A gigantic new report out of Bloomberg attempts to shed light on the future upgrades Apple is readying for its lineup of operating systems that will debut at WWDC 2019. The massive article, written by famed Apple reporter Mark Gurman, details new features that will arrive with iOS 13, macOS 10.15, and watchOS 6. For this article, we’ll be focusing on iOS 13.
For starters, Bloomberg says iOS 13 will focus on performance yet again, with Apple making more under-the-hood improvements to further improve the speed and efficiency of iPhones and iPads. There will be a new animation when launching multitasking and closing apps, while the widgets area to the left will look cleaner with this update.
Of course, performance improvements are only part of the story as Apple will also focus heavily on features. With iOS 13, the company will add an official dark mode that’s being described as “black and grey-heavy interface optimized for viewing at night.” You’ll be able to toggle it in the Control Center. The company may also add swipe typing to its default keyboard, but Bloomberg notes Apple may choose to keep this feature internal for the time being.
One of the biggest new features for iPad users will be the ability to extend your Mac’s display to your iPad with iOS 13. This will allow you to use the tablet as a sort of external display so you have more room to get work done. This was originally reported by 9to5Mac, and now, Bloomberg is corroborating it, indicating there’s a good chance that the feature is on the way.
There’s a ton of other features iOS 13 will bring to the table that we included in a breakdown below, including major updates for a few system apps.
- Health app will receive a new homepage, new “hearing health” section, and better integration with period-tracking apps like Clue and Flo.
- Reminders app will get redesigned with a new grid layout.
- Screen Time will get upgraded with controls for parents to decide who their kids can connect with at what times during the day.
- Books app will get revamped with a progress tracker and new rewards system for reading more.
- iMessage will get profile photos and display names for users along with Animoji stickers.
- Maps will receive frequent location support, allowing you to make it easier to navigate home or to work.
- Find My Friends and Find My iPhone will be turned into a single app with more third-party integration to take on services like Tile.
- Mail will get contact blocking, thread muting, and easier folder management.
- A new Sleep Mode will tie into Apple’s Bedtime feature in the Clock app. It could more extensively limit what you can do on your device while you sleep in addition to tracking your sleep patterns at the same time.
- The Home app will gain more integration with third-party devices and gain the ability to play recordings made with security cams.
- The share sheet will get more organized.
- A new downloads manager may be introduced with Safari.
- The Files app will work much better with third-party services.
- iPads running iOS 13 will get an updated home screen, new UI elements, and the ability to run two versions of the same app.
- Better hearing aid integration in the Accessibility settings menu will be introduced.
You can read Bloomberg‘s full report here. Stay tuned as we expect to hear much more about Apple’s future software ambitions leading up to WWDC in June.
