Top Stories: WWDC 2025 Announced, iPhone 17 Pro and iOS 19 Rumors, and More

Apple's big developer event is a little over two months away, and rumors about what we can expect to see in Apple's next major operating system updates are becoming increasingly frequent.

top stories 2025 03 29
A public release of iOS 18.4 is also imminent with a number of updates and improvements, although we won't be getting the major Apple Intelligence Siri upgrades that had reportedly been planned for this update. This week also saw updated rumors about the iPhone 17 Pro models coming later this year and the first foldable iPhone likely coming as soon as next year, so read on below for all the details!

Apple Announces WWDC 2025 Event for June 9 to 13

Apple this week announced that its 36th annual Worldwide Developers Conference will begin on Monday, June 9, and run through on Friday, June 13. As with WWDC events since 2020, WWDC 2025 will primarily be an online event that is open to all developers at no cost.

Apple WWDC25 event branding big
WWDC 2025 will kick off with the traditional keynote on June 9, where Apple will unveil iOS 19, iPadOS 19, macOS 16, tvOS 19, watchOS 12, and visionOS 3.

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 10 New Features

While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices.

iPhone 17 Pro 34ths Perspective
The most immediately obvious design change will be a large rectangular camera bump across the top of the device's rear, and it looks like the rear shell will be a combination of aluminum and glass. Other rumored features include camera improvements, an A19 Pro chip, a larger battery, and more.

Top 5 New Features Coming in iOS 18.4

Apple this week seeded release candidate versions of iOS 18.4 and related updates, signaling that a public release is likely to happen sometime next week.

iOS 18
While some of the Apple Intelligence updates we were expecting for iOS 18.4 have been delayed, there are still a number of improvements coming with the release, including Priority Notifications, expanded device support for visual intelligence, new emoji, and more.

Here's What Apple's iOS 19 Messages App Might Look Like

Leaker Jon Prosser has teased a glimpse of what the Messages app might look like in iOS 19 when it arrives later this year, and he's followed it up with a full video outlining what he says he has seen with some additional design changes for the update.

ios 19 messages app
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has warned, however, that at least some of the images "aren't representative" of what's actually coming in iOS 19, with Prosser's information perhaps based on "very old builds" or "vague descriptions."

Rumors suggest that design changes in iOS 19 may include adoption of some of the "glassy" elements found in visionOS and Apple's recent app releases such as Apple Sports and Apple Invites, an idea that has been reinforced by the official WWDC 2025 logo unveiled this week.

AirPods Max to Gain Lossless Audio and Low-Latency Audio in iOS 18.4

iOS 18.4 and a related firmware update will bring some new capabilities to Apple's AirPods Max headphones with USB-C, including support for lossless audio and ultra-low latency audio. As part of the update, wired connectivity for AirPods Max that was dropped with the launch of the USB-C models will return, and Apple is now selling a USB-C to 3.5mm audio cable to help enable that feature.

iOS 18
While the addition of lossless audio may not mean much to many users given Apple's previous claims about compressed AAC audio from Apple Music being "virtually indistinguishable" from lossless audio, some demanding users like musicians and sound mixers will be able to benefit from the upgrades.

Foldable iPhone Expected to Launch Next Year, Costing Around $2,000

Rumors about Apple's foldable iPhone are continuing to mount, and they're lining up behind a launch as soon as late next year with a price tag of around $2,000 if not more.

Foldable iPhone 2023 Feature Iridescent Search
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman notes that Apple will leverage many of the advancements coming in this year's "iPhone 17 Air," including display, chip, battery, and modem updates that will all help Apple fit everything into a super-slim chassis for the foldable model.

MacRumors Newsletter

Each week, we publish an email newsletter like this highlighting the top Apple stories, making it a great way to get a bite-sized recap of the week hitting all of the major topics we've covered and tying together related stories for a big-picture view.

So if you want to have top stories like the above recap delivered to your email inbox each week, subscribe to our newsletter!

Popular Stories

iOS 26

15 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 26.2

Friday December 5, 2025 9:40 am PST by
Apple is about to release iOS 26.2, the second major point update for iPhones since iOS 26 was rolled out in September, and there are at least 15 notable changes and improvements worth checking out. We've rounded them up below. Apple is expected to roll out iOS 26.2 to compatible devices sometime between December 8 and December 16. When the update drops, you can check Apple's servers for the ...
Intel Inside iPhone Feature

Apple's Return to Intel Rumored to Extend to iPhone

Friday December 5, 2025 10:08 am PST by
Intel is expected to begin supplying some Mac and iPad chips in a few years, and the latest rumor claims the partnership might extend to the iPhone. In a research note with investment firm GF Securities this week, obtained by MacRumors, analyst Jeff Pu said he and his colleagues "now expect" Intel to reach a supply deal with Apple for at least some non-pro iPhone chips starting in 2028....
ive and altman

Jony Ive's OpenAI Device Barred From Using 'io' Name

Friday December 5, 2025 6:22 am PST by
A U.S. appeals court has upheld a temporary restraining order that prevents OpenAI and Jony Ive's new hardware venture from using the name "io" for products similar to those planned by AI audio startup iyO, Bloomberg Law reports. iyO sued OpenAI earlier this year after the latter announced its partnership with Ive's new firm, arguing that OpenAI's planned "io" branding was too close to its...
iPhone 17 Pro Cosmic Orange

10 Reasons to Wait for Next Year's iPhone 18 Pro

Monday December 1, 2025 2:40 am PST by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models at the same time, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 18 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. One thing worth...
Photos App Icon Liquid Glass

John Gruber Shares Scathing Commentary About Apple's Departing Software Design Chief

Thursday December 4, 2025 9:30 am PST by
In a statement shared with Bloomberg on Wednesday, Apple confirmed that its software design chief Alan Dye will be leaving. Apple said Dye will be succeeded by Stephen Lemay, who has been a software designer at the company since 1999. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that Dye will lead a new creative studio within the company's AR/VR division Reality Labs. On his blog Daring Fireball,...
maxresdefault

iPhone Fold: Launch, Pricing, and What to Expect From Apple's Foldable

Monday December 1, 2025 3:00 am PST by
Apple is expected to launch a new foldable iPhone next year, based on multiple rumors and credible sources. The long-awaited device has been rumored for years now, but signs increasingly suggest that 2026 could indeed be the year that Apple releases its first foldable device. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Below, we've collated an updated set of key details that ...
Apple John Ternus 2019

Will John Ternus Really Be Apple's Next CEO?

Friday December 5, 2025 9:01 am PST by
There is uncertainty about Apple's head of hardware engineering John Ternus succeeding Tim Cook as CEO, The Information reports. Some former Apple executives apparently hope that a new "dark-horse" candidate will emerge. Ternus is considered to be the most likely candidate to succeed Cook as CEO. The report notes that he is more likely to become CEO than software head chief Craig Federighi, ...
ios 18 to ios 26 upgrade

Apple Pushes iPhone Users Still on iOS 18 to Upgrade to iOS 26

Tuesday December 2, 2025 11:09 am PST by
Apple is encouraging iPhone users who are still running iOS 18 to upgrade to iOS 26 by making the iOS 26 software upgrade option more prominent. Since iOS 26 launched in September, it has been displayed as an optional upgrade at the bottom of the Software Update interface in the Settings app. iOS 18 has been the default operating system option, and users running iOS 18 have seen iOS 18...
iOS 26

Apple Seeds iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2 Release Candidates to Developers and Public Beta Testers

Wednesday December 3, 2025 10:33 am PST by
Apple today seeded the release candidate versions of upcoming iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2 updates to developers and public beta testers, with the software coming two weeks after Apple seeded the third betas. The release candidates represent the final versions of iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2 that will be provided to the public if no further bugs are found during this final week of testing....

Top Rated Comments

attohs Avatar
9 months ago
If I were Apple CEO I would announce a one-year feature pause. iOS 19 and macOS 16 (and the next watchOS, tvOS, visionOS) would all focus on optimization. Dumping unnecessary code (and Intel support, sorry -- but we need to Snow Leopard this crud). Rebuild it all as is, so that iOS 20 and macOS 17 can be solid redesigns running on a very solid foundation. Meanwhile, also making massive investments in building out the infrastructure to actually compete on Artificial Intelligence. It took xAI 122 days to build their infrastructure and another 19 days to train their first model. "People who are serious about software should make their own hardware." It's time to get serious about software again, before launching a folding phone, all-glass watch, new Vision devices, and other nonsense.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Dr McKay Avatar
9 months ago
Watch us desperately hope for a cool new redesign and the only difference ends up being the more rounded corners on the keyboard
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)