It’s WWDC 2024 prime time! Every year Apple kicks off its Worldwide Developers Conference with a few hours of live announcements, like the long-awaited Apple Intelligence and makeover for Siri, the smart AI assistant. We expected most of them to revolve around the company’s artificial intelligence ambitions (and here they are), and it didn’t disappoint. We also bring you news about Vision Pro and many other features.
Here’s how to tune in.
Developers should expect regular hardware and software updates, and we originally thought that some other items would be released. Even Brian Heater went to equity to dish. Now sit back and relax while the team breaks down all the big news in an easy-to-digest digest.
It’s a picture and emoji playground
One of the Apple Intelligence-powered features coming to iOS 18 will allow iPhone users to create AI images of the people they message — a feature similar to AI-enhanced Bitmoji. The goal is to make your “everyday conversations more interesting.”
Apple Intelligence has an understanding of who you’re talking to in a messaging conversation, so if you want to personalize that chat with a custom AI image, you can create one on the fly. Read more
Apple TV+
For those of you using Apple TV+, there’s a new feature called InSight. This feature will allow viewers to know the names of actors and song titles that appear on screen. It’s similar to Amazon’s X-ray technology, where Fire TV users get a glimpse of actor bios and behind-the-scenes information while watching TV shows and movies, writes Lauren Forristal.
What stands out about the Insight, however, is its Shazam-like functionality, which displays a song from a TV show or movie and lets users choose to add it to an Apple Music playlist to listen to later. Read more
Siri
Apple has made some improvements to its smart assistant, Siri. This includes adding some creative AI features that make Siri seem more natural and personal. There is also a new flashing light. Also, Siri can handle glitches in speech and better understand context. Plus, those who prefer to type, can now do so. Read more
Apple Intelligence is here
The new feature is called Apple Intelligent (AI, get it?). The company promised that this feature will be built with security at its core along with highly personalized experiences.
“Most importantly, it needs to understand you and be grounded in your personal environment, like your regular environment, your relationships, your communications, and so on,” CEO Tim Cook noted at WWDC Monday. “Of course, it has to be built from the ground up with privacy in mind. All of this goes beyond artificial intelligence. It’s personal intelligence, which is Apple’s next big step. Read more
Use of passwords
While you can already use your iCloud account to store and sync passwords across your devices, it’s not as easy to find. Now, the company has introduced a password app. Some features include a new column on the left, which makes navigating your password collection much easier. For example, you can view all your passwords or Wi-Fi passwords (new additions), passwords or codes not associated with a website or service. Read more
Smart Script on the iPad
A new “Smart Script” feature that cleans up your handwriting when you use Apple Pencil to write in notes. Apple says it makes the handwriting in your notes even smoother and straighter. This feature improves the appearance of your handwriting as you write by using on-device machine learning to recreate your handwriting from your notes. You will see your own handwriting, which will be much smoother and clearer. Read more
Calculator for iPad
Who would have thought that a calculator would liven up a developer conference? Well, Apple’s new calculator for iPad app has everyone excited.
iOS’s perennial tip-calculating app is finally coming to the big screen. This feature uses the extra screen real estate to bring new features that the company couldn’t really jam into the iPhone. The biggest draw here is adding math notes. The addition feature effect does the math for you. Read more
MacOS Sequoia
The latest operating system version is called MacOS Sequoia.
One of the biggest features of this new OS is iPhone mirroring. Now, with macOS’s Continuity feature, you can mirror your iPhone’s screen and control it right from your Mac. Notifications on the Mac pop you into iPhone mirror mode, and iPhone audio comes through the Mac too, but is locked when the connected iPhone is in mirror mode. Read more
Well, let’s dive a little deeper into iPhone mirroring. While Apple hasn’t detailed many use cases for the feature, it could make it easier to demo apps over video calls or in person, as users can switch between a slideshow presentation and a live demo of an iPhone app, writes Sarah Perez. By launching it as another application on your Mac. Read more
News by satellite
This new feature works similar to Apple’s emergency SOS feature. When you don’t have a signal, you’ll be given the option to find a satellite to relay data to. You have to point the phone in the right direction when you do that, though, and there’s an overlay above your messages to remind you. Read more
Photos app
Apple showed off the new Photos app as it appears in an upcoming release of iOS software. The new app introduces new navigation, new organizational features and other ways to find your favorite photos, including photos of friends, family, pets, trips and more.
A few things to know: The new design puts everything you need within easy reach, reducing the time you spend searching for photos.
One big change includes how the app is integrated into a single view with a photo grid above and a theme-organized library below. Read more
Tap to cash out
One of the more interesting additions is Tap to Pay, which more or less seems to allow users to pay for items by tapping a pair of iPhones.
As Brian Heater writes, the feature is an evolution of Apple Pay’s long-standing Tap to Pay feature. Similarly, the new addition makes use of the device’s NFC functionality. Apple notes that this feature transfers money without sharing any personal information — a nice privacy element. Read more
iOS 18
Users can lock apps when they hand over their phone to do things like show someone a picture or let them play a game. When you lock the app, if someone tries to tap your phone, they’ll need to authenticate using Face ID, Touch ID, or their passcode. When the App Lock feature is enabled, information inside the app won’t appear in other places like search and notifications. Read more
Apple also shared some early details for the upcoming major release of iOS, its operating system designed specifically for the iPhone. As expected, most of this involves artificial intelligence. Remember when icons were locked to the grid? Well, now you can set your home screen however you want so that they don’t cover your background photos.
“iOS 18 is a big release that offers more ways to personalize your iPhone, stay connected and relive special moments,” said Craig Federighi, Apple SVP of Software Engineering. Read more
Speaking of icons, most of these updates include long-requested features like the ability to place app icons and widgets anywhere on the home screen, and support for dark mode icons with different color schemes. Read more
VisionOS 2
VisionOS 2 brings with it productivity improvements and “new immersive experiences.” One allows you to “localize” photos from regular photos using AI technology. Another is a new navigation option: VisionOS 2 lets you switch to the home screen with a tap or flip your hand to bring up the Control Center with notifications, shortcuts and more. Read more
One of the big announcements with this includes the ability to convert existing images into spatial photos. The new feature uses machine learning to create additional angles, which marks a change from the existing method, which requires taking pictures on the iPhone 15 Pro or Vision Pro. Read more
For those of you outside the US, the Vision Pro headset will be available in eight new countries. Read more
Useful AI, not flashy AI
Apple has fallen behind its peers in the AI race and may feel it needs to pull out all the stops to woo fans and shareholders. But this shouldn’t mean compromising too much on features. Read more
Creative AI
For smart assistants: Despite rumors pointing to the company shifting many employees to AI-creating functions following the electric car boom, all signs point to Apple giving up a significant head start to the competition. Therefore, its most logical play is to partner with a governing authority like OpenAI. Read more
Maybe not for the iPhone 15: Some other rumors are that when this generative AI comes into play, a small number of older devices will also be able to run the system, including iPads and Maxes running the M1 chip or higher, and the iPhone 15 Pro. That means the standard iPhone 15 can leave it out in the cold. Read more
