iOS 18 to feature big changes, but an even bigger macOS overhaul will follow

Ios 14 Hero App Library
(Image credit: Future)

Your iPhone is going to get a fresh new look, according to Mark Gurman — he reports that iOS 18 is going to be a massive design refresh over iOS 17. He doesn’t go into specifics, alas, but he then goes on to say that MacOS is getting a revamp, too.

Interestingly, he also says that the new iOS design is not going to look like visionOS, something that many had suspected might come to pass. He claims that work has been done on the redesign for some time now and that while the macOS redesign is going to take its time getting to us, we’ll see iOS sooner rather than later.

New iOS look?

Gurman says that iOS is going to come around this summer, although there are suggestions that te update will not be as impressive as some of the large visual updates that came before, such as iOS 6 to iOS 7.

The macOS part of the revamp is reportedly going to take a little longer coming to the best Macs, apparently making its way to us in 2025 or 2026.

Further on, the newsletter says that updates to either aren’t going to look like the fresh and new visionOS. Instead, Apple will be looking at solidifying the visual identity of its other OS platforms, and bringing a more interesting upgrade to the table.

This would be the first time in a number of years that iOS and iPadOS will have been given a significant new look, the last major redesign being iOS 7 in 2013. That saw the skeuomorphic icons of iOS of old moving out and in with the flatter appearance that we know and love now.

We won’t know for sure until Apple unveils both — and with WWDC on the horizon, we’ll get a glimpse of this new iOS design soon.

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Tammy Rogers
Senior Staff Writer

As iMore's Senior Staff writer, Tammy uses her background in audio and Masters in screenwriting to pen engaging product reviews and informative buying guides. The resident audiophile (or audio weirdo), she's got an eye for detail and a love of top-quality sound. Apple is her bread and butter, with attention on HomeKit and Apple iPhone and Mac hardware. You won't find her far away from a keyboard even outside of working at iMore – in her spare time, she spends her free time writing feature-length and TV screenplays. Also known to enjoy driving digital cars around virtual circuits, to varying degrees of success. Just don't ask her about AirPods Max - you probably won't like her answer.