Several iOS 19 leaks have circulated in recent days, confirming previous rumors about a drastic redesign of the entire operating system. Everything seems to indicate that Apple will incorporate a VisionOS-inspired design in iOS 19, with rounded corners, elongated buttons, translucent menus, and grayish hues.
The graphical interface in the leaked iOS 19 screenshots doesn’t look bad. VisionOS, the operating system for Apple’s Vision Pro, is very elegant, and its visual aesthetic could also work on the iPhone. But there’s a small problem… according to John Prosser, the icons would be circular. Well, more like oval. Why? I think I have the answer. But for now, let’s review what iOS 19 would look like.
What will iOS 19 app icons look like?
John Prosser, the creator of the biggest iOS 19 leaks to date, claims to have access to real images of the operating system, but to protect his sources, he has recreated the images with design concepts based on them.
The popular insider pointed out that, while there aren’t many changes to the home screen, the app icons do appear to be a bit more “circular.” In the screenshots, we see more oval icons, with much more pronounced curves at the corners. Why? Is Apple now trying to look like Android, or what’s going on?
Well, the other day, while I was reflecting on the topic, I found the possible answer. I think I know what’s going to happen to app icons in iOS 19… and VisionOS 3.
But first, let’s take a look at the Apple Vision Pro apps:
As you can see, the visionOS app icons are COMPLETELY circular. They couldn’t be more rounded. The first time I saw it, I was surprised. I don’t know, maybe Apple thought it would be more “futuristic” for the space age. Either way, I don’t like it.
Now let’s see what the iOS 19 app icons look like, or at least in theory:
In this case, the apps aren’t so “circular.” Their icons aren’t completely round, but rather oval. What does this mean? Easy. What Apple intends with this interesting software move is to seek greater uniformity across its entire product ecosystem, with greater cohesion between each operating system.
This is something I’ve been anticipating for a few months now, and Mark Gurman himself confirmed my suspicions a few days ago, although he used the word “consistency” …
Of course, keep in mind that the iOS 19 screenshots are concept images. They’re not actual system images. Furthermore, they could be based on the earliest stages of iOS 19’s development, even though John Prosser claims it’s close to the final version, so we can’t assume it will look exactly as it does when this software update is released.
What is Apple going to do?
If you haven’t reached the same conclusion as me, I’ll make it easy for you and get straight to the point. If Apple is seeking more consistency and cohesion in its operating systems and the leak of oval app icons is true… Apple should modify the VisionOS app icons to also be oval instead of circular.
This way, we’ll indeed have greater uniformity across iOS 19, iPadOS 19, and visionOS 3. Now, will this change make its way to watchOS, where icons are also round? And what about the Mac? I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but in the past, Mac OS icons weren’t exactly like those on the iPhone. We’ll have to wait and see what happens, but my theory, in my head, sounds spectacular. Although I still don’t like it.
