iPhone's iOS 18 update won't borrow big design changes from the Apple Vision Pro, report claims

Apple is widely expected to announce the new iOS 18 iPhone software as soon as this June, with that likely to be the month that the company's annual WWDC event will take place. That event will also likely see Apple unveil new software for the iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Apple TV, and Apple Vision Pro but none of those software updates are expected to ship until much later in the year.

Now, writing in the weekly Power On newsletter, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman says that while the iOS 18 software update will bring plenty of changes and improvements for iPhone owners to look forward to, those expecting visionOS-powered changes will be left disappointed.

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According to the paywalled version of the Power On newsletter, reported by 9to5Mac, the iOS 18 update will feature plenty of improvements but there will not be a total overhaul that takes cues from visionOS. There had been rumors that Apple would take the visionOS software that powers the Apple Vision Pro and then use that as a basis for what iOS would look like moving forward. That would include more transparency than is currently seen on the iPhone, alongside other changes.

How, Gurman says that simply isn't likely to be the case although a change in design is going to arrive. The report appears to suggest that while those design changes are coming, users shouldn't expect such a huge change in the way the software will look or behave similar to the one the iPhone saw when iOS 6 transitioned to iOS 7. That transition saw Apple ditch the familiar skeuomorphic look that the iPhone was famous for in favor of a cleaner, more sparse aesthetic.

Apple releases a new version of the iOS software every year of course, and there are always improvements and design tweaks. But it's been some time since the iPhone experienced a revolutionary change in the way people interact with their most-used devices and it doesn't seem that it will come in 2024.

Gurman had previously said that Apple will make iOS 18 its most ambitious release in some time, perhaps aware that the iPhone 16 hardware updates won't bring big upgrades this year.

If Apple does follow its usual release schedule it's likely that the new software will be unveiled in June before going through months of beta testing with developers as well as public testers. The software will then likely be released to the public in or around September alongside the arrival of the new iPhones.