- Apple's WWDC 2025 kicks off on June 9 with an opening keynote
- A new teaser hints at the glass-infused iOS 19, among other platforms
- Rumors point to a new design across Apple OS' that takes inspiration from the Vision Pro
iOS 19 (or iOS 26) could feature one of the most significant redesigns in recent memory, at least according to rumors. However, now we have a very strong hint from the best possible source – Apple – that a new look is coming to its platforms, and it has a familiar visual source.
Most of the rumors surrounding an iOS 19 design refresh have it and other Apple platforms like macOS and tvOS, adopting some of their visual queues from Apple Vision Pro.
Now, I know, Apple's mixed reality headset has not exactly blown the doors off when it comes to consumer adoption. Still, it inarguably has one of the most elegant interfaces Apple has ever designed. Not only is it easily controlled via gaze and gesture, but the entire look is one of floating, frosted glass elements.
Granted, it's subtle, and you need to look closely at elements like chamfered edges to see reflections and even the interplay between different screens, which can sometimes act like frosted glass planes.
Apple, naturally, never comments on pre-announced software updates and features, but it does play hypemaster for big events like the upcoming Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), which kicks off on June 9 at Apple Park in Cupertino, California.
In an X (formerly Twitter) post on Monday, Apple SVP of marketing Geg Joswiak wrote, "#WWDC25 is next week! Can’t wait to show you what we’ve been working on. See you June 9 at 10am PT."
While there's nothing remarkable about that, the five-second animation accompanying it is telling. It displays the Apple logo, which then transforms into the Swift programming language logo, and finally, the Apple Park rainbow. In each case, the object is made of what appears to be frosted glass, a look that, yes, aligns with the idea of a glass-infused iOS 19 (and maybe other platforms).
#WWDC25 is next week! Can’t wait to show you what we’ve been working on. See you June 9 at 10am PT. pic.twitter.com/qhrzevDbMHJune 2, 2025
Exactly how far and deep the frosted glass look might go is anyone's guess, but Apple could apply it to everything from the Control Center to widgets and even App icons. It may also alter the interplay between these interface elements. We might expect more reflections of surrounding icons and windows, and sometimes the ability to see through some elements.
Apple also dropped another hint on its WWDC 2025 Developers' page, where it features a similarly glassy Apple Logo and the tagline "Sleek Peek". Yes, a glassy look would surely be "sleek."
These are, as I see it, some pretty strong hints about the future design direction of iOS 19. Still, big questions remain. Chiefly, what is happening with the naming convention?
Apple will reportedly drop the sequential number system for all its platforms and instead switch to a year format, one that might look at the year ahead. So, for instance, iOS 19 becomes iOS 26 and iPadOS 19 becomes iPadOS 26.
These latest hints shed no light on the upcoming platform names, but the future of iOS design direction is perhaps coming into frosted focus.
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