WWDC 2024: AI, iOS 18, and everything we expect from Apple’s big show

WWDC 2024 will be the latest installment of Apple’s long-running Worldwide Developers Conference – and we now have an official date for what could be one of the biggest editions of the event yet.

This year, WWDC 2024 starts on June 10 – that’s official. The conference actually lasts several days, but it’s the first day where we get to see Apple’s keynote presentation and where all the big news is announced.

What exactly is WWDC? Every year, Apple hosts the conference where it tells app makers and the world at large what to expect from the next wave of software updates. It includes iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, tvOS, visionOS and many more, and there are always plenty of big reveals at the event.

To get us in the mood for WWDC 2024, we’ve rounded up everything we know and everything we think we know about this year’s event, from the changes coming in iOS 18 to the hardware that might be shown off. When the time comes, we will also bring you live coverage of the WWDC 2024 keynote.

Cut to the chase

• What is it? Apple’s big annual software show
• When is it? June 10-14

WWDC 2024: when are the dates?

On March 26, Apple announced that WWDC 2024 would start on June 10. The conference runs until June 14, but we expect most of the major software announcements for iOS 18 and more to happen on June 10.

We don’t yet know the exact timing for the event’s keynote, so we’ll update this page as we hear more. But in the past, the keynote has taken place at 10am PDT / 1pm EDT / 6pm BST, or at 1am ACT on the next date in Australia.

Apple says it will reveal more soon on the Apple Developer website and the official Developer app.

What to expect at WWDC 2024

AI everywhere

Have you heard of artificial intelligence? AI has been absolutely everywhere this year, and Apple is somewhat behind what companies like OpenAI, Microsoft, and Google are doing in this area. WWDC 2024 could mark the moment when the game catches up, and Apple boss Tim Cook has already said the company will make big strides in generative AI this year.

Also important: a message on social media from Apple CEO Greg Joswiak saying WWDC 2024 will be “Absolutely incredible” – and we don’t think summarizing those two words is a coincidence. What exactly these AI features will be remains to be seen, although reports suggest that Siri will be central to these AI-related upgrades.

We’ll also likely see AI support for writing messages and summarizing text, as well as creating AI-powered playlists in Apple Music. These changes will take place across all Apple platforms and devices, and it seems likely that we’ll get a major update on Apple’s artificial intelligence work at the start of the WWDC 2024 keynote.

iOS 18 and iPadOS 18

According to reliable sources, iOS 18 will be one of the most important software updates Apple has ever released – which means we’re very excited to see what’s in store. All kinds of upgrades are being teased, with Google hinting that we’ll see the promised Messages support for RCS arrive with iOS 18.

There are rumors that iOS will get a redesign, although it’s not clear exactly what that might look like. It’s fair to say that the aesthetics of iOS haven’t really changed much in recent years, with Apple settling for smaller tweaks and refinements, so you could say a change was already overdue.

In addition to a fresh look, iOS 18 could also allow for more user customization, especially when it comes to home screens and app grids. That would bring it more in line with Android, allowing users to position app shortcuts and widgets with much more flexibility than you currently get with iOS.

If rumors are to be believed, there’ll also be accessibility improvements – including upgrades to the way users can control an iPhone with their voice – and perhaps an AI app store to match the super-powerful Siri assistant we’ve already mentioned . perhaps similar to the custom bots you can use with ChatGPT.

An iOS update of course also means updates for all major Apple apps, including Safari, Mail and Apple Maps. As for Apple Maps, we’ve heard that custom routes could become available with the next software update, as well as topographic maps borrowed from the Apple Watch.

iPadOS is of course closely related to iOS, although Apple is now splitting them up. We haven’t heard anything specific about iPadOS 18 yet in terms of leaks and rumors, but it’s likely that it will get the same kind of upgrades as iOS 18 – which also represents a significant leap forward in software terms for iPad owners.

check out OS 11

There’s a good chance we’ll see the Apple Watch 10 launch alongside the iPhone 16 around September (it’s what Apple did last year), and the full release of watchOS 11 should happen then as well. In the meantime, Apple will use WWDC 2024 to tell us what will happen with the next Apple Watch software update.

We heard from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman – usually accurate in his Apple leaks – that watchOS 11 is becoming “fairly small”, so maybe don’t expect too much from this software update. However, there’s all the AI ​​functionality we’ve already mentioned, and some of that should make its way to the watchOS 11 update.

There haven’t been many leaks and rumors at the moment when it comes to the Apple Watch 10 either. One leak suggests that support for detecting hypertension and sleep apnea is on the cards, and if true, this will obviously need to be supported in the software. We’ve also heard rumors that the shape and style of the device are in need of an overhaul.

Other software updates

We’ll also get news about software updates for the Macs, the Apple TV box, the Apple Vision Pro and the Apple HomePod at WWDC 2024. Like iOS, iPadOS and watchOS, these software updates will be released throughout the course. of the year, and in some cases there are public betas you can sign up for.

So far, the leaked information about these software updates is quite sparse, but we know they are coming. Some of the tweaks we can expect will match the new features in iOS 18. If that includes support for RCS messages, then it follows that the Messages app on macOS 15 will add it as well.

Again, expect artificial intelligence upgrades to play a big role – after all, Siri runs on all of these devices. It’s possible that in the future you’ll be able to talk to your HomePod the same way you can already talk to ChatGPT or Google Gemini, but we’ll have to wait and see.

Will there be any hardware reveals?

WWDC is primarily a software event, but we also saw hardware reveals at the conference – including the Apple Vision Pro shown off at WWDC 2023. Apple certainly has plenty of gadget refreshes planned for 2024, but whether we’ll see them all at WWDC 2024 remains to be seen.

The latest rumors we’ve seen are that new iPads will be unveiled before WWDC 2024 in May – so there’s no need to announce them at the developer conference. It sounds like the Apple Car project is now dead too, so there’s no chance that Apple CEO Tim Cook will take the stage in an electric vehicle… or is he?

One possibility is that Apple will use WWDC 2024 to announce a new version of its M3 chip and perhaps some new Macs to go with it: the Mac Studio, Mac mini and Mac Pro are all due for a refresh now. Apple’s other 2024 hardware launches, including the iPhone 16 and the Apple Watch 10, will happen later this year.

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