iOS 13 Expected to Feature Dark Mode, Redesigned Volume Indicator, Improved iPad Multitasking, and More

Ahead of Apple introducing iOS 13 at WWDC in June, 9to5Mac's Guilherme Rambo has shared new details about what to expect. The report cites sources familiar with the matter and help from developer Steve Troughton-Smith.

ios 13 dark mode concept

iOS 13 Dark Mode concept by Léo Vallet

First, the report claims that a long-awaited systemwide ‌Dark Mode‌ is coming to the iPhone and iPad with iOS 13:

There will be a system-wide Dark Mode that can be enabled in Settings, including a high contrast version, similar to what's already available on macOS. Speaking of macOS, iPad apps that run on the Mac using Marzipan will finally take advantage of the Dark Mode support on both systems.

Improved multitasking is expected on the ‌iPad‌ with iOS 13, including support for multiple windows and stackable cards in apps:

Each window will also be able to contain sheets that are initially attached to a portion of the screen, but can be detached with a drag gesture, becoming a card that can be moved around freely, similar to what an open-source project called "PanelKit" could do.

These cards can also be stacked on top of each other, and use a depth effect to indicate which cards are on top and which are on the bottom. Cards can be flung away to dismiss them.

To the joy of everyone, iOS 13 is said to feature a new volume HUD that is hopefully far less obtrusive than the current one. Apple's software engineering chief Craig Federighi hinted at this in an email to a customer earlier this year.


iPads are also expected to receive a new standard undo gesture for text input on iOS 13 beyond the existing shake-to-undo. The report claims the new gesture is initiated with a three-finger tap on the keyboard area, and then users can slide left or right to undo and redo actions interactively.

Additional gestures are expected to be introduced in iOS 13 that allow for the selection of multiple items in table views and collection views. Users will supposedly be able to "drag with multiple fingers on a list or collection of items to draw a selection, similar to clicking and dragging in Finder on the Mac."

The report adds that Safari for ‌iPad‌ on iOS 13 will automatically ask for a desktop version of websites when necessary, while the Mail app will organize messages into searchable categories such as marketing, purchases, travel, "not important," and more. The new Mail app is also said to have a "read later" queue.

Font management is also expected to improve in iOS 13, with a new font management menu in the Settings app.

Other features expected in iOS 13 include a redesigned Reminders app that extends to the Mac, improved "Hey Siri" rejection for common ambient noises such as laughter and crying babies, improved multilingual support for keyboards and dictation, and expanded in-app printing controls, according to 9to5Mac.

Related Forum: iOS 13

Popular Stories

New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 18

20 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 18.2

Monday December 16, 2024 8:55 am PST by
Apple released iOS 18.2 in the second week of December, bringing the second round of Apple Intelligence features to iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 models. This update brings several major advancements to Apple's AI integration, including completely new image generation tools and a range of Visual Intelligence-based enhancements. Apple has added a handful of new non-AI related feature controls as...
apple tv 4k yellow bg feature

New Apple TV Rumored to Launch Next Year With These Features

Tuesday December 17, 2024 9:02 am PST by
The current Apple TV 4K was released more than two years ago, so the streaming device is becoming due for a hardware upgrade soon. Fortunately, it was recently rumored that a new Apple TV will launch at some point next year. Below, we recap rumors about the next-generation Apple TV. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman last week reported that Apple has been working on its own combined Wi-Fi and...
iphone 16 apple intelligence

Apple Drops Plans for iPhone Hardware Subscription Service

Wednesday December 18, 2024 11:39 am PST by
Apple is no longer planning to launch a hardware subscription service that would let customers "subscribe" to get a new iPhone each year, reports Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Gurman first shared rumors about Apple's work on a hardware subscription service back in 2022, and at the time, he said that Apple wanted to develop a simple system that would allow customers to pay a monthly fee to gain...
iPhone 17 Pro Dual Tone Feature 1

iPhone 17 Pro Rumored to Stick With 'Triangular' Camera Design

Wednesday December 18, 2024 2:36 am PST by
Contrary to recent reports, the iPhone 17 Pro will not feature a horizontal camera layout, according to the leaker known as "Instant Digital." In a new post on Weibo, the leaker said that a source has confirmed that while the appearance of the back of the iPhone 17 Pro has indeed changed, the layout of the three cameras is "still triangular," rather than the "horizontal bar spread on the...
elevation lab airtag battery

Your AirTag's Battery Will Last for Up to 10 Years With Elevation Lab's New TimeCapsule Enclosure

Wednesday December 18, 2024 10:05 am PST by
Elevation Lab today announced the launch of TimeCapsule, an innovative and simple solution for increasing the battery life of Apple's AirTag. Priced at $20, TimeCapsule is an AirTag enclosure that houses two AA batteries that offer 14x more battery capacity than the CR2032 battery that the AirTag runs on. It works by attaching the AirTag's upper housing to the built-in custom contact in the...
Apple TV 4K hero 221018 feature

Here is Everything New for the Apple TV in the tvOS 18.3 Update So Far

Tuesday December 17, 2024 6:25 am PST by
Apple on Monday seeded the first tvOS 18.3 beta to developers for testing. The update will likely be released in January. So far, there are only minor changes for the Apple TV, with one new feature and a few code changes discovered. Below, we outline what is new in tvOS 18.3 so far. Robot Vacuum Support in Home App First, tvOS 18.3 will add robot vacuum support to the Home app on the...
blackmagic vision pro

Blackmagic Debuts $30K 3D Camera for Capturing Video for Vision Pro

Monday December 16, 2024 4:17 pm PST by
Blackmagic today announced that its URSA Cine Immersive camera is now available for pre-order, with deliveries set to start late in the first quarter of 2025. Blackmagic says that this is the world's first commercial camera system designed to capture 3D content for the Vision Pro. The URSA Cine Immersive camera was first introduced in June, but it has not been available for purchase until...
iPhone 17 Slim Feature

'iPhone 17 Air' With 'Major' Design Changes and 19-Inch MacBook Detailed in New Report

Sunday December 15, 2024 9:47 am PST by
Apple is planning a series of "major design" and "format changes" for iPhones over the next few years, according to The Wall Street Journal's Aaron Tilley and Yang Jie. The paywalled report published today corroborated the widely-rumored "iPhone 17 Air" with an "ultrathin" design that is thinner than current iPhone models. The report did not mention a specific measurement, but previous...

Top Rated Comments

dlewis23 Avatar
74 months ago
Why are they adding dark mode? No one wants it And no one will use it if it comes out.. what a waste of billions of dollars to develop it
Thats a joke right?
Score: 68 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DHagan4755 Avatar
74 months ago
How about a legit files app with none of the current limitations?! That should be top of the list.
Score: 36 Votes (Like | Disagree)
lunarworks Avatar
74 months ago
One thing I'd love in iOS 13 is for incoming phone calls to go to a drop-down notification if you're using the device. There's absolutely no reason for it to completely take over your screen anymore.
Score: 35 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Pepe4life Avatar
74 months ago
How about letting me plug in an external hard drive into the usbc port on my iPad Pro?
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
peteullo Avatar
74 months ago
I wouldn’t be mad if dark mode was the only new feature in iOS13.
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
benshive Avatar
74 months ago
“Dark mode”

“Redesigned volume indicator”.


That’s it. It’s a success already. There will be no more complaints on here ever again. (Yeah, right).
Apple could implement all popular requests on this site and give all of their hardware away for free and there would still be a bunch of complaints on here.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)