iOS 18’s delayed and missing Apple Intelligence features are currently the focus of Apple’s attention when it comes to iPhone software, with the next batch of AI additions expected to arrive via iOS 18.4 this spring. This isn’t surprising, considering Apple has already announced this release schedule.
What’s more surprising are the side effects of Apple Intelligence development mentioned in more recent reports. Insiders say iOS 19 will experience feature release delays similar to what Apple did with iOS 18.
For example, Apple’s ChatGPT-style Siri LLM chatbot could be unveiled at WWDC 2019 next summer, but it wouldn’t be released until spring 2026. Indeed, Apple’s software engineers are still working on other Apple Intelligence features that are not yet ready. .
As a result, some iOS 19 features may be delayed, although reports have given no indication of what those might be. What I am certain of, however, is that Apple will also create non-AI features for iOS 19 to improve the usability of the platform and provide new features to the millions of iPhone users with devices that do not support Apple Intelligence.
While we wait for more significant iOS 19 leaks, we already have concept videos from designers imagining the kind of features Apple could bring to the iPhone in 2025. As always with concept videos, I’ll note that they don’t show of confirmed or existing products.
But I liked two things from this designer Oufus designed for their iOS 19 video: an improved way to share images via AirDrop and Apple Intelligence support for iPhone screenshots.
The video is only 77 seconds long, mimicking the type of iOS presentation Apple might prepare for a new software release. The concept covers various ideas that make sense for the evolution of iOS, particularly in terms of customization.
Apple added several new ways for iPhone users to customize the user interface in iOS 18, similar to what Android has offered for years. It’s easy to assume that Apple will expand the customization options available to iPhone users.
The designer came up with a way to add stickers to the lock screen, a trick some iPhone users might appreciate. Likewise, the concept imagines support in iMessage for custom backgrounds, something other chat apps offer. Interestingly, such a customization option would turn iMessage’s typical iconic blue messages into any color option. I’m not sure Apple will ever want to lose this key design element.
Oufus then presents features in iOS 19 that would be more useful than the UI customization options above. The designer came up with a gesture called Flick, which allows you to move images from one iPhone to another via AirDrop. Flick is a lot like the NameDrop contact sharing feature that Apple already added to iOS.
As someone who shares a lot of content via AirDrop between my Apple devices, I’d like to see a gesture like Flick work in iOS 19. Simply choose a file or group of files and transfer them to another device. A confirmation screen would probably still be necessary to avoid accidental sharing with strangers.
Finally, the concept video suggests that Apple could add Apple Intelligence support to screenshots. I also frequently take screenshots of things I find online on my iPhone, and managing or even remembering them can be a chore. This is where AI can help. Apple Intelligence could store information and surface it when I need it.
Microsoft developed something like this in mind, the already infamous reminder feature. Google has created a new screenshots app for Pixel phones that takes a different, more useful approach.
The concept video imagines Apple Intelligence being able to extract information from a screenshot, like a QR code, without resorting to the deeper features I want.
That said, I would definitely appreciate it if Apple developed iOS 19 features similar to what the designer envisioned, especially the Flick trick and smarter screenshots.
