Updated June 7
• A new password manager could arrive for all major Apple devices
• Apple's rumored OpenAI features could all be opt-in for users
• Apple and OpenAI partnership could be short-term.
• Don't expect new hardware at WWDC, an insider says.
• Apple's set a date and time for the WWDC keynote.
Update June 10: Apple’s WWDC 2024 event is over and we have all the big announcements right here in our WWDC 2024 recap!
WWDC 2024 is all about this year's big software updates and how Apple is bringing AI to its devices. This year, that means iOS 18, an especially significant release given Apple's reported plans to go big on AI this year with Siri. But that's not all, given how the conference is expected to also introduce updates with iPadOS 18, watchOS 11, tvOS 18, and more.
Apple has confirmed the WWDC keynote is happening at 1 PM ET on Monday, June 10. That's when we should expect to see what Tim Cook and company have in store for us. Naturally, the software announcements from the conference will chiefly impact the respective hardware they're intended for — like the iPhone 16, iPad Pro with M4 chip, and Apple Watch 10.
Here's what we're expecting from WWDC, and be sure to check out our guide on how to watch the WWDC 2024 live stream.
WWDC 2024 Cheat Sheet: Biggest Expected Announcements
- iOS 18 should be the biggest news by far at WWDC, with Apple revealing all the AI features coming to the iPhone.
- AI features are coming to core iPhone apps, including suggested replies to emails and messages, summaries of documents and web pages, AI-generated emoji and a more advanced Siri.
- Generative AI tools in Photos app would allow for object removal.
- Apple may also announce a partnership with OpenAI at WWDC.
When is Apple WWDC 2024?
Apple has confirmed the WWDC 2024 schedule, with the week-long conference kicking off June 10 and running through June 14. That opening day is the one to pay attention to — that's when Apple holds its WWDC keynote, featuring all those software previews plus any product announcements.
The event to be live-streamed, with the keynote getting underway at 1 p.m. EDT/10 a.m. PDT.
Where can I watch WWDC 2024?
The WWDC 2024 keynote is easily found on Apple's website, where the live stream will appear as we get closer to the 10 a.m. PT launch time on Monday June 10.
Apple posts the WWDC keynote livestream on its YouTube channel as well. You'll find a placeholder for the WWDC 2024 keynote livestream there at the moment and we've embedded the player above.
If you own an Apple TV or have a device like the iPhone which features Apple's TV app, you'll also be able to watch the WWDC 2024 keynote from that device. A keynote live stream will be available in the TV app.
Will we get new hardware?
Past developer conferences have introduced some exciting new hardware, with the Vision Pro and first-generation HomePod both getting WWDC announcements. Typically, though, Apple puts the focus on software at its developer conference.
At least one insider says that will be the case this year. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman doesn't expect any hardware announcements at WWDC 2024. (Earlier, Gurman had floated the possibility of a new Apple TV debuting at the show, but we'd guess that's unlikely now.)
Apart from that new Apple TV, Apple would be hard-pressed to make any hardware news, as the company just recently unveiled new tablets during its “Let Loose” event on May 7 (the iPad Pro 2024 and iPad Air 2024, specifically). Mac updates aren't expected until later in the year, and Apple typically waits until the fall to show off new iPhones and Apple Watches.
Alternatively, WWDC may contain no new hardware reveals at all. Mark Gurman recently stated that he did not expect Apple to unveil any new hardware at this time. Mark wrote, “There’s no hardware slated to be announced at WWDC, unless Apple unexpectedly previews a new device launching later (to be clear: I don’t expect that).” in his most recent Power On newsletter.
iOS 18 at WWDC 2024
Typically, WWDC is when Apple releases the first developer beta of its next iPhone operating system, and according to Bloomberg's Gurman, iOS 18 is shaping up to be "one of the biggest iOS updates — if not the biggest — in the company's history."
While we know that part of this update is going to include the introduction of the RCS text protocol for better communications with Android devices, the more significant update should involve the buzzword of 2024: artificial intelligence.
According to Gurman, Apple's Craig Federighi has given an "edict" to the team to ensure that iOS 18 is filled “with features running on the company’s large language model". And with Apple reportedly offering millions of dollars to publishers for AI training purposes, the results may be quite distinct from the ChatGPTs of this world in terms of reliability.
What does that mean in practice? Well, according to code found in the iOS 17.4 beta, it looks like the AI – codenamed Ajax – will be able to summarize content and answer questions based on user prompts.
There also seem to be references to integration with iMessage in the code. This makes sense, as Gurman had previously stated that Ajax would work with the Messages app to "field questions and auto-complete sentences".
In other words, it sounds like Siri is going to get a significant and long-overdue upgrade in terms of its smarts. But the big question is whether it's going to need new hardware to function. Siri's creator, Dag Kittlause who co-founded the AI startup acquired by Apple in 2010, believes that Apple's assistant is a “dark horse” in the large language model space — and that Siri will be a huge force in the AI space.
Going beyond the iPhone's native apps, AI is expected to allow Siri to tap into other apps for even more commands. Gurman hints that Siri would use large language models at its core, so it can do things like interact with apps like Uber to call up a ride for you, all without having to run the app itself.
Generative AI features are also expected to be a big part of iOS 18, as a report indicates that even the base model of the iPhone 16 will come with extra storage and RAM to accommodate them.
While Apple has a proud record of bringing the latest versions of iOS to its older iPhones, artificial intelligence might be a bridge too far for more vintage generations, especially with the company reportedly favoring on-device AI over cloud-based solutions. In other words, this might require the grunt of the upcoming A18 processor.
That said, with the iPhone 16 not due until September and with an early beta coming as soon as June, it would make sense for Apple to have some cloud-based versions for older iPhones — and one rumor suggests that's how things will play out, with on-device AI for the 2024 models and a cloud-based version for older ones. Hopefully, we'll be seeing the last six years of iPhone models compatible with iOS 18, as some rumors have claimed.
One important thing we are awaiting confirmation on is how well AI will work on older model iPhones. According to Mark Gurman at Bloomberg, many of Apple’s new on-device AI features will require an iPhone 15 Pro (or newer) to work. Gurman also claimed that iPads and Macs running the M1 chip or newer would be able to take advantage of new on-device features.
Gurman also reports that a partnership between Apple and OpenAI to bring AI features to the iPhone may be a short-term deal. This would keep Apple in the AI conversation against its chief rivals, but this would also be an opportunity for OpenAI to broaden its reach.
Gurman recently spoke more about the partnership, stating that the OpenAI features will likely be opt-in, meaning users won't be forced to use them. The opt-in nature of OpenAI features on iPhone is apparently an attempt to appease wary customers who may not be happy with OpenAI having access to their personal data.
There will still be a few additions outside of the AI stuff though it seems. Another of Gurman's claims is that a full Passwords app will arrive in iOS 18, making it easier to keep track of and manage your passphrases across different Apple devices.
iPadOS 18 at WWDC 2024
Apple didn't waste time announcing its first new hardware of the year at its Let Loose event in May: the M2 powered 13-inch iPad Air 2024 and the M4 powered iPad Pro 2024. Both are currently running iPad OS 17, so it's expected that these new tablets will benefit more once Apple releases iPadOS 18 later this year.
Details around iPadOS 18 have been light at best, but it's certain that AI will be an integral part of the story. There's been barely any clues as to what we'll actually get in terms of AI features specifically for iPadOS 18. Regardless, the stuff expected to accompany iOS 18 should trickle into Apple's tablet OS. At the very least, leaks hint that iPadOS 18 could finally give the iPad a native calculator app.
With the introduction of its new iPads, the company also took the time to also unveil the Apple Pencil Pro. New features include functionality like barrel roll and the long-rumored squeeze feature, which allows quicker access to a contextual menu and to adjust the shape and size of the brush tools.
In our iPad Pro 2024 review, we mention how it's becoming more like a laptop, which begs the question of how iPadOS18 could narrow the gap between iPadOS and macOS.
macOS 15 at WWDC 2024
Big visual changes are tipped for macOS 15, with the latest rumors hinting at changes specifically on the settings app, Calculator, Notes, Safari, and Voice Memos. Similar to iPadOS 18, the Calculator app for macOS 15 is being tailored to appear more like its iOS counterpart — including a Math Notes feature to support proper mathematical notation.
As for AI features expected with macOS 15? Siri is being heavily targeted with more of a focus on how the voice assistant will better integrate with the Messages app. On one hand it's expected for Siri to sound better with natural conversation, but Apple's assistant should be more effective at auto-completing sentences. There's also deeper integration of Siri with the Shortcuts app, which could provide users with detailed commands across multiple apps.
Just think: you could potentially tap Siri to send custom text messages and emails to specific people that could go out once you reach a destination. This kind of complexity could greatly give Siri an extra leg up.
Lastly, this upcoming release should follow the same naming convention Apple has stuck with — so this means being named after a California landmark.
We are also awaiting confirmation on a recent theory made by Mark Gurman, which stated that iPads and Macs running the M1 chip or newer would be able to take advantage of new on-device features. It’s unclear what this will mean for the brand-new M4 chip, which is supposedly built specifically for AI.
watchOS 11 at WWDC 2024
Can you believe it's been 9 years since the first Apple Watch was released? Even though watchOS 10 saw a major revamp for the smartwatch platform, it appears as that watchOS 11 won't be as substantial with new features and changes. In fact, Mark Gurman reports that the "watchOS 11 update to be fairly minor."
Most of rumored changes around watchOS 11 center around revamping one of its workouts, given how the company previously improved run metrics with watchOS 9 and added Live Activities support to its cycling and hiking workouts. Knowing how those all got upgraded, it shouldn't be a surprise if Apple upgrades another workout with watchOS 11.
More data tracking could also come with sleep tracking, which could give Apple Watch owners more insights to their sleeping habits. Given how RCS support is expected to come to the iPhone this fall to better foster messaging between Android and iPhone users, we suspect Apple Watch users will benefit from this with watchOS 11's release.
What remains to be unseen is whether or not watchOS 11 will draw back more developers to make standalone apps again — so they can free themselves from constantly needing to have their iPhones in order to use apps. For example, the YouTube Music app for watchOS controls the app on the iPhone, but it can't be used on its own for direct music listening without an iPhone.
tvOS 18 at WWDC 2024
We've already noted that Apple could reveal a new Apple TV streaming box, rumored to be priced at much lower $99 while featuring a faster chip. But with the indication that no new hardware is in the works, the only news here may be a new version of tvOS, the software that powers Apple TV hardware.
Very little is known about what tvOS 18 could introduce to the experience. Naturally, we expect cross experiences from iOS 18 and iPadOS 18, but there haven't been rumors about specific features. Perhaps AI features coming to Siri could provide the voice assistant better recommendations on what to watch?
