iOS 18 to Arrive With Sweeping Visual Overhaul Inspired by visionOS: Report

Apple's translucent sidebar menu that arrived on the Apple TV+ app with tvOS 17.2 is reportedly coming to iPadOS 18.

Written by David Delima | Updated: 12 February 2024 19:58 IST

iOS 18 to Arrive With Sweeping Visual Overhaul Inspired by visionOS: Report

Photo Credit: Apple

visionOS contains several translucent visual elements with a blur effect

Highlights

Apple could infuse iOS 18 with several visionOS design elements
The translucent Apple TV+ sidebar menu is said to be coming to iPadOS 18
iOS 18 is expected to be unveiled at WWDC 2024

iOS 18 could arrive later this year with a massive visual overhaul to the user interface (UI), according to a report. The next major operating system update for iPhone and iPad is expected to arrive in the second half of 2024 along with new AI features that are baked into the system and the company's Siri voice assistant — a recent report suggested that iOS 18 could be the Cupertino company's biggest update to the mobile OS in several years.

A report in The Verifier (in Hebrew) citing anonymous sources claims that Apple will redesign parts of iOS to look like visionOS — the company's operating system for the recently launched Apple Vision Pro. Featuring several translucent UI elements along with a blur effect, visionOS runs on Apple's first 'spatial computer' and lets users view content in both augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) modes.

Apple is planning on refreshing parts of the operating system such as the built-in apps like Safari, as well as system menus and popups with a new design, inspired by visionOS, as per the report, that claims the first indicator of the upcoming changes was added to the Apple TV+ app with the tvOS 17.2 update.

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The iPhone maker updated its eponymous content streaming app for Apple TV to tvOS 17.2 in December 2023. The update brought a new translucent sidebar menu that features design elements that are similar to visionOS. The report claims that the company will roll out the same menu design to iPadOS later this year.

While the publication does not have a good record in terms of leaking accurate information related to upcoming Apple products or software, this is not the first time that Apple is said to be working on a major update to iOS. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has also claimed that iOS 18 will be the company's biggest update to its mobile OS in several years. The company is reportedly working on several AI features that will be baked into the upcoming operating system.

Apple is yet to make any announcements related to its upcoming software updates, and given the company's secrecy around its products and software, we can expect to find out that iOS 18 will look like in June at WWDC 2024. That's when the company typically shows off its upcoming software updates for iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, and Apple Watch, along with its Xcode development environment.

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Further reading: iOS 18, visionOS, iOS 18 design, Apple

David Delima

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As a writer on technology with Gadgets 360, David Delima is interested in open-source technology, cybersecurity, consumer privacy, and loves to read and write about how the Internet works. David can be contacted via email at DavidD@ndtv.com, on Twitter at @DxDavey, and Mastodon at mstdn.social/@delima. More