iOS 19 will be unveiled in less than two months at WWDC. And rumors indicate there’s at least one iOS 19 change coming that will be especially valuable for users of large iPhones: a relocated search bar in apps.
iOS 19 app search bar moving to bottom of iPhone screen
When rumors started spreading about an overhauled iOS design, I suspect many of us focused primarily on visual changes.
iOS 19, however, is expected to bring functional improvements too with its redesign.
According to Jon Prosser, there’s a change coming that will impact users of large iPhones especially.
iOS 19 will reportedly move apps’ search bar to the bottom of the app—a big change from its current location.
In iOS 18, the standard search bar inside an app sits very close to the top of the screen. This can make it difficult to reach on large iPhones.
I use an iPhone 16 Pro and have large-ish hands, and I can just barely reach the search field with my thumb—and need to really stretch to do so.
This fall’s iPhone 17 Air will have an even larger screen, and of course the Pro Max display is already much bigger. I imagine with the current iOS design, reaching search often requires two hands.
But with iOS 19, search is moving to a much more natural location: at the bottom where your thumb already rests.
Prosser shows this in his recent video with a mockup of the Messages app.
Currently, Messages’ search field is at the top of the app, and you have to pull down to reveal it.
Top comment by CarAnalogy
What about Reachabilty? I thought that was supposed to solve all the inherent design problems in stretching a small phone larger and larger while keeping the same interface? And snapping all icons to the top left, of course.
It's taken so many years of slow motion to get actual usability improvements in iOS, much less macOS. Too busy removing useful controls, lowering information density, and decreasing contrast.
Anyway, glad to see another tiny step in the right direction (maybe.)
In iOS 19, search is visible at all times and easily accessible right at the bottom.
This appears true whether or not an app has a tab bar at the bottom. Prosser shows mockups of the Music and App Store as examples with tab bars, and Messages as one without it.
Apple’s last big iOS redesign took place back before iPhone screens started getting huge. I hope we see plenty of changes in iOS 19, like the moved search bar, that make the experience of using a large iPhone better than ever.
What do you think of iOS 19 moving the search bar? Let us know in the comments.
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