Apple’s upcoming WWDC 2025 showcase is going to be a busy one, even though the expected AI-powered software rebirth may not land until next year. In the meantime, reliable sources have spilled the beans on what we might expect for the next major iOS overhaul.
Starting with the name, Apple could skip iOS 19 and could go straight from v18 to v26. We are also expecting a design overhaul, something that could draw inspiration from Vision OS. On the functional side, an AI health coach would be a huge draw for fitness enthusiasts.
Now, a 9to5Mac report that cites a reliable source claims that the iOS 26 update could bring some notable changes to Apple’s in-house apps. What follows is a quick overview of those murmurs, but take them with the proverbial pinch of salt:
Translation in Messages
My Messages app is a mix of texts in English, Hindi, Urdu, and the occasional Arabic messages. I am fluent in these languages, but I often run into scenarios where the other person requests an assist with the translation, or both sides seek a back-and-forth with Google Translate.
In iOS 26, Apple could assist with the language conundrum. As per the latest leak, the Messages app is getting “automatic translation of both incoming and outgoing messages” with the upcoming update. It’s a lovely convenience, but Apple won’t be the first to offer this facility.
As part of the Galaxy AI package, Samsung phones have offered a two-way live translate feature that also works with voice calls. Aside from the pre-installed Samsung Messages, it works its magic in WhatsApp and the Google Messages app, as well.
On other Android phones, you can highlight the text in any app and use Google Translate. It’s not seamless, but at least you don’t have to switch apps to see the translated version of the text. It’s quite encouraging to see Apple bringing down the language barriers natively within the Messages app.
A full-view lock screen makeover
Lock screen is a secret functional powerhouse in itself, thanks to widgets and shortcuts. And with the recent customization upgrades in iOS, it has turned into a charming practical playground of its own. iOS 26 could take things to the next level.
As per 9to5Mac, Apple is experimenting with animated album art that will cover the entire lock screen. Right now, the album artwork tints the whole lock screen and places a large static cover art in the middle. It looks pretty, but it’s not alive.
In iOS 16, Apple could add some dynamic flair to the album art on your iPhone’s lock screen. We’re not sure whether Apple will let users adjust the effects, or even use some AI magic to make their unique styles, but if concept artwork is anything to go by, the leaked change could be a visual treat.
AI tools that can create video from scratch are already available in mobile apps like Gemini, and Apple’s own Image Playground lets users create fun images using AI. Porting those Apple Intelligence chops and letting users play with live album effects on the lock screen sounds quite appealing.
Polls, at last
It’s pretty wild that iMessage, one of the most widely used chat platforms in the world (and especially in Apple’s home market), doesn’t offer a poll feature. Third-party communication apps such as Telegram and WhatsApp have offered the polling convenience for years.
While the arrival of polls sounds like a small feature update, AI could make it a lot more fun, thanks to Apple Intelligence. “One possibility is that Messages could automatically suggest the poll structure based on the context of the conversation,” says the 9to5Mac report.
Apple Intelligence is already tightly integrated with ChatGPT, so it should be a fairly straightforward exercise to push an AI-powered polls feature in Messages. ChatGPT excels at format conversion, so all Apple needs to do is integrate it within Messages just the way it has built Writing Tools at the system level.
I can’t wait to create a few fun polls, where debates about who-eats-what on a road trip are turned into polls with a playful language. And while at it, why not give them a fun voice makeover? I’d love to hear one in the voice of Ben Stiller with some loud applause for casting each vote.
Notes finally hears the power users
I recently played around with a Mac scratchpad called Antinote, which took such a minimalist route to note-taking while turning formatting and conversions into text-based commands. It’s a lovely app that fills some crucial gaps in Apple’s Notes app.
With the arrival of iOS 26 (and hopefully, macOS 26, too), Apple will reportedly fix at least one of the biggest functional holes by enabling Markdown support. Multiple third-party apps have offered the perk for years, and it’s pretty surprising to see Apple hasn’t paid attention to it yet.
If you’re used to command-based formatting or HTML-derived tools, Markdown support will come as a huge sigh of relief. For an average user, it may not be a revolutionary addition, but for enthusiasts, it’s a pretty big upgrade for their workflow.
CarPlay will feel like your phone
So far, we’ve heard rumors of a design overhaul covering Apple’s mobile, computing, and wearable software platforms. According to 9to5Mac, CarPlay will also get an aesthetic lift so that iPhone users feel at home with its UI in their vehicles.
We’re not sure how deep the design refresh goes, but expect to see a focus on translucent theming effects, updated iconography, and floating UI items. Apple began working on a CarPlay overhaul under the “Project IronHeart” codename and unveiled a new flavor called CarPlay Ultra merely a few weeks ago.
The Ultra makeover, however, is exclusive to Aston Martin cars at the moment. For the masses, Apple is apparently cooking up a more generic design refresh that is primarily intended to achieve a unified look across all software platforms. Of course, any feature additions will be more than welcome.
