a year after the initial iOS 18 rollout.
Although Apple has yet to announce iOS 19, the big iPhone upgrade has been hard at work for a while and some rumors have started to trickle out, and it’s starting to look like iOS 18 is a bit of an example of how iOS 19 is going. Based on the most reliable leaks and rumors, here’s what to expect when it arrives later this year.
Updated January 17, 2025: Jon Prosser claims that the Camera app will get a complete redesign in iOS 19, with lots of transparency and condensed controls similar to interface elements from Apple Vision Pro.
iOS 19: Release date
Apple typically released the latest version of iOS to the public on the Monday following the iPhone launch. Here are the release dates for the latest versions of iOS:
- iOS 18: Monday 16 September 2024
- iOS 17: Monday 18 September 2023
- iOS 16: Monday 12 September 2022
- iOS 15: Monday 20 September 2021
Based on recent history, we expect iOS 19 to be released to the public on either Monday, September 15 or Monday, September 22.
iOS 19: New features
More Apple Intelligence with an LLM Siri
The most significant rumored change in iOS 19 so far is what some are calling an LLM (large language model) update” to Siri.
The idea is to make Siri truly conversational, like the advanced voice mode on ChatGPT is today, but with the added benefit of having access to all the data on the device and the history of your iPhone and Apple services.
This would be coupled with a further expansion of App Intents, which are hooks for developers to allow Siri to interact with and perform actions in their apps. These App Intents get a huge boost in iOS 18.4 to go along with Siri’s “personal context” update, and iOS 19 is said to expand the concept even further.
A caveat: This next big evolution for Siri isn’t expected to land until 2026, as part of an update to iOS 19. In other words, just as iOS 18.4 is the “big Siri update” for iOS 18, we can expect iOS 19.4 (or something similar) to be “the big Siri update” for iOS 19.
Home app upgrades
Although not specifically mentioned in any of the current leaks or rumors, we find it hard to believe that Apple will not has some significant improvements to the Home app, HomeKit, and related services in iOS 19.
Why? Well, Apple is expected to release a wave of new smart home products during 2025 and 2026. A new smart home hub is first: It’s an affordable 7-inch tablet that runs its own custom operating system (codenamed Pebble) that has an interface similar to Standby on the iPhone. It will support Apple Intelligence, FaceTime and tie in with other Apple services, but it’s not expected to have an App Store.
Then, probably in 2026, Apple is said to be working on a new indoor smart security camera and a smart doorbell that would use Face ID to unlock your door the way it unlocks your phone. Further down the road, there are rumors of a smart home product with a moving screen on a robotic arm, all of which will require deep integration with the iPhone and the Home app.
It’s hard to imagine Apple pushing so much into first-party smart home products without updating the somewhat aging and clunky Home interface or introducing new features to it.
Updated camera app
Jon Prosser claims to have seen the Camera app in iOS 19, which has been completely redesigned with a somewhat visionOS-inspired design. The options are condensed, the viewfinder takes up more space and there is plenty of transparency.
iOS 19: Beta
Every year, the new iOS is announced at WWDC with a beta test for developers released immediately (or at most a day later). It often takes 4-6 weeks for the first public beta to be released, coinciding with the second or third developer build. Apple will release the developer beta immediately after the WWDC keynote, which is expected to be on Monday, June 9.
- iOS 18: Monday, June 10, 2024
- iOS 17: Monday, June 5, 2023
- iOS 16: Monday, June 6, 2022
- iOS 15: Monday, June 7, 2021
What follows is a series of beta releases, typically eight or so in total, before the software releases in September. We expect the same schedule this year with iOS 19. You can get ready for the beta by signing up for the iOS beta program now.
iOS 19: Compatibility
We expect iOS 19 to be compatible with all iPhones that support iOS 18. That includes:
- iPhone 16
- iPhone 16 Plus
- iPhone 16 Pro
- iPhone 16 Pro Max
- iPhone 15
- iPhone 15 Plus
- iPhone 15 Pro
- iPhone 15 Pro Max
- iPhone 14
- iPhone 14 Plus
- iPhone 14 Pro
- iPhone 14 Pro Max
- iPhone 13
- iPhone 13 mini
- iPhone 13 Pro
- iPhone 13 Pro Max
- iPhone 12
- iPhone 12 mini
- iPhone 12 Pro
- iPhone 12 Pro Max
- iPhone 11
- iPhone 11 Pro
- iPhone 11 Pro Max
- iPhone XS
- iPhone XS Max
- iPhone XR
- iPhone SE (2nd generation)
Of course, it will also support the new iPhone 17 models, which will be launched around the same time, and the new iPhone SE 4 (which may be called the iPhone 16E).
As always, some features will not be available on older models as they lack the hardware resources for it. However, we believe that the Apple Intelligence and Siri improvements will be available for all iPhone 16 and newer models.