All macOS 16 Leaks and Rumors Ahead of WWDC 2025

Apple’s macOS is set to receive a significant UI overhaul, along with various other features, at WWDC 2025. Here’s what you need to know.

Picture of the macOS 15 Sequoia UI — The macOS 15 Sequoia UI (Image via Apple)

Apple will reportedly deliver one of the biggest design overhauls across all its operating systems, including iOS 19, to allow for a unified design and smooth transition between them. The Cupertino giant wants to provide the best Mac experience to its users, and a UI redesign could be it.

However, that’s not the only new feature coming with the macOS 16 operating system. In fact, Apple is developing some game-changing features that could make macOS even better. In this article, we will discuss some of these major features coming in macOS 16.

Note: This article is based on leaks that are subject to change. Readers are advised to take the information provided herein with a grain of salt.

Everything We Know So Far About Apple macOS 16

Thanks to the efforts of Mark Gurman from Bloomberg, Jon Prosser, and Apple Insider, we have some valuable information about what Apple has been working on for macOS 16. Here are some of the major new reported features of the Apple macOS 16 update:

UI Design Overhaul

Use iPhone from your macOS (Image via Apple)

Major Apple leakers, including Mark Gurman and Jon Prosser, believe Apple will redesign the user interface of macOS and other Apple operating systems. The app backgrounds and system elements will reportedly have translucent materials inspired by VisionOS to deliver a glass-like effect. Apart from that, system menus, buttons, icons, and other things are also expected to undergo some visual changes.

New Version Naming Scheme

According to Mark, the version naming scheme of every Apple operating system will change this year. Instead of macOS 16 or iOS 19, Apple will simply call them 26, named after the year 2026. Therefore, Apple will rename macOS 16 to macOS 26. It’s Apple’s way of unifying the version numbers of its operating systems. The goal is to make it easier for both users and developers to remember them. However, we will still call it macOS 16 until Apple officially confirms the change.

Choose the Default Digital Assistant

The macOS 16 operating system will allow users in the EU to choose which digital assistant they want to keep as the default option on their PC. This option will also be available for iPhone and iPad users.

Captive Wi-Fi Data Syncing

Picture describing video calling on macOS Sequoia — Video calling on macOS Sequoia (Image via Apple)

Various public Wi-Fi systems, including those in airports, railways, and other places, are captive in nature and include portals for signing in. This feature will allow the macOS system to save the details in its memory and sync them with all other Apple devices. One sign-in will get all your Apple devices connected to that Wi-Fi.

AI-based Battery Management System

Mark Gurman believes Apple is working on creating an AI-based battery management system that provides more information than previously possible, including battery usage patterns, charging history, screen-on-time, and other things.

Better Siri with AI

Siri will finally get the much-needed AI treatment that it deserves. Siri will finally be able to engage in complex conversations and understand nuances and contexts in ways it cannot do now when it gets powered by a large language model. Many users find Siri quite limited currently, which was exacerbated with the macOS 15 update released last year.

Accessibility Features

Every year in May, Apple details some accessibility features that the company plans to add to its operating systems, and this year is no different. The Cupertino tech giant announced Vehicle Motion Cues, Magnifier, a system-wide Reader tool, and more, which will probably be in the macOS 16 update.

Expected Apple macOS 16 Release Timeline

Apple will reveal macOS 16 officially, with its new version number, at the WWDC 2025 event. The Cupertino tech giant will then release developer and public beta builds for a while until a stable release occurs sometime in September or October 2025, which is a tradition now. However, you don’t have to wait too long to see the changes and new features mentioned. The macOS 16 operating system will be revealed at the WWDC 25 event, which starts on June 9, 2025.

List of All Mac Devices Expected To Receive macOS 16

The macOS 16 update should be compatible with all Mac devices that have the Apple M1 chip and above. According to Apple Insider, the Cupertino tech giant will reportedly drop support for Intel-based Macs this year, except for the 2019 MacBook Pros and 2020 5K iMacs. They have Intel processors inside, but apparently, they will retain support for the newest macOS 16. Apple Insider has had decently accurate leaks in the past, so there’s little reason to doubt this.

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All macOS 16 Leaks and Rumors Ahead of WWDC 2025