The design elements in iOS don’t change often — and when they do, it’s usually not by much — but the upcoming iOS 18 software could indeed look significantly updated, according to a well-placed source.
According to Bloomberg Mark Gurman (through 9to5Mac), Apple “is indeed working to update the design of iOS as early as this year.” That doesn’t give us a lot of details to work with, but it does suggest that there will be noticeably different images.
Gurman – usually reliable when it comes to predicting Apple’s moves – responded in part to rumors that iOS 18 borrow some design inspiration of visionOS on the Apple Vision Pro. That “total overhaul” isn’t happening, Gurman says, although it seems like Apple could be part of the way there by 2024.
New versions of iOS are typically unveiled at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June, so we won’t have to wait long to see what Apple has been working on – and how much different it is in style from iOS 17.
An “ambitious and compelling” update
The biggest visual overhaul we’ve ever seen for iOS came with iOS 7, launched in 2013: skeuomorphism (where digital elements are designed like their real-world equivalents) was out, and a much more modern look was in.
In the decade since, app icons and menus have been tweaked and tweaked, but there hasn’t been what you’d describe as a complete redesign. We’ll have to wait and see what iOS 18 brings when WWDC 2024 kicks off.
Gurman has previously said that iOS 18 is going to be an “ambitious and compelling” upgrade, so it sounds like there’s a lot to look forward to. As with everything else in technology lately, generative AI is likely to play a major role – with Siri and iOS soon to be updated with some big new AI-driven capabilities.
According to Gurman, there will also be a visual refresh for macOS, although it will lag behind iOS: the updates that Apple plans for the macOS design are apparently still in the early stages and will not be completed until 2025 or 2026.