The 2025 edition of WWDC comes at a pivotal time for Apple, buffeted by Siri delays on one side, and regulators and their demands on the other. To regain control, the manufacturer has a trump card in hand: iOS 19.
The operating system used by millions of users worldwide is about to be fundamentally transformed, both in terms of its interface and its operation. Something to keep people busy all summer long and help them forget their worries... Release date, new features, compatible iPhones, let's take a look at this major update.
Which iPhones will be compatible with iOS 19?
Every year, this is the question that haunts all iPhone users: will their smartphone be compatible with iOS 19? The question needs to be put into perspective, because on the one hand, Apple is used to continuing to deliver security updates for smartphones that do not have the most up-to-date version of iOS.
On the other hand, these same smartphones will be deprived of the new functions... but this is also the case for older devices that are compatible with iOS 18. The Apple Intelligence functions are therefore only offered to a handful of iPhones in the end (the iPhone 15 Pro and all iPhone 16 models).
Despite everything, we are always happy to know that our iPhone will benefit from the most up-to-date version of the operating system! And the good news this year is that iOS 19 should be installed on all iPhones compatible with iOS 18, according to iPhoneSoft — be careful, the site can sometimes make mistakes. Anyway, here's the possible list:
- iPhone XR, iPhone XS/XS Max
- iPhone 11/11 Pro/11 Pro Max
- iPhone 12/12 mini/12 Pro/12 Pro Max
- iPhone 13/13 mini/13 Pro/13 Pro Max
- iPhone 14/14 Plus/14 Pro/14Pro Max
- iPhone 15/15 Plus/15 Pro/15 Pro Max
- iPhone 16/16 Plus/16 Pro/16 Pro Max
- iPhone SE 2/3rd
- iPhone 16th
What release date for iOS 19?
The first developer beta of iOS 19 will likely be released right after the WWDC keynote. This event takes place on the first day of the Worldwide Developers Conference; logically, this first beta should therefore be released on June 9.
Despite their status, the first betas provided by Apple are generally quite solid, and disasters (unexpected reboots, bricked devices, etc.) remain fairly rare. However, it's difficult to recommend installing a new version of iOS at this stage unless you're actually a developer.
General users can set their sights on the first public beta, which generally arrives a month later, in early July. During this time, Apple has time to tighten a few screws and refine the new OS and app interfaces.
If all goes well, the final version of iOS 19 will be released a few days before the new iPhones go on sale, sometime in mid-September. This roadmap has been the same for years, but Apple is cutting itself some slack by frequently delaying features announced in June. This could go until the following spring, with versions .4 or even .5 of iOS.
What's new for the interface?
Apple's minor AI issues are certainly coming at a bad time, but the manufacturer has a good card up its sleeve to make people forget—temporarily at least—the less flamboyant image it has been projecting for the past few months. The Apple company is said to have a complete facelift in the pipeline for the iOS 19 interface, as well as iPadOS 19 and macOS 16.
The idea behind this redesign would be to draw inspiration from VisionOS, the Vision Pro's operating system. The icons, menus, windows, buttons and other graphic elements would follow the precepts of visionOS, which emphasizes transparency and depth effects.
So obviously, it's not a question of making a 1-for-1 copy. You don't control an iPhone or a Mac like you control a mixed reality headset. However, some aesthetic codes can be adapted... as is already the case in the Apple Invitations and Apple Sports applications!
This major interface overhaul would also be accompanied by changes in interactions and how apps work. This would shake up habits, which could pose serious problems: when Apple wanted to change Safari or the Photos app, the company had to back down in the face of outcry. Will this desire to overhaul everything be well received by all users? That remains to be seen.
What's new for the Messages app and RCS?
With iOS 18, Apple gave in (probably under pressure from China) and finally integrated RCS into the Messages app. RCS, aka Rich Communication Services, aka the successor to SMS, definitely improves communication between iPhone and Android users, but there remains one major problem: messages are not end-to-end encrypted.
This means that anyone can spy on the exchanges, such as operators, law enforcement, or even hackers. However, the GSMA, the organization responsible for standards-setting mobile technologies, announced in mid-March that the latest specification of the RCS Universal Profile supports end-to-end encryption. Apple immediately announced its support.
Apple hasn't specified when version 3.0 of RCS will be available, but it's reasonable to assume that iOS 19 will get it. And the sooner the better, as Apple is keen to demonstrate its commitment to confidentiality and privacy.
In addition to this end-to-end encryption, RCS 3.0 should also bring the features of version 2.7, the specification of which was announced in June 2024 (Apple supports RCS 2.4). These include the ability to reply and react directly to messages, including with personalized reactions, and, above all, to edit, delete, and unsend a message. Features are available for iMessage, Apple's proprietary protocol (the famous blue bubbles), but the green bubbles synonymous with Android are not eligible.
What updates for Siri and Apple Intelligence?
Announcements regarding Siri and Apple Intelligence will be closely scrutinized during WWDC, and for good reason. Apple, which jumped on the generative AI bandwagon late, is in a real pickle. Apple Intelligence is far from being at the level of what its very sharp competitors can offer; the apple company seems to be playing it safe when it needs a serious boost.
But it's Siri that's causing the most concern. The assistant was supposed to be able to provide personalized answers by drawing on the user's data and applications. During WWDC 2024, Apple gave the example of an iPhone user asking Siri when her mother's plane would land. A question that seems simple on the surface, but which requires searching through messages, emails, and searching for information on the internet...
Unfortunately, while this personalized Siri was supposed to appear in the spring, Apple announced its postponement, with a release now scheduled "sometime this year." This could push us back to spring 2026, in fact. Has Apple been selling hot air? Communication surrounding the iPhone 16 has heavily emphasized Apple Intelligence and Siri 2.0, which has earned the manufacturer a complaint for false advertising.
Will the 2025 edition of WWDC be an opportunity for Apple to restore Siri's reputation? This seems difficult, given the assistant's current difficulties. Technically speaking, the changing of the guard at the head of the Siri division also risks prolonging the fog, while priorities are redefining.
Originally, an update to iOS 19 was supposed to bring Siri conversational capabilities on par with current bots (think of the discussions you can have with ChatGPT, for example). But the postponement of custom features doesn't bode well, and everything suggests that Apple will want to avoid going into too much detail about Apple Intelligence and especially Siri during WWDC this year.
What will happen with iOS 19 in Europe?
The European Union's version of iOS continues to slowly but surely drift from the version of iOS offered elsewhere in the world. European users can already install apps outside the App Store, delete almost all pre-installed apps, or set default apps as they see fit.
But Brussels isn't done with Apple yet. The regulator wants iOS to be widely open to third-party accessories, and to put pressure on the manufacturer, it has published a roadmap and schedule that will affect iOS 19 and iOS 20.
By the end of the year, Apple will have to allow smartwatches (other than the Apple Watch, that is) to display and, more importantly, interact with notifications from the iPhone. Features for easy pairing of third-party accessories, automatic connection to known Wi-Fi networks, and use of the NFC chip in reader and recorder mode will have to be offered in beta form.
By June 1, 2026 (still in iOS 19), Apple will have to have implemented all of these features in the final version. The Commission is also adding support for competing features like AirDrop (Wi-Fi file transfer) and automatic audio switching on headphones or earphones between multiple devices, such as between an iPhone and a Mac.
The coming months will be interesting to watch. So far, Apple has implemented DMA requirements with varying degrees of success, but this new interoperability could be the last straw. Rather than risk a hefty fine, could the manufacturer simply disable features in Europe? After all, it took five months for Apple Intelligence to arrive on the continent, and features like mirroring the iPhone to the Mac screen are still nowhere to be seen.
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