Credits: cnet.com
Apple’s 35th annual Worldwide Developers Conference is approaching, starting on Monday, June 10, with a keynote at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time. The event will feature the unveiling of iOS 18, iPadOS 18, macOS 15, tvOS 18, watchOS 11, visionOS 2, and HomePod Software 18. This year, the spotlight will be on software, with no new hardware expected.
We’ve compiled all the rumors about the software features Apple will reveal at WWDC, but given the extent of the updates, there are sure to be plenty of surprises.
iOS 18 and iPadOS 18
Apple’s upcoming software updates will introduce a broad array of new features powered by artificial intelligence, with iOS 18 receiving the most attention. The AI enhancements in iOS 18 are expected to make it the most significant software update in years, branded as “Apple Intelligence.”
These AI features will initially be released in beta to allow for testing before their full implementation, and all AI functionalities will be opt-in, giving users the choice to utilize them. Some features will be processed on-device, while others will be cloud-based, with Apple emphasizing the security and privacy of its cloud server hardware.
Siri and Spotlight
Apple plans to use large language models (LLMs) to enhance Siri, aiming for substantial improvements in the personal assistant. LLMs, which power popular AI tools like OpenAI’s ChatGPT, are expected to significantly upgrade Siri’s capabilities.
Siri Enhancements
Rumors indicate that Siri will adopt a more casual, conversational tone with a more natural voice. It will be capable of handling a broader range of tasks, considering factors such as people, companies, calendar events, locations, and dates. Apple aims to give Siri control over individual app features, enabling it to perform specific functions that are currently not possible. For instance, Siri will be able to open specific documents, move files between folders, delete emails, edit photos, and summarize messages, notifications, and articles.
To support these new capabilities, Apple has rearchitected Siri’s underlying software. While Apple will likely showcase these features at WWDC, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman predicts that the updated Siri experience will not be available with the initial release of iOS 18 in September. Instead, it is expected to roll out in a future iOS 18 update in 2025.
OpenAI Partnership
Apple has signed a deal with OpenAI to integrate ChatGPT technology into iOS 18, as the company does not currently plan to develop its own chatbot. ChatGPT will be an opt-in feature for both iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 users.
Chatbot Integration and AI Features
Some Apple executives had reservations about integrating a chatbot into the operating system. However, Apple proceeded with the integration, anticipating customer expectations due to the growing prevalence of AI technology. OpenAI technology will also support several other AI features that Apple plans to introduce.
New App Features
Apple is incorporating AI features into many of its built-in apps. Here are the additions we’ve heard about so far, though more AI features may be revealed at the event.
Safari
Safari will feature an “Intelligent Search” option using AI to identify key topics and phrases on a web page, offering summaries. The quick access menu will be refreshed, adding features currently in the Share Sheet, and there might be a “Web Eraser” tool to hide unwanted webpage portions across visits.
Mail
The Mail app will include “Smart Replies” to suggest responses to incoming emails, improved search, and options for summarizing long email threads. It will also automatically sort incoming messages into categories, similar to Gmail.
Apple Maps
The Maps app could support custom routes, allowing users to input their own routes instead of relying solely on Apple’s options. There might also be support for topographic maps, introduced last year in watchOS 10.
Photos
An AI-based feature will allow users to remove unwanted objects from images.
Apple Music
Auto-generated playlists created by AI and improved song transitions with adjustable crossfade duration may be introduced.
Notes
The Notes app will support recording voice memos directly within the app with transcripts available. Mathematical notation will be improved to accommodate more types of equations, and AI-generated summaries of key points in notes and audio recordings will be provided.
Voice Memos
Similar to the Notes app, Voice Memos will offer transcripts and summaries of recorded content.
Calendar
The Calendar app is expected to integrate with Reminders, allowing users to view reminders directly in the app.
Calculator:
The Calculator app will be introduced to the iPad with iPadOS 18.
iWork
Apple’s iWork apps will feature new AI capabilities. Keynote will include an option for automatically generating slides, and Pages will offer a text generation feature.
Shortcuts
Shortcuts will have improved integration with Siri, making it easier to automate complex tasks.
Health
The Health app will offer improved blood pressure data management in preparation for future Apple Watch models with hypertension detection. It will also provide more tailored data, such as enhanced cycle tracking for pregnant users, and a new hearing test feature linked to AirPods.
Settings
Apple plans to streamline the Settings app with a reorganized UI for a cleaner layout and easier navigation. Search functionality within the Settings app is also set to improve.
Home Screen and Control Center
While iOS 18 won’t undergo a complete design overhaul, expect to see refreshes in the Home Screen, Control Center, and certain in-app elements.
Apple will unveil a revamped Home Screen in iOS 18, offering greater customization options with the ability to arrange app icons in new configurations. While adhering to an invisible grid, users will have the flexibility to insert blank spaces, rows, and columns between app icons for organizational flexibility not currently offered. Additionally, users will have the freedom to change the colors of app icons in iOS 18, no longer limited to the colors predefined by developers.
Apple has experimented with a customizable layout for the Control Center in iOS 18, featuring a drag-and-drop interface that allows users to rearrange certain controls. Additionally, Apple intends to introduce a new Apple Music widget and enhanced controls for HomeKit products.
Apps in general may undergo a design refresh inspired by visionOS, with a heightened emphasis on translucency for buttons and other UI elements.
Passwords
iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS 15 will introduce a standalone Passwords app, offering functionality similar to the current Passwords section in Settings. This includes features like one-time passcodes and password generation. The app will store logins and passwords for websites, Wi-Fi networks, and Passkeys, which utilize Face ID or Touch ID for website logins. Data from the app can automatically fill in login details across devices using iCloud Keychain. Apple plans to allow customers to import passwords from third-party apps, with accessibility on Vision Pro devices and PCs.
Messages
The Messages app is rumored to receive several AI-driven features. These include improved suggested replies for faster responses to incoming texts and Siri’s ability to summarize lengthy messages.
An auto-generated emoji feature will enable users to create emojis based on the content of a message, utilizing AI to generate entirely new emojis rather than selecting from the existing emoji library.
For Tapbacks, the reactions users can add to incoming messages, Apple is introducing vibrant new icons and emoji support for the first time. Users will have the option to tap on a message and reply with an emoji character.
iMessages will incorporate new text effects, allowing individual words to be animated within a message, as opposed to the entire message, along with a feature for scheduling text messages to be sent later.
In addition to these enhancements, Messages will undergo a significant under-the-hood overhaul aimed at improving communications with Android users. Apple will adopt Rich Communication Services (RCS) as a standard to replace the current SMS/MMS standard. While iMessage will remain the preferred method for iPhone-to-iPhone conversations, RCS will ensure smoother interactions, avoiding disruptions caused by “green bubbles.”
RCS supports higher-resolution photos and videos, larger file sizes and sharing, audio messages, cross-platform emoji reactions, real-time typing indicators, improved group chats, and read receipts. All these features will be available in iPhone-to-Android text messaging threads.
With RCS, messages can be sent over cellular or Wi-Fi networks, with no cost for sending an RCS message over Wi-Fi, improving upon SMS, which only functions over cellular connections.
Notifications
With iOS 18, Apple aims to introduce smarter recaps that summarize missed notifications while in a Focus mode. This feature will facilitate catching up on notifications and quickly skipping over those deemed less relevant.
Accessibility
Apple has already unveiled several new accessibility features slated for iOS 18.
One such feature, Vehicle Motion Cues, is designed to alleviate motion sickness for passengers viewing an iPhone in a moving vehicle. This feature incorporates animated dots at the display’s edge to reflect real-time motion changes, reducing sensory conflicts between visual perception and physical sensation experienced in motion.
Eye Tracking enables users to navigate the iPhone using only their eyes. Leveraging AI and the front-facing camera, it detects the user’s gaze and can be utilized to trigger buttons, swipes, and other gestures.
Music Haptics introduces the capability for the Taptic Engine to produce taps, textures, and refined vibrations synchronized with the audio of the music. This feature extends across millions of songs available on Apple Music.
Hearing Aid Mode
iOS 18 may bring a hearing aid mode to AirPods Pro 2. While Apple cannot market the AirPods Pro as hearing aids for individuals with hearing impairments, the FDA permits over-the-counter hearing aids designed for non-hearing-impaired users.
Compatibility
iOS 18 is anticipated to be compatible with all iPhones capable of running iOS 17. However, some on-device AI features may be restricted to iPhone 15 Pro models and later.
macOS 15
macOS 15 will receive numerous AI features similar to those coming to iOS 18, aligning with Apple’s practice of introducing feature parity across its devices. The enhancements in apps such as Messages, Mail, Photos, Notes, Calendar, Calculator, and Apple Music will also be extended to the Mac platform. Additionally, the Siri features will eventually be integrated into macOS 15.
We’ve gathered limited information about Mac-specific features, but it’s anticipated that the Calculator will undergo a redesign inspired by the iPhone calculator app, featuring rounded buttons and an improved unit conversion system. Additionally, System Settings will undergo reorganization to prioritize the most frequently used features at the top of the app.
New wallpaper packs are set to debut on Macs, iPhones, and iPads, with Mac wallpapers referencing “old school icons and slogans.” Furthermore, Xcode will incorporate an AI coding feature akin to GitHub’s Copilot tool.
Apple is expected to select another California landmark name for macOS 15. Among the names trademarked by Apple over the past decade, those yet to be used include Redwood, Grizzly, Sequoia, Mammoth, Pacific, Rincon, Farallon, Miramar, Condor, Diablo, and Shasta.
watchOS 11
It will inherit the enhancements Apple intends to implement for Siri on the iPhone. This includes an optimized version of Siri tailored for on-the-go tasks, empowering the Apple Watch to serve as a more capable personal assistant directly from the wrist.
According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, the Siri interface will “format responses uniquely based on the type of query.” Additionally, Apple intends to implement alterations to certain apps, such as Fitness.
tvOS18
AI Siri capabilities will be cross-platform, suggesting the eventual introduction of new Siri functionality on the Apple TV. While there haven’t been specific rumors regarding features coming to tvOS 18, it’s worth noting that tvOS updates typically entail more minor changes compared to updates for other operating systems.
visionOS 2
It will unveil specialized Vision Pro editions of Apple apps that were absent in the initial software release, including Home, Apple News, Reminders, Voice Memos, and Calendars. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman suggests that Apple will also incorporate additional “missing features,” although specifics remain undisclosed.
In May, Apple announced its plans to integrate Live Captions into FaceTime on visionOS, along with introducing a feature allowing users to relocate captions within Apple’s Immersive Video experiences.
The keynote will be accessible on YouTube, Apple’s website, the Apple TV app, and the Apple Developer app.