The smartphone in your pocket is about to undergo its most significant transformation in years. When Apple takes the stage at WWDC on June 9, three standout iOS 19 features will reshape how your iPhone looks, thinks, and connects with the world around it. While rumors have swirled for months, these particular upgrades represent the most substantial evolution in the iPhone experience since the flat design revolution of 2013.
1. The visionOS-Inspired Redesign
The days of flat, opaque interfaces are numbered. iOS 19’s visual overhaul draws direct inspiration from Apple Vision Pro, reimagining your everyday iPhone experience through translucent, layered design elements that create depth without distraction.
This isn’t just aesthetic window dressing. Apple’s redesign focuses on three core principles: making iOS simpler to use, faster to navigate, and easier to learn. The new look features floating navigation elements that hover above content, integrating search functionality in ways that streamline interaction. Tab bars will transform into pill-shaped elements that emphasize what matters while minimizing visual clutter, much like a thoughtfully arranged album where each track has room to breathe.
Importantly, Apple isn’t throwing out the familiar entirely. Unlike the jarring transition from skeuomorphism to flat design in iOS 7, this year’s approach balances fresh visual elements with familiar navigation patterns. Think of it as renovating a beloved space rather than demolishing it—you’ll still know where everything is, but the experience will feel decidedly more refined.
2. Expanded Third-Party AI Integration
When Apple Intelligence debuted last year, it marked Apple’s two-pronged approach to AI: proprietary features running on-device paired with selective integration of more powerful third-party models like ChatGPT. iOS 19 significantly expands this strategy by adding more external AI options to choose from.
Google Gemini appears poised to join the iPhone’s AI ecosystem, according to Google CEO Sundar Pichai’s recent hints. This partnership would give users flexibility to select their preferred AI assistant for different tasks, similar to how you might switch between music streaming services depending on your mood. The move acknowledges a simple truth: no single AI currently excels at everything.
For iPhone owners, this expanded integration means more powerful AI tools without the relationship commitment of being locked into a single provider. Whether you’re drafting emails, creating images, or researching topics, you’ll have options beyond Apple’s homegrown models—all while maintaining the privacy guardrails that Apple prioritizes.
3. Stage Manager for External Displays
The iPhone’s processing power has long outpaced what its interface allows you to do with it. iOS 19 addresses this limitation through a new Stage Manager-like experience that activates when connecting your iPhone to an external display.
This multitasking breakthrough will enable something previously impossible on iPhones: running and viewing multiple apps simultaneously. Like watching a skilled chef finally using all their knives at once, this feature unlocks capabilities that have been theoretically possible but practically inaccessible until now.
While this might initially seem like a niche use case, two factors make it significant. First, iPadOS 19 is reportedly receiving similar Stage Manager upgrades, creating coherence across Apple’s mobile devices. Second, and perhaps more telling, this feature lays the groundwork for next year’s rumored iPhone Fold, which will demand proper multitasking to utilize its expanded screen real estate effectively.
What This Means For You
When iOS 19 gets its preview next month, remember that the initial reveal rarely matches the immediate release. Apple has increasingly adopted a phased approach to rolling out features, sometimes spanning multiple point releases throughout the year.
The visual redesign will likely arrive with the September public release, but the most advanced AI integrations and multitasking capabilities might follow in subsequent updates. Like any relationship worth having, the full iOS 19 experience requires patience to develop.
If you’re still holding on to an older iPhone, brace yourself—because iOS 19 isn’t looking back. Just like iOS 18’s Apple Intelligence required at least an iPhone 15 Pro, the standout features in iOS 19 are expected to run best on the newest devices, leaving millions of X-Series users on the outside looking in.
At its core, these three features represent Apple’s vision for how we’ll interact with our most personal devices in the coming years. Whether this transformation delights or disappoints depends on execution, but one certainty remains: your iPhone experience is about to fundamentally change. The countdown to June 9th has officially begun.
