Everything revealed at WWDC 2024: Apple Intelligence, iOS 18, and more

Apple’s WWDC developer conference returned for 2024. The smartphone tech giant held the event between 10 June and 14 June, with the main keynote on the first day. At the conference, we saw all the latest software that Apple’s been working on.

This year, we got the usual debut of the latest iOS 18, iPadOS, macOS, and watchOS software. And with the Vision Pro now on people’s faces, we saw what Apple has next for visionOS. But this year, we also got Apple’s major AI features, under the moniker of Apple Intelligence.

But what all was revealed? Here’s everything that Apple revealed at WWDC 2024. You can take a quick look at each of our stories, or read a full catch-up below.

• Read more: Apple’s WWDC 2023 event: everything Apple revealed

Apple Intelligence

Apple Intelligence marks a significant leap in personal AI technology. It was the highlight of WWDC 2024. This system combines generative models with personal context, delivering insights and capabilities tailored to each user.

Integrated into all of Apple’s new software, it leverages Apple silicon to understand and create language and images, perform actions across apps, and draw from personal context to simplify and speed up everyday tasks.

Key features include:

• Writing Tools: These systemwide tools let you rewrite, proofread, and summarize text across various apps like Mail, Notes, Pages, and third-party apps. You can choose different versions of their text, adjust the tone, check grammar, and create summaries.
• Image Playground: This feature lets you create fun images in seconds, choosing from styles like Animation, Illustration, or Sketch. Integrated into apps like Messages and available as a standalone app, it offers a range of creative possibilities.
• Genmoji: This takes emoji to the next level, allowing you to create custom Genmoji by typing descriptions. These can be used in messages or shared as stickers.
• Siri Enhancements: Siri becomes more natural and contextually aware. Apple has made Siri actually work now – finally. The smart assistant can follow conversations and switch between text and voice. New design features include an elegant glowing light that wraps around the screen when Siri is active.

Privacy remains Apple’s MO, with on-device processing for many features and Private Cloud Compute for more complex tasks, ensuring data never leaves the user’s control.

iOS 18

iOS 18 was the biggest software release at WWDC 2024. This free iPhone update is all about customisation, intelligence, and enhanced user experience. Here’s what to expect:

• Customisation: You can now arrange apps and widgets freely on the Home Screen, place them above the dock, and customise Lock Screen buttons. Control Center has been redesigned for easier access and greater flexibility.
• Photos App: The app gets its biggest redesign, organizing photo libraries in a single view with new collections based on themes. A new carousel view features daily highlights, and autoplaying content brings memories to life.
• Mail: The inbox is sorted into categories (Primary, Transactions, Updates, Promotions) using on-device intelligence. Digest views compile relevant emails from businesses, making it easier to manage.
• Messages: RCS support enhances messaging with richer media and more reliable group messaging. You can apply text effects, schedule messages, and use new Tapbacks (reactions) with any emoji or sticker.
• Satellite Communication Improvements: Messages over satellite allow users to stay connected when cellular or Wi-Fi connections are unavailable in emergencies, ensuring communication in remote areas.
• New Privacy Controls: Locked and hidden apps keep information private, and users can share only specific contacts with apps. Enhanced Bluetooth accessory pairing ensures privacy.

Additionally, Safari introduces Highlights for key information discovery, and the new Passwords app consolidates passwords, passkeys, and verification codes securely.

Vision Pro availability and visionOS 2

Apple Vision Pro is expanding globally, with pre-orders opening in the UK, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Singapore, China, Japan. VisionOS 2 enhances the spatial computing experience with several new features:

• Spatial Photos: You can create and relive memories with incredible depth and realism. visionOS can now transform 2D images into beautiful spatial photos.
• Hand Gestures: New and more intuitive gestures allow quick access to frequently used features like Home View and Control Center.
• Mac Virtual Display: Now featuring higher resolution and larger size, equivalent to two 4K monitors side by side. Mouse support and physical Magic Keyboard reveal are requested features to help enhance productivity.
• Guest User and Travel Mode: Guest User allows others to use Vision Pro, saving their data for 30 days. Travel Mode adds support for trains (because it only worked on trains before WWDC 2024), transforming physical surroundings with immersive Environments.

iPadOS 18

iPadOS 18 brings significant enhancements to the iPad, making it more versatile and intelligent. But it still doesn’t bring pro features to the insanely powerful iPad Pros! Grrr. Here’s what’s new from WWDC 2024:

• Calculator and Math Notes: The Calculator app finally arrives on iPad, featuring Math Notes for handwritten calculations and graphing. Yes, we have to deal with the incorrect American spelling because… Apple.
• Notes: Smart Script enhances handwritten notes, making them fluid and legible. New collapsible sections and highlighting options improve organization.
• Customisation: Like on iOS 18, you can place app icons and widgets in any position on the Home Screen, apply light, dark, or tinted effects, and create custom layouts in Control Center.
• Photos App: The biggest redesign yet carries over to the iPad. You get a simplified single view and new collections, and can customise the app to highlight important moments.
• Messages: New text effects, Tapbacks (reactions) with any emoji or sticker, and scheduled messages make communication more expressive and convenient.
• Safari: Highlights and redesigned Reader enhance web browsing, surfacing key information and offering distraction-free reading.
• Privacy Controls: Locked and hidden apps, specific contact sharing, and secure Bluetooth pairing offer enhanced privacy.

macOS Sequoia

macOS Sequoia elevates the Mac experience with new features and enhancements. At WWDC 2024, Apple unveiled the following improvements:

• iPhone Mirroring: You can access and control your iPhone directly from your Mac, including custom wallpapers and icons.
• Safari: Highlights and the redesigned Reader make information discovery easier. Viewer brings videos front and centre, and adds better support for Picture-in-Picture.
• Passwords App: Built on Keychain, this app organizes passwords, passkeys, and credentials in one place, securely syncing across devices (where you’ll also find the new app).
• Gaming: New titles like Assassin’s Creed Shadows and improvements like Personalized Spatial Audio and Game Mode make gaming more immersive. But, it’s still gaming on a Mac. So there’s not much here.
• Window Tiling and Video Conferencing: Easier window arrangement and new presenter preview features enhance multitasking and presentations.
• Apple Intelligence: Systemwide Writing Tools, Image Playground, and a more natural Siri experience, leveraging Private Cloud Compute for complex tasks.

Additional features include improved Messages, curated hikes in Apple Maps, smarter note-taking, and enhanced Calendar and Calculator apps.

watchOS 11

watchOS 11 brings new health insights, fitness tracking, and personalization. Here’s what Apple showed at WWDC 2024:

• Vitals App: Surfaces key health metrics and alerts users when multiple metrics are out of range, providing context for changes.
• Training Load: Measures workout intensity and duration over time, helping you optimise your training routines.
• Customisable Activity Rings: You can pause rings without affecting streaks and customise goals by day of the week. This is something we’ve wanted for a while.
• Smart Stack and Photos Face: New widgets and intelligent suggestions enhance convenience, while the Photos face uses machine learning for optimal photo selection.
• Check In and Translate: Check In provides safety during workouts, and the Translate app offers on-the-go translation. The double tap gesture now scrolls through apps for one-handed use.

Enhanced workout types, offline navigation in Apple Maps, and summarized notifications round out the updates.

AirPods, tvOS 18, and HomePods

AirPods, tvOS, and HomePods get significant upgrades at WWDC 2024 to improve your experience. Here’s what’s new:

• AirPods: Siri Interactions allow users to respond with head gestures, and Voice Isolation improves call quality. Gaming latency is reduced, and Personalized Spatial Audio enhances immersion.
• tvOS 18: InSight provides real-time information about TV content (like Prime Video’s X-Ray), Enhance Dialogue offers clearer vocals, and subtitles appear automatically when needed. New screen savers, including Snoopy, and 21:9 support for projectors enhance entertainment.
• Home: Guest access and hands-free unlock with home keys make home management easier. AirPlay adds Spatial Audio support, and the Home app gains new features for electricity use monitoring and robot vacuum control.

Availability and compatibility

And that’s everything that Apple revealed at WWDC 2024! Developer betas for all the new software releases are out now, and public betas are coming in July. I shouldn’t have to say this, but please don’t install these on your main device. If you should even install them at all! Apple Intelligence features aren’t in the early betas, and will arrive in summer. The AI features will still be in beta at the time of release in September.

Apple Intelligence features will be reserved for the iPhone 15 Pro series and beyond, and only Macs and iPads with M-series chipsets. You can check device compatibility requirements for iOS 18 here, iPadOS 18 here, macOS Sequoia here, and watchOS 11 here.