What to Know
- WWDC will be held June 8–12, 2026, with the keynote event on the first day.
- The keynote will announce the new operating systems that will come out to the public this fall.
- We can expect details on this year's updates for iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, macOS, tvOS, and visionOS.
Apple's annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) will start with a keynote event on June 8 and continue through until June 12. At this event Apple will announce details about all the new operating systems for the iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Mac, Apple TV, and Apple Vision Pro. Rumors are already floating around about new software features to accommodate a foldable iPhone and so much more.
When Is WWDC 2026?
WWDC 2026 will be held from June 8 to June 12, 2026. Just like last year, the event is mostly online and free for anyone who wants to tune in. The most exciting part of the event for the general public will be the keynote, where we will discover all the new features and changes coming to iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, macOS, tvOS, and visionOS. Last year Apple made the switch to naming operating systems based on the year that the most users will have it on their devices, so this year they will all be numbered '27' and they will be released to the public in the fall of 2026.
iOS 27 Features
Apple leakers, including Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, believe that this update will be more focused on improving existing features rather than announcing brand new ones. One of the most anticipated changes is the smarter Siri and Gurman believes that we'll get a brand new Siri chatbot that will still run on Apple's internal servers to protect everyone's data and privacy. With a more powerful AI, your iPhone will be capable of so much more including on-screen awareness and personalized requests. This means that your phone will know which apps you have open and you'll be able to make more complicated requests that Siri will understand intuitively. For example, "Hey Siri, find a text where (boss's name) mentions a project deadline and add it to my calendar."
Apps including Health, Shortcuts, Safari, Wallet, will all get new AI-powered features that will make tasks such as tracking calories or browsing the web effortless and more productive. We might also see an undo and redo button when editing our Home Screen Pages and wallpapers. Plus, there will be new ways that our iPhones will be able to use the ability to connect to satellites, like using Apple Maps even if there's no Wi-Fi or cellular connection. MacRumors claims that Nicolás Alvarez discovered new Visual Intelligence features in the "backend code" that will make it possible to quickly turn physical passes into virtual Apple Wallet passes that are harder to lose.
Finally, we'll expect the usual improvements in performance and efficiency without harming the iPhone's battery life. In the best case scenario, the new lineup of iPhones will have even better battery life despite being able to handle lots of new features. If a foldable iPhone is released, we will need more productivity features. Perhaps Apple will borrow from the iPad to implement side-by-side apps use and other features that make use of the larger display.
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iPadOS 27 Features
All of the new exciting AI-powered features that we might be getting on iOS should also be available for iPadOS 27. Of course, Apple has gotten into the habit of upgrading iPads with features that were previously only available on Macs, so if I could wish for anything, it would be a proper Finder app. In Gurman's Power On newsletter, the leaker states that the new base iPad will be getting an A18 chip, which the lineup of iPhone 16 models currently has. The exciting thing about this is that it will offer an iPad with Apple Intelligence to the more affordable models.
watchOS 27 Features
Unfortunately for Apple Watch users, Gurman doesn't expect many updates other than the usual performance improvement and bug fixes. However, since there are so many new and updated AI features on the iPhone and iPad, we could expect the same to be true for the Apple Watch. There has been a rumor going around about advanced Health app features that can provide valuable fitness and wellness advice based on all the data your watch gathers. If this is true, it could also make features like Workout Buddy better and actually more helpful. However, Gurman doesn't believe that this update will come this year, but hopefully we will get it in 2027 with the release of the 28 series of operating systems.
macOS 27 Features
There isn't too much known about what's coming to Macs this fall. However, Apple did announce at the 2025 WWDC that macOS 26 would be the last update that Macs with the Intel chip will be able to run. So that means that macOS 27 will only be compatible with Macs that have an M chip. While this was already known, it points to the fact that Macs will also have a lot more AI features, although the details on those have been kept under lock and key. There is a rumor that the future MacBook Pro will have the first MacBook touch screen. Even if this happens, it doesn't mean that we'll see too many changes to the software. tvOS 27 Features
Apple TVs haven't had a major update in a while, and we don't expect anything drastic to be announced this summer either. Hopefully Apple will give us some new fun screensavers and perhaps a smarter Siri will also mean better show and movie suggestions based on a user's watch data. I've always wondered when streaming services will start accounting for how quickly and at what point a user turns off a show or a movie and doesn't return. This would be a good way to make valuable recommendations that go beyond what exists today.
visionOS 27 Features
Since Apple Vision Pro didn't take off as Apple expected, we don't have big hopes on major changes to Apple's smart headset. Of course, with an updated Siri, we should get some exciting new features that make using the Apple Vision Pro even more appealing to the masses.
The closer we get to this year's 2026 WWDC event, the more leaks we might have. We will be making updates to this article with any new whisker we hear, so check back in to stay up to date on the upcoming operating systems we'll be enjoying later this year.
