iOS 18 was easily one of the hottest topics in the 2024 tech scene. With a revamped Siri, Apple Intelligence features, and its partnership with OpenAI, fans and critics alike couldn’t stop buzzing. As Apple continues rolling out point releases, we’re slowly getting the full suite of features. It’s an exciting time for Apple users. But at the risk of sounding greedy, I can’t help but wonder what features iOS 19 will bring us in 2025.
Its stable release is still months away, and everything we know so far is pure speculation. That said, there’s no shortage of teases and leaks from reliable sources. Here’s a look at what we might expect from Apple’s next big iPhone update.
1. Apple Intelligence Expansion
Apple Intelligence is one of the biggest things Apple has introduced since Siri. It marks the company’s official entry into the AI race, bringing tools like LLMs, contextual analysis, and image generation to the table. While these features aren’t entirely new, Apple’s strength lies in ecosystem integration. The goal is clear: make its devices smarter and more cohesive.
That said, the rollout has been slow, and most features are still incomplete. We’re likely to see the full potential of Apple Intelligence materialize toward the later iOS 18 point releases. And in iOS 19, integration with native and third-party system tools could support a broader range of practical and actionable tasks.
2. Health App Updates
Apple dominates the smartphone market, but when it comes to smartwatches, its share isn’t as large. There are several strong competitors like Coros, Garmin, and Fitbit. Admittedly, the features of the early-generation Apple Watch models didn’t really justify their steep price tag. They were basically just notification centers for the iPhone.
Apple is aware of this shortcoming, and it has been working toward a more integrated, robust watchOS environment. One area that it has been consistently developing is the Health app. On iOS 18 and watchOS 11, you can actually use your paired devices to monitor several health metrics, report emergencies, and track your sports performance. We’ve come a long way from an inaccurate heart rate monitor.
It’s safe to say that we can expect even more improvements on watchOS 11. Apple will likely add more features to the Health app to compete with other top-ranking wearables.
3. Multilingual Keyboards
iPhone has always supported multiple keyboard languages, but iOS 18 brought us bilingual keyboards. The main difference is that it automatically detects on-screen language. For instance, if you set Spanish as your secondary keyboard, spell-checker won’t flag Gracias as grace.
Considering its recognition on iOS 18, we can anticipate an expanded version on iOS 19. At best, the new keyboard might support more than three languages. This might seem wishful thinking, but with the recent advancements of Apple Intelligence, it’s not unlikely that the iPhone can soon translate a broader range of languages faster.
4. Better RCS Integration
RCS (Rich Communication Services) came in iOS 18, but the implementation feels half-baked. Conversations between iPhone and Android users lack end-to-end encryption and seamless media handling, which detracts from the messaging experience.
iOS 19 might address these shortcomings. Fully encrypted RCS could finally rival iMessage’s security while supporting cross-platform communication. For users, this would finally bridge the gap between Apple and Android ecosystems. Imagine higher-quality media sharing, real-time typing indicators, and read receipts across platforms without switching apps.
5. Custom Lock and Home Screens
Android users will mock me for saying this, but I really like the customizable Lock Screen and Home Screen of iOS 18. It’s nice to personalize my device with widgets, easily switchable wallpapers, and different tints. Back then, you’d have to jailbreak your device to perform these actions.
But as you’ll notice, the customizations are very limited. iOS 19 might expand customization features to include more actionable shortcuts and widgets in the Lock and Home Screens. Of course, don’t expect the same level of versatility that Android offers. Apple, first and foremost, prioritizes security, and having too many viewable widgets or shortcuts can compromise your privacy.
6. Native Language Translation in Safari
Do you know what makes translations good? Linguistic and cultural context. Understanding these factors helps you deliver accurate, appropriate translations that convey the author’s intent. And, honestly, most translators (including Safari’s built-in tool) have been lacking in these areas. They’re the reason deeper, localized phrases get lost in translation.
Luckily, that might change with Apple Intelligence. Apple’s proprietary LLM has the capacity to compare and analyze phrases based on billions of trained datasets. It should be able to understand the cultural context behind a language.
Again, I want to emphasize that all these points are mere speculation. There’s a good chance that we’ll see these features in iOS 19, but no one can guarantee anything until the first Developer Beta release drops. In the meantime, I suggest investing in a new iPhone. iOS 19 will likely support up to iPhone 11, but you can only use Apple Intelligence if you have an iPhone 15 Pro or higher.