Forget new iPhones and Macs, I want these Apple OS features in 2025

In 2024, Apple released a ton of new features in iOS 18, iPadOS 18, macOS 15 Sequoia, and watchOS 12. Many of those features are the kind that I’ve ben wanting for a while, such as iPhone Mirroring on macOS Sequoia and native ChatGPT support on iOS 18.

But while Apple did address the concerns of many users with it releases, there still remain several features that remain on the wish list. With a new year coming and WWDC six months away, I’m looking forward to what Apple has in store–and hopefully, the new features that the company reveals fulfill my wish list. Here is what I’m hoping Apple will introduce in its software in 2025.

iOS 19

Apple Intelligence in iOS 18 has been a bit of a disappointment. The AI suite hasn’t fully materialized yet and its overall execution is underwhelming compared to the competition. With iOS 19, I hope Apple starts taking artificial intelligence more seriously.

This could be through advanced photo editing functionalities beyond the rudimentary Clean Up tool. It could also port Safari’s webpage summarization feature to the News app, as that’s where millions of users read their daily dose of articles. Additionally, Apple could get more creative and add a dedicated image generator in the Wallpaper settings, letting users easily create and opt for unique looks through text prompts. It’s not like the recent default offerings are much better than AI art.

The point is injecting Apple Intelligence deeply into the system, rather than offering it as a thin layer that complements the existing OS. A dedicated Siri app would also be a welcome iOS 19 addition, where users would get to view their chat history or have audio conversations like OpenAI’s Advanced Voice. A Siri icon already exists on macOS—all we need now is the app itself.

Besides AI upgrades, I hope iOS 19 supercharges the Action button by letting users assign multiple tasks. While this is already achievable with the Shortcuts app, a native execution would be superior. A light click could trigger an action, two consecutive light clicks could initiate a different task, while the existing long press would activate a third option. Right now, even with Shortcuts, we are limited to the long press, which, in my opinion, wastes the button’s potential.

Another iOS feature I hope we see in 2025 is a Spotify Connect equivalent for Apple Music. The former company has offered its tool for years across all sorts of different operating systems, while Apple struggles to develop a similar solution for its so-called seamless ecosystem. Handoff from iPhone to HomePod is not it.

Lastly, the option to manually add QR codes to Apple Wallet would be welcome. Right now, it’s possible to generate custom Wallet cards, but that requires relying on and sending potentially sensitive data to third parties.

macOS 16

macOS in its current form gets the job done for me, and nothing about it actively bothers me. Nevertheless, there are some perks Apple should add with macOS 16 to further enrich it. For starters, an overhauled Launchpad is long overdue. The firm could adopt an App Library-like approach to streamline the Mac and iPhone. This would also spare users from manually organizing several pages of apps and needing to create folders accordingly.

Cosmetics aside, now that Windows supports ARM, Apple should revive Boot Camp, which was killed on M-powered Macs. While excellent virtualization alternatives like Parallels exist, a first-party option would be better optimized and free to use.

To simplify macOS (and boost paid iCloud subscriptions), Apple should also bring iCloud device backups to the Mac. This would let users at least back up their preferences to the cloud, and optionally include their files if they don’t outweigh the storage quota.

iPadOS 19

Right now, it feels like the iPad is stuck in limbo. It neither works like an iPhone or a Mac. Despite the iPad Pro packing the mighty M4 chip, it continues to operate like a stretched iPhone of sorts.

While I know it likely won’t happen during my lifetime, I wish iPadOS 19 would support installing DMG files. Or, at the very least (and to maintain its tight grip), let users download optimized Mac apps on the App Store to their iPads. Through this radical change, the flagship iPads would finally make the most out of their processors and better compete against tablets running full-fledged versions of Windows.

iPadOS 19 should redesign the Notification Center to take advantage of the large display. One resembling the Mac’s right-side panel would complement the tablet. Alternatively, it could merge it with the Control Center, as the latter doesn’t utilize the full-screen real estate, either.

Beyond that, I often wish Apple would offer a Books+ subscription service, rivaling the likes of Amazon Kindle Unlimited. Having thousands of options to read from for a fair monthly fee would encourage me to use its app more.

watchOS 12

Apple has explicitly stated that it’s not interested in supporting third-party watch faces, as it fears newer OS updates would break them. Well, I have an alternative in mind. What if watchOS 12 would at least let users mix and match between multiple first-party faces by picking the font, style, structure, etc., through a somewhat basic face builder in the iPhone’s Watch app? This would preserve Apple’s control over face components and performance while letting users properly customize their smartwatches beyond their restricted looks.

As a digital nomad living alone in a foreign country, I also hope watchOS 12 introduces a feature like the Google Pixel Watch 3’s ability to detect loss of pulse and automatically call emergency services. Apple often boasts about its lifesaving devices, and such an addition would make many of us feel more at ease.

watchOS 12 should also better utilize the data Apple Watch collects during workouts, everyday activities, and sleep. Many third-party apps already offer more advanced analysis of one’s overall well-being and body battery, while watchOS 11 continues to restrict users to a basic Vitals app.

Refining the imperfections

iOS, macOS, iPadOS, and watchOS have matured. At this point, they all offer the main feature sets users generally expect from them. The iPhone is one of the best-selling smartphones because it excels at what it does. Similarly, the Mac helps countless creatives, professionals, and students perform everyday tasks reliably. Despite that, there are still plenty of missing features that could complement Apple’s platforms and push them forward.

None of the absent options are a dealbreaker to me, as my devices serve me as intended. However, by expanding their capabilities more and bundling quality-of-life improvements, it further refines the ecosystem many consumers fail to flee and potentially attracts those relying on other operating systems.

Ultimately, we’ll find out what Apple has in store for us in June when it previews iOS 19, watchOS 12, macOS 16, and iPadOS 19 during WWDC25’s opening keynote.

Source : Macworld