Rumors suggest that Apple will announce a major iOS, iPadOS, and macOS software design overhaul at WWDC 2025. If true, this will be the biggest iOS UI revamp since 2013, and it will replace a lot of the iPhone-like design elements that invaded macOS in 2020.

Apple hasn’t commented on the rumors, which were first published by Mark Gurman at Bloomberg. Gurman is a well-known Apple analyst and fairly reliable leaker who sources information from Apple employees, partners, distributors. So, while we can’t verify the rumors, they are within the realm of possibility.

The “key goal” of this overhaul, per Gurman, is to make Apple’s varying operating systems “look similar and more consistent.” Longtime Apple customers may be confused by this statement. After all, Apple has spent more than a decade chipping away at macOS’ old-school “Aqua” design language in order to make the desktop operating system more iOS-like. The Big Sur update in 2020 was widely praised (and criticized) for its use of iOS stylings, and unless Apple is prepared to give us a touchscreen MacBook, it seems that macOS is about as similar to iOS as it can be.

But Apple isn’t doubling-down on iOS design language. Instead, rumors suggest that the company is trying to make iOS, iPadOS, and macOS look more similar to visionOS—the operating system of the Vision Pro mixed reality headset.

visionOS isn’t a major departure from the standard Apple design language. In fact, I’d argue that it looks more stereotypically “Apple-like” than iOS or macOS. It makes excessive use of glassy transparency effects, rounded corners, and minimalism. App icons and other unique elements provide a pop of color in visionOS, but the UI is mostly gray and white. The only thing that’s “unusual” about this operating system’s design language is its circular app icons, which are reminiscent of Android.

Apple might bring some of these design elements to macOS, iOS, and iPadOS. If so, the trio of operating systems will feel glassier and bubblier than ever before. The rumored UI overhaul could also include some functional upgrades, but I’m not sure how Apple could replicate its visionOS gestures on a small, flat screen.

In any case, the decision to adopt visionOS design in iOS and macOS is unprecedented. Apple is famous for its use of cohesive design language, but it usually focuses on whatever stylings its customers are most familiar with. Early versions of iOS inherited some skeuomorphic qualities from OSX. After the iPhone became Apple’s dominant product, it adopted the modern iOS 7 “Human Interface” style that eventually influenced macOS. Apple is yet to sell a million Vision Pro headsets—it’s the platform that customers are the least familiar with.

So, what’s the logic here? Maybe Apple intended this from the start. It knew it needed a new UI for the Vision Pro, so it used the device as a testbed for a refined design language. Or, maybe Apple just wants macOS screen mirroring to look better in the mixed-reality headset. If the company truly believes that mixed reality is the future, be it through a bulky headset or a lightweight pair of smart glasses, then cohesive UI makes sense.

As Gurman notes, the design overhaul could also serve as a distraction from various failures, particularly Apple Intelligence. Every AI product announced by Apple has faced a delay, including the enhanced Siri assistant, which just got pushed back by at least a year. In a market that is unreasonably obsessed with AI, companies like Apple need to look busy and forward-thinking. A big design overhaul could satiate investors as Apple plays catchup with its belated AI promises. (I won’t be surprised if an iOS or macOS UI overhaul is accompanied by some nonsense like, “this magically makes AI better and easier to integrate.”)

To reiterate, we are discussing a rumorfrom uncredited sources. WWDC 2025 may pass without any mention of a UI overhaul. And even if this stuff does come true, I’m not sure about Gurman’s timetable. He says that the redesign will be implemented with the iOS 19 and macOS 16 updates later this year, which seems kind of extreme for such a big overhaul. Of course, I could be wrong.

Source: Bloomberg (Mark Gurman)