iOS 26 Speculation Thread

[HouseLannister]

Upgrade podcast made a good point this week: redesigns have to be really bold and go too far and then be walked back later. Nobody wants to make a redesign that is too timid and doesn’t push the edges. Apple really wants a cohesive vision of their OSes? That’s gonna take a lot of change. iOS 19 is gonna feel like beta all year until they learn from their mistakes and make it really sing in iOS 20. Expecting a fun, but rocky year of change.

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

Upgrade podcast made a good point this week: redesigns have to be really bold and go too far and then be walked back later. Nobody wants to make a redesign that is too timid and doesn’t push the edges. Apple really wants a cohesive vision of their OSes? That’s gonna take a lot of change. iOS 19 is gonna feel like beta all year until they learn from their mistakes and make it really sing in iOS 20. Expecting a fun, but rocky year of change.

I also wonder if Apple will start allowing extended support of previous operating systems, maybe not forever of course, but maybe this time for six months instead of the regular two.
iOS 18 didn’t become the only upgrade path for all devices until December last year, until 18.2 you could still install the iOS 17 security updates as the primary update available.

 

[Nathan576]

Upgrade podcast made a good point this week: redesigns have to be really bold and go too far and then be walked back later. Nobody wants to make a redesign that is too timid and doesn’t push the edges. Apple really wants a cohesive vision of their OSes? That’s gonna take a lot of change. iOS 19 is gonna feel like beta all year until they learn from their mistakes and make it really sing in iOS 20. Expecting a fun, but rocky year of change.

Whatever it is I hope it is bold.

Would be nice if they could take more advantage of the screen real estate on the pro max. Rather than it being a blown up version of the pro.

 

[Kal Madda]

Whatever it is I hope it is bold.

Would be nice if they could take more advantage of the screen real estate on the pro max. Rather than it being a blown up version of the pro.

Yes, but I hope it’s only bold in the correct ways… 😬. I’m not hoping for change just for changes sake. And I think everything we’ve heard from Gurman so far (as vague as it is), seems promising. I think the UI features he mentions like the Menu Bar, windowing buttons (traffic lights), the way the App Dock works on Apple’s different platforms, etc. could all use more unification and modernization in some areas. I think the App Dock on the iPhone could gain a lot by functioning the same as the App Dock on the iPad. It would be great if you could swipe up to see the App Dock while an app is open on the iPhone, and even better to be able to pin the App Library there. 👍🏻 And perhaps iPadOS and iOS should gain an indicator option for which apps are active in the background similar to macOS? Perhaps it could also be moved to a vertical position on the side of the screen? And perhaps there would be dock resizing options for iPadOS?

The Menu Bar could also be a very interesting point of convergence. Will they make the Menu Bar more of a collapsible element, something like a hybrid of the Dynamic Island and the Menu Bar? Will they bring this new collapsible and compact Menu Bar design to iPadOS? I’m very interested to see what Apple does here.

 

[Kal Madda]

The more I think about this, the more I think that some of the things rumored the last couple years that haven’t come to fruition were always meant to be part of this redesign, and were features they were experimenting with and/or developing. Case in point, there were rumors that iPadOS would get a “macOS style UI”. People at the time assumed that this would look like the then current macOS, and was meant to bring the iPad more in line with the Mac. But in truth, it seems like more the opposite from the looks of things, macOS and iPadOS will allegedly get a new design that brings them both closer in terms of UI, but it will likely draw a lot more from iPadOS than macOS, since visionOS is directly related to iPadOS. Rather than transferring UI paradigms that don’t make sense on the iPad to the iPad from the Mac (like traffic lights, current Menu Bar design, etc.), Apple will likely unify them with new designs.

Also you had the rumors about the resizable App Dock for Stage Manager on iPadOS. This is probably another thing coming with the new design that was being tested that will now come in 19.

I think unifying the Settings app sets the stage for the platforms to converge more than ever. There will likely obviously still be some differences between the systems, but I’m thinking they will be much closer than ever before judging from Gurman. The signs are there. I’ve been saying for a while now that the slow convergence of the Settings apps could lead to major convergence in other areas. And it’s starting to look like this is on the horizon. I’m really excited to see where all this goes. 👍🏻

 

[HouseLannister]

Would be nice if they could take more advantage of the screen real estate on the pro max. Rather than it being a blown up version of the pro.

I always thought the Pro Max could benefit from split-screen multitasking like Android has had since 7.0 circa 2016. It's a big enough device and the iPadOS simplified split-screen would be enough for my needs.

There is definitely wasted screen space on all size phones, though.

Here's what I hope they do:

• Make the dock like Mac where it auto-hides, has more than four icons with a magnification effect, and can be positioned on any side of the screen. (Would love a one-hand mode where I can swipe my dock in from the side and scroll along it with my thumb easily. There are a ton of Android launchers already with drawers/edge widgets and I think Apple could implement on this idea really well.)
• Then add an extra row of icons (or two) on all phone sizes where the static dock used to be. Shrink the icon sizes to allow and additional column of icons as well.

 

[Stiille]

I always thought the Pro Max could benefit from split-screen multitasking like Android has had since 7.0 circa 2016. It's a big enough device and the iPadOS simplified split-screen would be enough for my needs.

There is definitely wasted screen space on all size phones, though.

Here's what I hope they do:

• Make the dock like Mac where it auto-hides, has more than four icons with a magnification effect, and can be positioned on any side of the screen. (Would love a one-hand mode where I can swipe my dock in from the side and scroll along it with my thumb easily. There are a ton of Android launchers already with drawers/edge widgets and I think Apple could implement on this idea really well.)
• Then add an extra row of icons (or two) on all phone sizes where the static dock used to be. Shrink the icon sizes to allow and additional column of icons as well.

This would be really nice addition the two rows of icons !

 

[Nathan576]

 

[HouseLannister]

Hope that mockup is woefully incomplete or just plain wrong because I don’t think it goes far enough. Go big or go home, Tim!

 

[Kal Madda]

Those squircle icons wouldn’t look too bad. If they do go that route, while it will be different from the current icon shape, I think it would look fine. 👍🏻. And that would probably kind of fit the shape of the new M4 Mac Mini too. 👍🏻

 

[Stiille]

Would love to see those icons 😍🤩

 

[TgeekB]

Those squircle icons wouldn’t look too bad. If they do go that route, while it will be different from the current icon shape, I think it would look fine. 👍🏻. And that would probably kind of fit the shape of the new M4 Mac Mini too. 👍🏻

Agree. I don’t think they look bad at all.

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

Should be noted that in the latest episode of Genius Bar, Jon does say that the icons he showed are likely to be changed by the final release.
Not the icon shape, the actual icons inside of the shape. Basically, they won’t be the iOS 18 icons just reshaped.

 

[TgeekB]

I love speculation.

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

Things look like they might be coming into focus…

Rumor: iPadOS 19 will add Mac-like Menu Bar and Stage Manager 2.0 - 9to5Mac

Per a new rumor, iPadOS 19 will gain some Mac-like upgrades including the iPad gaining a menu bar and ‘Stage Manager 2.0.’

9to5mac.com

iOS 19 brings ‘Stage Manager-like’ UI to iPhone with external display, per rumor - 9to5Mac

Per a new rumor, iOS 19 will bring major upgrades to the iPhone’s external display experience, with a ‘Stage Manager-like interface’ coming.

9to5mac.com

When Gurman said this redesign has been in the works for four years, and he said it might fundamentally change the way we use these devices? He… might not have been joking.

 

[xxFoxtail]

Things look like they might be coming into focus…

Rumor: iPadOS 19 will add Mac-like Menu Bar and Stage Manager 2.0 - 9to5Mac

Per a new rumor, iPadOS 19 will gain some Mac-like upgrades including the iPad gaining a menu bar and ‘Stage Manager 2.0.’

9to5mac.com

iOS 19 brings ‘Stage Manager-like’ UI to iPhone with external display, per rumor - 9to5Mac

Per a new rumor, iOS 19 will bring major upgrades to the iPhone’s external display experience, with a ‘Stage Manager-like interface’ coming.

9to5mac.com

When Gurman said this redesign has been in the works for four years, and he said it might fundamentally change the way we use these devices? He… might not have been joking.

As someone who's used the iPhone as their only computer in the past, and tried to make it work again recently with my 14 Pro (before buying my MacBook and iPad). iPhone Stage Manager is exactly what I’ve been wanting, to use it on my desk or buying a device like a NexDock. I’m aware my 14 Pro likely won’t get it though.

I wouldn't be surprised if Apple nerfs it somehow though. Why buy any other device if the iPhone is capable of being a desktop replacement too?

 

[HouseLannister]

Looking forward to iPadOS multitasking improvements, but was really hoping for more on the iPhone itself. Only on a second screen is not what I want. Give me splitscreen and a real dock (more apps+magnification+autohide)

 

[Reverend Benny]

Things look like they might be coming into focus…

Rumor: iPadOS 19 will add Mac-like Menu Bar and Stage Manager 2.0 - 9to5Mac

Per a new rumor, iPadOS 19 will gain some Mac-like upgrades including the iPad gaining a menu bar and ‘Stage Manager 2.0.’

9to5mac.com

iOS 19 brings ‘Stage Manager-like’ UI to iPhone with external display, per rumor - 9to5Mac

Per a new rumor, iOS 19 will bring major upgrades to the iPhone’s external display experience, with a ‘Stage Manager-like interface’ coming.

9to5mac.com

When Gurman said this redesign has been in the works for four years, and he said it might fundamentally change the way we use these devices? He… might not have been joking.

Yea, we were speculating about this in the beginning of the this thread.
Not surprised they are exploring this as they have most of whats needed already. Just need to find a way of how to package it and make user friendly.

iOS 19 Rumored to Add Stage Manager Support to USB-C iPhones

A leaker known as Majin Bu today claimed that iOS 19 will enable support for at least a limited version of Stage Manager on iPhone models with a...

www.macrumors.com

 

[Kal Madda]

I’m interested in seeing how Apple would implement a Menu Bar on iPadOS. I’m thinking iPadOS could normally show a Status Bar which is more screen efficient, and then a top center downward swipe would reveal a Menu Bar type interface. And maybe there could be a setting like there currently is for the app dock and stage manager panel to choose to keep it pinned open, or to hide it by default. When hidden, you’d see the standard Status Bar. I’m definitely not expecting an iPadOS Menu Bar to look and behave identical to the one on macOS, but I’m guessing it will look and act very similar, just with more touch optimizations in mind. 👍🏻

I’m really excited about this rumor though. I’ve been thinking about ways Apple could implement a Menu Bar style interface on iPadOS for a couple of years now, and have designed a few mockup concepts. I think Apple now has all of the pieces in place to unify these UI elements further. As things stand, the new Control Center lays the groundwork to house Menu Bar apps, and can incorporate a lot of that functionality of the Menu Bar. The Status Bar already shows privacy indicators for things like the camera, connected accessories, etc. both show date and time, the Menu Bar on macOS basically adds app options that the Status Bar doesn’t have yet. So I could definitely see convergence in this area.

I actually noted before the latest rumors from Majin Bu that Mark Gurman mentioned the Menu Bar as a point of unification in an interview. So with two sources, this is actually looking pretty likely.

As to the Stage Manager 2.0 rumors, I must admit, I’m very nervous. I really hope that Apple keeps an option for windows to auto snap in positions and such like Stage Manager currently does, and doesn’t just abandon that for the “freeform” windowing style of macOS. I really like how Stage Manager currently works, it’s so much simpler and easier to create a clean-looking workspace on iPadOS with Stage Manager than macOS. With macOS, it’s more difficult to center or align app windows, and it takes forever to align anything. The implementation on iPadOS makes this very easy and efficient. Maybe they could just add a setting for auto-snapping and such on both platforms, that would be ideal. Then people like me who like the cleaner approach of iPadOS’s Stage Manager could have that on both, and people who prefer infinite window positioning could have that.

Also, a “Stage Manager Lite” for the iPhone could be cool. But I’m not quite sure how it would work with the iPhone’s small display. I’m guessing the iPhone would have to act as a trackpad and keyboard? But that could definitely be interesting. I’m guessing only newer iPhones would support it, probably the same iPhones that support Apple Intelligence due to the higher CPU and RAM requirements of an external display system like that.

 

[Stiille]

Only 6 weeks waiting for first dev beta of iOS 19 - hyped 🤩

 

[Realityck]

Apple Already Testing iOS 19.4 After Delaying Personalized Siri Features

A subset of Apple's software engineers started internal development of iOS 19.4 last month, according to the MacRumors visitor logs. iOS 19.4...

www.macrumors.com

This is a good example to illustrate how out of touch iOS 19 rumors are currently, never mind Apple never intends for iOS/iPadOS to mimic MacOS except in restricted ways. Stage Manger is just basic functionality on macOS but for iPads it’s the only upgrade feature over the barebones multitasking capabilities but that’s as far as it will be tinkered with. Apple as future goals intends to make Siri powered by AI the next multitasking implementation against what iOS/iPadOS. Think knowledge navigator, a small device that allows human interaction beyond display limitations compared to the traditional UI of computer which offers much more variety of interaction, control, and devices to used simultaneously.

On the other hand, The New York Times last month said that Apple plans to roll out the revamped Siri this fall, but this report is an outlier for now. In this case, the features could debut as part of iOS 19 in September, or in iOS 19.1 in October. All in all, the personalized Siri features should be available by iOS 19.4 at the latest, and the company is now working on that version.

What a joke these rumors are currently using the 18.4 Siri implementation rumors with this old thought that some how things will be similar released version. If anything the new Siri be part of the developer release. You ask how can that happen it’s because it requires the new OS framework, not able to achieved in the current OS framework, the last 3 point releases demonstrated that particularly with month+ delay. Look WWDC has to be about improving the user interface appearances to simplify ease of performing specific operations organization as well as give iOS/iPadOS updates to applications by Apple now bundled.

 

[Kal Madda]

Apple Already Testing iOS 19.4 After Delaying Personalized Siri Features

A subset of Apple's software engineers started internal development of iOS 19.4 last month, according to the MacRumors visitor logs. iOS 19.4...

www.macrumors.com

This is a good example to illustrate how out of touch iOS 19 rumors are currently, never mind Apple never intends for iOS/iPadOS to mimic MacOS except in restricted ways. Stage Manger is just basic functionality on macOS but for iPads it’s the only upgrade feature over the barebones multitasking capabilities but that’s as far as it will be tinkered with. Apple as future goals intends to make Siri powered by AI the next multitasking implementation against what iOS/iPadOS. Think knowledge navigator, a small device that allows human interaction beyond display limitations compared to the traditional UI of computer which offers much more variety of interaction, control, and devices to used simultaneously.


What a joke these rumors are currently using the 18.4 Siri implementation rumors with this old thought that some how things will be similar released version. If anything the new Siri be part of the developer release. You ask how can that happen it’s because it requires the new OS framework, not able to achieved in the current OS framework, the last 3 point releases demonstrated that particularly with month+ delay. Look WWDC has to be about improving the user interface appearances to simplify ease of performing specific operations organization as well as give iOS/iPadOS updates to applications by Apple now bundled.

I respect your opinion, but I completely disagree with that assessment…

 

[Realityck]

I completely disagree with that assessment…

Rather then argue see what’s potentially planned.

 

[Kal Madda]

Rather then argue see what’s potentially planned.

I guess I shouldn’t say completely disagree, because, if I’m understanding you correctly, I do agree that Apple will release the Apple Intelligence features long before 19.4. There’s a good chance they could even be in the developer betas. But I disagree that Stage Manager is “just basic functionality” on macOS. In my opinion, Stage Manager is a superior multitasking system over the old system on macOS, and I actually prefer Stage Manager’s implementation on iPadOS more than on macOS.

 

[Realityck]

I guess I shouldn’t say completely disagree, because, if I’m understanding you correctly, I do agree that Apple will release the Apple Intelligence features long before 19.4. There’s a good chance they could even be in the developer betas. But I disagree that Stage Manager is “just basic functionality” on macOS. In my opinion, Stage Manager is a superior multitasking system over the old system on macOS, and I actually prefer Stage Manager’s implementation on iPadOS more than on macOS.

I never use Stage manger on a regular basis as a 5 k display shows all windows same time, except for with laptop presentation using multiple app and needing a single app center for meetings with VTC setups. I am not alone with opinion.

From 2023

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/stage-manager-are-you-using-it.2381685/