Overview
WWDC is Apple's annual global developer conference where developers can attend sessions and interact with Apple engineers. Apple's 2024 event will take place the week of June 10-14, with an online event with some in-person portions for select attendees on June 10, the keynote day.
The 35th annual Worldwide Developers Conference will take place June 10-14, with a keynote event showcasing new software on Monday, June 10, at 10am Pacific time. This year's keynote event is expected to feature iOS 18, iPadOS 18, macOS 15, tvOS 18, watchOS 11, and visionOS 2, but so far we haven't heard any rumors of new product announcements.
Like WWDC events since 2020, WWDC 2024 will be an online event that is free and open to all developers. WWDC 2024 will be held primarily online, but Apple will again host a special event for select developers, students and media members, scheduled to take place on June 10 at the Apple Park campus in Cupertino, California. Participating developers and students will be able to watch the keynote and State of the Union presentations at Apple Park, meet Apple employees and attend the Apple Design Awards.
Typically, Apple hosts the Swift Student Challenge when the dates for WWDC are announced, but the challenge was launched earlier this year and winners were announced on March 28. Some winners were randomly invited to a special event at Apple Park, and 50 outstanding winners were invited to Cupertino for a three-day experience.
At WWDC, Apple is showing off new versions of iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS and tvOS to developers and Apple customers for the first time, with a new version of visionOS coming this year. Developers can engage with Apple engineers through engineering sessions, in-person Lab appointments, Apple Developer Forums and more to learn how to incorporate new operating system features into their apps.
Apple will always broadcast WWDC keynotes on Apple.com, the Apple Developer app, the Apple Developer website, Apple TV and YouTube. The week-long developer sessions will be shared in the Apple Developer app and, for the first time, on YouTube.
WWDC Software Announcements
AI is expected to be incorporated across the operating system, and here are some of the ways Apple is rumored to be using it:
Photo retouching, such as the removal of unwanted objects.
Voice memo transcriptions.
Suggested replies to emails and messages.
Auto-generated custom emojis based on the content of a user's messages.
Smart recap for missed notifications and messages.
Improved Safari web search and faster searches in Spotlight.
Auto-generated Apple Music playlists based on input from the user, such as a mood.
AI-assisted writing in Pages.
AI-assisted slide deck creation in Keynote.
AI code writing in Xcode for developers.
Siri improvements that integrate large-language models (LLMs), such as natural conversation capabilities and improved user personalization.
The main focus of WWDC is software, and rumors in 2024 suggest that iOS 18 could be the biggest iPhone update in years thanks to AI, and many of these features may also be included in macOS. Apple wants to keep up with the competition when it comes to AI, and Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that iOS 18 will be a "relatively groundbreaking" software update with "significant new features and design" focused primarily on AI.
iOS 18 will include some design changes, possibly adopting some design elements from visionOS, but will not be a complete overhaul. The update is expected to include a more customizable home screen, giving iPhone users more choice over the look of their iPhone. Apple plans to give customers more control over the placement of app icons and the color of each icon.
App icons are expected to remain pinned to an invisible grid for organization, but the update may add options to create spaces, rows, and columns between app icons. iOS 18 could bring the most significant update to the home screen in years, comparable to the lock screen changes Apple introduced in iOS 16.
iOS 18 is expected to include updates to several built-in apps, including Notes, Mail, Photos, and Fitness. The Photos app is expected to have new AI integration for editing, Apple Music will get auto-generated playlists, Calendar will get more integration for reminders, and the Apple Maps app may get new features such as topographical map support and custom save options. Use Routes as an alternative to preselected routes, providing maps as you enter routes.
Apple introduces RCS to the Messages app in iOS 18 to improve conversations between iPhone and Android users. Sending photos and videos from iPhone to Android users will no longer result in errors, group chats will perform better, and we've also added features like cross-platform emoji reactions, read receipts, and real-time typing indicators.
MacOs 15
macOS and iOS have many features in common. Most of the rumors we've heard are focused on iOS 18, but many of the same AI features will be coming to the Mac.
Speaking of names, Apple still uses California landmarks. Over the years, Apple has trademarked several names related to California, many of which are no longer in use.
The remaining options include Redwood, Grizzly, Sequoia, Mammoth, Pacific, Rincon, Farallon, Miramar, Condor, Diablo, and Shasta. However, Apple can choose to use its own names, and has done so in the past.
Since Apple began naming its macOS versions after milestones in 2013, the names they've used are: Mavericks, Yosemite, El Capitan, Sierra, High Sierra, Mojave, Catalina, Big Sur, Monterey, Ventura, and Sonoma.
For more information about macOS 15, see our macOS 15 roundup.
Other updates
watchOS 11, tvOS 18, HomePod Software 18, and visionOS 2 are also coming, but we haven't heard many rumors about what those updates will include.
Hardware Announcements
According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple does not plan to announce any new hardware products at WWDC 2024, with the focus to be entirely on the upcoming software updates.
How to Watch the WWDC 2024 Keynote
The WWDC 2024 keynote can be watched on Apple.com, on YouTube, through the TV app on the Apple TV, or through the Apple Developer app.
For those who are unable to watch the event as it happens, we will have live coverage both on eSIM STUDIOS App & eSIM STUDIOS YouTube channel.
As a reminder, the WWDC keynote will begin at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time on Monday, June 10.