Everyone is getting hyped about the big design changes reportedly coming to iOS 19 this year — so when Jon Prosser shared a mock-up based on an iMessage screen he claimed to have seen for himself, we all got excited.
A few hours later, however, the biggest Apple tipster of them all, Mark Gurman, shared a post on X addressing the images.
iOS 19 images floating around aren’t representative of what we’ll see at WWDC. They look to be based on either very old builds or vague descriptions, missing key features. Expect more from Apple in June. Regardless, mockups – real or not – are always exciting for Apple watchers.
— Mark Gurman (@markgurman) March 25, 2025
According to his information, recent mock-ups are “not representative” of what Apple is going to show us at WWDC. Instead, he thinks they’ve been made based on older builds or vague second-hand information.
Gurman isn’t really the type to share mock-ups himself, but it’s useful to hear his opinion on the ones floating around. He also makes sure to end the post on a positive note — commenting on how exciting mock-ups are for Apple fans. Though he doesn’t agree with the images he’s seen recently, he clearly doesn’t want to discourage people from sharing their thoughts or the information they’ve heard.
The most widely accepted rumor going around right now about iOS 19 is that it will be loosely based on visionOS. As some of the biggest differences between visionOS and other Apple operating systems are the circular icons and translucent panels, that’s what people are expecting to see on their iPhones later this year.
As for what I’m expecting to see — remember that iOS 18 feature that lets you tint the color of your app icons? I was so excited when it was announced, until it finally arrived and I discovered that the background color is always black. I’m not saying we should get free choice for both colors (though maybe we should?) but at the very least we should get to choose between black or white for the background color.
I’m a pastel color person — I can’t do anything with a black background. I had to ignore the whole feature completely and just keep my “shortcuts with custom images” setup. I can’t even describe the disappointment I felt. So, Apple, do whatever you want with circular icons and all that — just make sure you give me an expanded version of the app tint feature too.
Google Play is borrowing one of the Nintendo Switch’s most useful little tricks. A new Sidekick tool called Playbacks captures a short clip after something interesting has already happened, sparing players from running a screen recorder throughout an entire game.
Playbacks is part of Google Play Store v53.8 and keeps saved clips on the phone. Google first announced it earlier this month, but the new Play Store update marks its arrival for players. Anyone who has watched a perfect win vanish because the record button came too late already understands the appeal.
Samsung’s scandal over its Game Optimizing Service, or GOS, has returned with a bill attached. South Korea’s Fair Trade Commission has tentatively fined the company 20.1 billion won, or about $15.1 million, over gaming claims made for the Galaxy S21, Galaxy S22, and Tab S8.
The regulator says Samsung promoted the devices as gaming powerhouses without disclosing that GOS placed preset CPU and GPU limits on certain demanding games. Samsung disputes that conclusion, calling GOS a legitimate way to manage heat.
Apple's next cheaper iPhone could get a brand-new processor while keeping its most stubborn display compromise. Digital Chat Station tips the iPhone 18e for a 2027 release with a 2nm A20 chip and a 6.12-inch OLED screen still limited to 60Hz.
The rumored camera setup includes a single 48MP rear camera and a possible 24MP selfie camera. There's new hardware to consider, but buyers hoping Apple would extend that upgrade generosity to smoother scrolling could be disappointed.