Apple’s new visual language for iOS 19/iOS 26 reportedly will lay the groundwork for its upcoming hardware products. This will include a revamped design for the 2027 iPhone, dubbed “Glasswing.”
The device apparently will feature an all-glass design, with a “extraordinarily slim bezels” and a notch-free display.
iOS 19/iOS 26 revamp hints at bold new design for 2027 iPhone
Apple rolled out the last major iOS design refresh in 2013 with iOS 7. All reports now indicate the company will unveil a visionOS-like visual overhaul for iOS 26 on Monday during the WWDC25 keynote. Internally, Apple refers to the new UI elements as “Liquid Glass,” and “they have the sheen and see-through visuals of a glassy surface,” reports Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman in his Power On newsletter.
This includes “transparency and shine effects in all of Apple’s tool bars, in-app interfaces and controls.” With no major Apple Intelligence improvements planned, the new visual interface will be the main talking point of its developer conference this year.
The new Liquid Glass interface will lay the groundwork for bigger hardware redesigns. As part of this, Apple will unveil the 20th anniversary iPhone in 2027 with a new look.
“It will have curved glass sides around the entire phone, even at the edges. There will be extraordinarily slim bezels and no cutout section in the screen,” says Gurman. Apple engineers internally refer to this model as “Glasswing.” If all goes according to Apple’s plan, the 2027 iPhone redesign will coincide with the removal of the Dynamic Island in favor of under-display Face ID sensors.
Apple plans a big naming change for its operating systems this year
Apple will seemingly unify the visual identity across all its operating systems this year with the Liquid Glass look. This should provide a more consistent experience across devices.
Reports suggest the company will even switch to a year-based naming scheme, switching from iOS 19 and iPadOS 19 to iOS 26 and iPadOS 26, respectively. Likewise, macOS 16, watchOS 12 and tvOS 12 reportedly will be rebranded as macOS 26, watchOS 26 and tvOS 26.
Rajesh has been closely following and writing about the latest happenings in the world of mobile for nearly a decade now. While he prefers Android, he does not deny the superiority of Apple’s products and ecosystem.
