There are lots of iOS 18 rumors out there. But the latest one says it will look like visionOS.
TL;DR: iOS 18 Redesign
- The gist: Rumors say iOS 18 may get its first redesigned UI in years. 📱
- What it could look like: The rumors say iOS 18 will take cues from visionOS. 🥽
- What that means: It means iOS 18 may feature more translucent UI elements than ever before. 🤨
- Is this legit? We don’t know for now. It’s plausible, but that doesn’t mean it’s likely. 📲
iOS 18 is shaping up to be on of the biggest iPhone operating system updates in years. iOS 18 will be previewed at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference in June. But the good thing is that there are already lots of rumors about some of the changes iOS 18 will bring.
But the latest rumor—if we’re being honest—seems sketchier than the rest. However, aspects of it make a lot of sense, too. We’re not saying this rumor is accurate, but if it came to pass, it wouldn’t be that surprising.
The rumor says that iOS 18 may adopt user interface changes that mimic some of the elements found in visionOS, the operating system that powers the Apple Vision Pro. visionOS has a ton of translucent elements, almost but not quite like frosted glass. These elements give a feeling of “lightness” to the operating system—both in tone and presence.
That light presence is important for a device like the Apple Vision Pro, which displays digital elements in the real world physical space around you. Vision Pro windows look like they are floating and their translucency and lightness bring a very pleasing aesthetic to the device.
So getting back to iOS 18—the rumor says the iOS 18 will adopt a similar design language to visionOS. This rumor first popped up in February over at The Verifier and it’s again popped up at MacRumors this week. For its part, MacRumors now says the supposed real iOS 18 template they received may be fake—however, that does not necessarily mean that the visionOS-inspired iOS 18 redesign isn’t happening.
The truth of the matter is we just don’t know yet.
But the redesign would make sense as it would give the iPhone (and maybe even the iPad with iPadOS 18) the same design language as Apple’s newest cutting-edge device. It’s also worth noting that visionOS seems to take a lot of its design language cues from the tvOS interface for the Apple TV, which again uses a lot of transparent elements.
But again—we can’t say for sure if this is going to happen or not.
When it comes to iOS 18, other rumors seem more certain. For example, iOS 18 is expected to add increased customizability to the iPhone’s home screen. In iOS 18 uses will allegedly be able to leave blank spaces between the icons on their home screen for the first time. Users will also reportedly be able to leave spaces between rows and columns of apps.
iOS 18 is also supposed to bring a few changes to Apple Maps, including the addition of topographical maps and the ability to choose custom routes for directions.
iOS 18 is also supposed to heavily focus on artificial intelligence across the board. This includes AI enhancements to Music and other apps as well a revamped Siri that uses generative AI capabilities. This new AI chatbot overhaul may be powered by OpenAI or Google, and in China it could be powered by Baidu.
But of course, until Apple actually shows off iOS 18 to the public, all these are just rumors. Apple is expected to reveal iOS 18 in June.
