Envisioning the Future of iOS Design.

Envisioning the Future of iOS Design.

Envisioning the Future of iOS Design.

It has been over 11 years since Apple last overhauled the design language of iPhone software with iOS 7.

The tech community is increasingly suspicious a new era of iOS design is coming. Here's what it could look like.

A Concept Designed by Eli Johnson

A Quick Word on Concepts

It's rare for an online concept to come to fruition. This project is likely not among the lucky ones. Maybe a piece or two somewhere down the line, but I'm not promising anything.

Rather, this is a thought experiment to ask a simple question: What would iOS look like if it adopted the UI/UX elements present in visionOS and Apple's recently released first-party apps?

Some of these ideas would be controversial if implemented, others objectively bad. But the vast majority are not unrealistic—they come directly from software Apple has shipped to real users.

Apple Has Been Up to Something

Apple Has Been Up to Something

In the past two years, Apple has released or redesigned multiple native apps on iOS that are full of new ideas about visual design and the user experience on the iPhone.

In the past two years, Apple has released or redesigned multiple native apps on iOS that are full of new ideas about visual design and the user experience on the iPhone.

Instead of a tab bar, Invites uses a drop-down menu in the nav bar.

Rounded containers with a blurred or translucent effect are standard for almost all content in Invites.

Invites and Sports embrace dark backgrounds with blurred colors.

Invites and Sports embrace dark backgrounds with blurred colors.

Sports uses a navigation menu with a glassy, 3D container.

Photos removed its tab bar, a staple of iOS design.

Apps like Photos, Mail and more have embraced gray containers around navigation buttons.

Let's Break it Down.

There are four significant deviations from iOS norms in these new apps, and almost all of the "new" solutions are at least partially taken from visionOS.

Layers

Rethinking Materials

Components with a 3D, glassy effect are the most frequently cited opportunity for a visionOS-inspired design on iOS.

It's important to note that visionOS does not apply this effect to all UI elements. On the contrary, "glass," as Apple creatively calls this material, is used in only one layer of the hierarchy that defines apps.

Components exist on three planes in visionOS, each nested within, and atop, the other: the background, container and content layers.

Let's take a closer look…

BACKGROUND LAYER
CONTAINER LAYER
CONTENT LAYER

72º

Sunny
Layer 1

Background

The UI of visionOS exists on three planes. The first is the background; in visionOS, this layer consists either of the passthrough environment or a digital one when fully immersed.

Background

The UI of visionOS exists on three planes. The first is the background; in visionOS, this layer consists either of the passthrough environment or a digital one when fully immersed.

Background

The UI of visionOS exists on three planes. The first is the background; in visionOS, this layer consists either of the passthrough environment or a digital one when fully immersed.

Updating Layers on iOS

Until now, the edges of the container layer on iOS have been the bezel of the phone, negating the need for a digitally-rendered plate on which to place content.

However, the new Sports and Invites apps have redefined the bezel as the boundary of the background layer, and the container layer as "boxes" underneath primary content, navigation buttons, and more.

Invites' content is all set atop glassy boxes in the new container layer.

This nav menu component is set within its own container.

Photos introduces a new container style for toolbar icons

Nav buttons still use inconsistent styles across iOS, but this style is dominant in recent redesigns.

Buttons

Containers Everywhere.

visionOS displays buttons within a circle or pill-shaped container. While also appearing in iOS for years in select apps, it hasn't yet been widely adopted.

The redesign of the Photos app in iOS 18 was a notable example of a first-party app on iOS to use containers for (nearly) all buttons. The Invites app further adopted this approach, using the glass effect on button containers.

Color

Color

White Space is Out.

White Space is Out.

The last several years of iOS design changes have added more and more gradients and blocks of color. Invites and Sports have no white or gray background for any view in the app, a departure for iOS.

The last several years of iOS design changes have added more and more gradients and blocks of color. Invites and Sports have no white or gray background for any view in the app, a departure for iOS.

The Actual Concept (Finally)

And now, here's what it might look like.

And now, here's what it might look like.

Coming Probably Never.

Coming Probably Never.

iOS x visionOS

iOS x visionOS

Materials

Glass Effect

Bringing Glass to iOS.

Glass Effect

Bringing Glass to iOS.

Glass Effect

Bringing Glass to iOS.

Following the lead of the Invites app, the glass effect has been applied to most boxes and button containers throughout the system.

Navigation & Toolbar

Buttons in nav bars and toolbars across the entire system now use a container with the glass effect.

Glass Effect

The glass effect adds a subtle border to the container while blurring content behind the object.

Glass Effect

The glass effect adds a subtle border to the container while blurring content behind the object.

Navigation

Navigation Menus

A New Way to Get Around.

Replacing the classic iOS Tab Bar is a new navigation experience: the Navigation Menu. First used in the Invites app, it is revealed by tapping a view's title in the nav bar. The Navigation Menu offers a virtually unlimited number of tabs and will come with unceasing complaints from power users who will hate the ergonomics.

Navigation Menus

A New Way to Get Around.

Navigation Menus

A New Way to Get Around.

Limitless Tabs

No longer constrained by the width of an iPhone screen, apps can now display all their tabs without needing a "more" page.

Limitless Tabs

No longer constrained by the width of an iPhone screen, apps can now display all their tabs without needing a "more" page.

Close Button

Apple recently added a "zoom" animation for opening media views, such as an album in Music. The "back" arrow no longer makes sense with this motion and has been replaced with a "close" button.

Search

Dedicated Button

Until now, in-app search has lacked a standardized point-of-access. Now, search appears as a button in the nav bar within all relevant apps.

New Search View

When opened, in-app search now appears as a full-view experience overlaid on the rest of the app with a beautiful blurring effect.

Visual Design

Input Field Style

Taking a cue from visionOS, input fields like the URL and search bars use a recessed style.

Refreshed Keyboard

The keyboard has been updated to subtly match the style of visionOS.

Color

Apps Infused With Color.

As first seen in Apple Sports, the nav bars of most apps now feature a soft color gradient that fills the bar and bleeds down under the app's content. The color used matches the app's accent color or icon.

Color

Apps Infused With Color.

As first seen in Apple Sports, the nav bars of most apps now feature a soft color gradient that fills the bar and bleeds down under the app's content. The color used matches the app's accent color or icon.

Color

Apps Infused With Color.

Color

Apps Infused With Color.

List Style

Drawing heavily from visionOS, lists have been redesigned to float on top of the app's background. Each item also now has more room to breathe. Icons on the left side now appear alone or in a circle container when not featuring an app icon, rather than the classic squircle.

New App Icons

Updating the Notes and Settings icons to match visionOS is long overdue.

Customization

Summary Views

Like Fitness, Control Center and Home, the Summary tab widgets in Health are now fully editable.

New Maps View

Maps now displays categories like Favorites, Recents, and Guides as a stack of containers that can also be customized with favorite routes, hikes or locations. Swipe up or down to view items in the stack.

More

Dark Mode

Looks Great in the Day and the Night.

Dark Mode

Looks Great in the Day and the Night.

Dark Mode

It Looks Great in the Day and the Night.

Dark Mode

It Looks Great in the Day and the Night.

Camera

The leaked design does match…

Toolbars

Toolbar buttons take on the effect of the glass containers as they float above an app's content.

Changes Not Included

Changes Not Included

I'm not the first person to put out a concept for a visionOS-inspired iOS. I deliberately didn't include these elements from other concepts.

I'm not the first person to put out a concept for a visionOS-inspired iOS. I deliberately didn't include these elements from other concepts.

Circle Icons

One of the most popular elements of recent concepts, I am highly skeptical Apple will bring these to iOS anytime soon. I believe they look horrible (my opinion) and they do not align with the iPhone form factor as well as the squircle-esque shape.

Circle Icons

One of the most popular elements of recent concepts, I am highly skeptical Apple will bring these to iOS anytime soon. I believe they look horrible (my opinion) and they do not align with the iPhone form factor as well as the squircle-esque shape.

Glass Widgets

This is another popular one, but Apple very intentionally moved away from translucent widgets five years ago with iOS 14 to make them more colorful and vibrant. I don't think we'll see a glass effect here.

Glass Widgets

This is another popular one, but Apple very intentionally moved away from translucent widgets five years ago with iOS 14 to make them more colorful and vibrant. I don't think we'll see a glass effect here.

Thank You.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this project. You can find my Threads profile below. Drop me a comment and I'll try to get back to you.

This project involved a massive amount of hours to research, design and assemble. If you found it thought-provoking, please consider sharing with a friend.

About Me

My name is Eli Johnson, I'm a self-taught designer living and working in New York City. I'm passionate about technology and design as well as exploring the art, architecture and live-theatre that the city has to offer.