19 exciting concepts for iOS 19 and Apple’s 2025 lineup (Part 1)
19 exciting concepts for iOS 19 and Apple’s 2025 lineup (Part 1)
Orientation lock except during video playback? Third-party Apple Watch faces? Games in CarPlay? My 19 concepts for iOS 19 and beyond.
The recent release of iOS 18–as well as macOS 15 Sequoia, iPadOS 18, watchOS 11, tvOS 18, visionOS 2, and audioOS 18–marks a big step forward for Apple’s software across its family of devices. While the debut of iOS 18.1 and many Apple Intelligence features next month have the spotlight, I want to look toward next year’s releases: here are 19 concepts that would be great for Apple to implement with iOS 19 and their other updates next year.
1. More useful Apple Maps transit directions in the Dynamic Island
In 2022, Apple debuted the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max, the first devices to feature the Dynamic Island, which serves the dual function of providing users with bits of information while also concealing the front-facing camera and the Face ID sensors in an aesthetically-pleasing manner. Tapping and holding on the Dynamic Island when occupied by an app can produce a pop-up with additional information.
Apple Maps in iOS 16, iOS 17, and iOS 18 all offer Dynamic Island support. When navigation is enabled for walking, cycling, or driving directions, tapping and holding on Apple Maps in the Dynamic Island will display the next upcoming direction to take. However, when navigating using transit directions, tapping and holding on Apple Maps brings up the final destination, not the next step in a user’s journey.1 It is time for Apple to fix this odd inconsistency and give public transit riders the same functionality as cyclists, drivers, or pedestrians.
2. Portrait Orientation Lock except during video playback
Many–if not most–people prefer to use their iPhone in a vertically-oriented manner, known as Portrait Orientation, for most day-to-day functions on their phones. As a result, Portrait Orientation Lock can be utilized to prevent devices from accidentally re-orienting in a horizontal manner, also known as Landscape Orientation.
However, virtually all video is intended to be viewed on devices in Landscape Orientation, excluding short form video created for platforms such as TikTok. This means that users must disable Portrait Orientation Lock prior to watching videos and then re-enable it when they are finished.2 Fixing this inefficiency is simple: add a third option that enables Portrait Orientation Lock in all situations except for when the video player is in full screen mode.
3. Third-party custom watch faces on Apple Watch
As a day-one Apple Watch adopter, I love the device’s fitness and sleep tracking, quiet delivery of notifications, and emergency safety features. Over the years, watchOS has grown alongside significant hardware improvements to be an indispensable part of daily life. But, somewhat ironically, arguably the biggest drawback of the Apple Watch is its watch faces.
There are 59 available watch faces; two are exclusive to the Apple Watch Ultra, and there are an additional two for users of the Hermès edition of Apple Watch.3 While many look gorgeous, the customization options have always felt a bit constrained to me.4 Each watch face has different specifications for customization, meaning that the most visually appealing design might not allow the functionality a user desires.
The solution? Allow users to download third-party watch faces from the App Store, and enable the creativity of developers to come up with new designs that users will love. This could also create a market for popular brands and indie designers alike to create attractive watch faces that matches their style and branding.
4. Live Activities and workout metrics on iPhone for all Fitness workouts
Starting in iOS 17, Apple Watch users logging cycling workouts in the Fitness app were accompanied by Live Activities and cycling metrics on iPhone during the workout. While the feature was likely a way to encourage using iPhones instead of cycling computers, why not bring this functionality to workouts of all varieties?5
Of course, not all workouts are the same. Swimming, dancing, and kickboxing workouts likely lend themselves better to checking workout metrics on Apple Watch; but elliptical, indoor running, and stair machine workouts may be preferable on iPhone. But given that the core functionality has already been built out for cycling workouts, why not give users the choice?
5. Bring Apple Sports to all platforms
In February of this year, Apple released a surprise app: Apple Sports. The app gives users quick access to stats and real-time scores for a wide variety of sports leagues. While I am not particularly a sports fan, I appreciate that Apple gave those who enjoy sports a dedicated way to follow their favorite teams without awkwardly attempting to integrate it into the Apple News app.6
The release of iOS 18 brought Live Activities with live scores to iPhone lock screens - but still no support for iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Apple TV, Vision Pro, or Apple Watch.7 As I have discussed before, if Apple is going to constantly encourage independent developers to create cross-platform apps, then Apple needs to lead by example.
6. Gaming and video-watching in CarPlay
Apple’s rules for CarPlay are pretty strict - including no games or apps to watch videos. This made sense, given that CarPlay receivers did not necessarily have a way to detect whether the car was parked. To be perfectly clear, distracted driving is not just a criminal offense, but also incredibly dangerous; penalties for distracted driving, in my view, should be harsh – especially for repeat offenders.
However, given that the Next Generation of CarPlay has the ability to detect whether a car is parked, it is time to revisit these rules.8 This is especially true given the rise of electric vehicles, meaning that drivers and passengers may spend more time in their parked car waiting for it to charge to a sufficient level. Enabling a wider variety of CarPlay apps when vehicles are parked and disabling them when the car is in motion achieves the best of both worlds: preventative measures against distracted driving while allowing developers to meet the needs of EV drivers.
7. Easier access to footnotes in Apple Books
Converting a physical book to an ebook presents several challenges. One of these is how to handle footnotes: should they take up precious space at the bottom of the screen, or should they be shown at the end of the chapter or end of the entire book? Apple Books opts for the latter, which is likely a smart decision especially when one considers that some footnotes can be longer than the other text on the page.
However, tapping on a footnote, being taken to the end, and then tapping to return to the page upon which the footnote first appeared is too many steps.
A smarter approach would be to add the functionality to display the footnote if a user taps and holds on it; if the footnote is too long to comfortably display, the user can then tap the “open footnote” button to go to the end of the chapter. Currently, tapping and holding on a footnote merely highlights the footnote number and provides an option to “open” the footnote, which brings users to the end of the chapter.9 Allowing quick access to footnotes provides a more seamless reading experience.
8. Show all devices’ battery levels in the Batteries widget
Since the debut of iOS 9 nine years ago, Apple users have been able to add a Batteries widget to monitor the battery levels of their device and any accessories connected to their respective devices, whether these are speakers or headphones connected via Bluetooth, a battery pack connected via MagSafe, or an Apple Watch to an iPhone.
However, this implementation siloes Apple devices. The Batteries widget on my Mac will not display the battery level of Apple Watch, the Batteries widget on my iPhone will not show the battery level of my Apple TV remote, and so on.
The solution would be for the Batteries widget to display all devices connected to the user’s iCloud account.10 If the number of devices exceeds what the widget can display, then allow users to pick and choose which devices to view.
9. Shuffle wake-up alarm sounds in Sleep
The debut of sleep apnea detection in watchOS 11 has continued to demonstrate Apple’s interest in sleep health management. Users can manage their sleep schedule inside of the Apple Health app on their iPhone or in the Sleep app on their Apple Watch, which includes picking what calm song will be used as their alarm.
Having used this functionality since its debut over four years ago, I have long desired an option to shuffle the wake-up alarm sounds.11 Repeatedly hearing one alarm sound day after day eventually leads me to tire of it.12
Furthermore, although research on wake-up alarm sounds is incredibly limited, some have speculated that, “an inconsistent noise may be more effective in generating attention and perhaps wakefulness.” Adding a simple Shuffle button to the bottom of the Sounds & Haptics section of Sleep in Apple Health could potentially increase user satisfaction with the service.
The final ten concepts will be released next week. Stay tuned!
I could not find any information explaining why this inconsistency exists, so here is my theory: with walking, driving, or cycling the user is in complete control of their actions; with public transportation, the user is shuttled around via bus, train, ferry, or some other mode of transit. Therefore, perhaps the Apple Maps team thought that the app’s Dynamic Island user experience (UX) should perform differently. (It doesn’t make a lot of sense to me, but it’s the only thing I could come up with.)
An added benefit of implementing Portrait Orientation Lock in Video Playback would be that it would discourage developers from attempting to implement their own custom video players, which are almost universally worse for the user than the default video player of iOS and iPadOS. (YouTube is perhaps the most well-known, but for some reason local news channels’ apps are notorious for this as well.)
Weirdly, watchOS 11 also removed four watch faces.
Apple has not explicitly explained why third-party watch faces are not allowed. Apple's VP of Technology Kevin Lynch told a Swiss newspaper in a 2023 interview:
Apple puts a "huge amount of effort" into every watch face to ensure they work "uniformly and simply," and said Apple needs to plan ahead to make sure watch faces continue to work "if we want to change something or add new possibilities."
According to Wikipedia, the representative term for a small computer affixed to the handlebars of a bicycle is “cyclocomputer.” I find this terminology absolutely delightful, but I feared using it may confuse some readers.
Something I discovered earlier this year is that Apple News has Live Activities for election results in the United States. Despite being one of the best applications for Live Activities, very few of my politico friends seem to know that this feature exists.
While watchOS 11 can mirror Live Activities from iPhone, there is still no native Apple Sports app for watchOS.
To be clear: in my view, video-playing apps and games should only be available on CarPlay systems that can monitor whether the car is parked. The same goes for Android Auto systems, as well as car manufacturers’ proprietary infotainment systems.
When I first learned that tapping and holding on a footnote did virtually nothing, I was admittedly shocked. Look at how much wasted screen space there is!
There are third-party apps that can do this, but an operating system-level solution would be a lot easier for users.
My current workaround is a weekly reminder to change the wake-up alarm sound. It is not ideal.
I would also love Apple to add more wake-up alarm sounds! Nine is not nearly enough given how long the feature has existed for.