WWDC 2024: Everything you need to know before the big show

Macworld

Of the big Apple events of the year, WWDC is the most reliable: In each of the past 17 Junes, like clockwork, Apple has held a big get-together for its developer partners and announced a raft of important software updates. The September iPhone launch and the March/April spring event (which didn’t happen in 2023) seem almost unpredictable by comparison.

In this article, we list the major announcements (and some of the smaller titbits) you can expect to hear about at WWDC 2024. Some of these–updates to the five big Apple operating systems, most obviously–are as predictable as the timing of the event. But we reckon Apple will spring a few surprises this year.

Apple has announced that WWDC24 will be held from June 10-14. Apple has confirmed that the keynote is on June 10.

When is WWDC 2024?

Apple will kick off WWDC24 with a keynote at 10am Pacific Time on June 10, and the event for developers continues through June 14.

Apple traditionally holds WWDC during the first weeks of June and the keynote is always on a Monday. Here are the dates from the past few years:

WWDC 2023: June 5-9
WWDC 2022: June 6-10
WWDC 2021: June 7-11
WWDC 2020: June 22-26
WWDC 2019: June 3-7
WWDC 2018: June 4-8

What time does WWDC 2024 start?

The keynote event will start at 10 a.m. in California. If you are wondering what time will the WWDC keynote start where you are it translates to:

US: at 10 a.m. (PDT), 11 a.m. (MDT), noon (CDT), 1 p.m. (EDT)
Canada: at 2 p.m. (ADT)
UK: at 6 p.m. (BST)
Europe: at 7 p.m. (CEST)
India: at 10.30 p.m. (IST)
Singapore and China: next day at 1 a.m.
Japan: following day at 2 a.m. (JST)
Australia: following day at 1 a.m. (AWST), 2.30 a.m. (ACST), 3 a.m. (AEST)
New Zealand: following day at 5 a.m. (NZST)

How to watch WWDC 2024

When WWDC starts Apple will live stream the opening keynote on its website and elsewhere, including on YouTube and on the Apple TV app. This means you’ll be able to watch the presentation on iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, and even PC.

Here is the WWDC keynote video from 2023:

Get in the mood for WWDC24!

To help promote WWDC24, Apple has created a music playlist “of summer sounds.” Go to the playlist.

#WWDC24 is almost here! Check out this playlist of summer sounds to get ready for the biggest Apple developer event of the year. https://t.co/6BxZT3Ozau pic.twitter.com/uSHqq4clN3

— Apple Music (@AppleMusic) May 29, 2024

What will Apple announce at WWDC 2024?

WWDC stands for the Worldwide Developers Conference and is dedicated to the third-party software and hardware developers that create apps and accessories for Apple’s platforms: iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, and now Vision Pro. If you are a developer we have more information about getting an invite below.

While devs are at the heart of the event, it’s also a press event that Apple uses to announce its software plans and potentially some new Macs and other products to the world. A week before the event, Apple issued a reminder about the keynote with the phrase “Action packed,” so we’re expected quite a lot of new stuff. Read on to find out what we expect to see Apple unveil at the event, from software and hardware to some entirely new products.

Apple

WWDC 2024: Software releases

WWDC is all about the software, so we can be certain that Apple will reveal details of its upcoming operating system updates for iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, HomePod, and Apple Watch. Those updates will then be issued to developers as a beta to test, and then a few weeks later a public beta will start. Eventually, the new software will be available for everyone to download in the fall (usually September for iOS/iPadOS/watchOS and October for macOS, although in 2023 macOS Sonoma arrived in September). Here’s what to expect:

Apple Intelligence

AI will be at the forefront of WWDC, and the company is calling its AI feature set “Apple Intelligence,” according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. Apple Intelligence features will be throughout iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS 15, and users will have to opt-in to use them. So, if you rather not, you don’t have to.

Gurman also reports that even if you do want to opt in, you need to meet the hardware requirements, which are steep—iPhone 15 Pro or later. iPads and Macs will need at least an M1 chip or later. Apple Intelligence features will mostly be processed on the device, which is different from other platforms where AI processing is done in the cloud. But Apple Intelligence will be able to determine if cloud processing is needed and will use it when appropriate.

iOS 18

The headliner of the event simply because of the sheer number of iPhone owners across the planet. If you’ve got an iPhone made within the past five years, you’ll likely be able to install the new version of iOS when it’s released in the fall of 2024–though you may not be able to use the Apple Intelligence features unless you have an iPhone 15 Pr or later.

The rumors we’ve heard about iOS 18 so far indicate that it could be one of the biggest iOS updates ever. You can expect AI-specific features, including generative AI updates to Siri, Pages, Numbers, Keynote, Sarafi, and Messages. RCS support is also said to be coming to iPhones in that time frame. User interface updates are also rumored, with new ways to organize icons on the Home screen.

But before then, there’s a whole beta-testing cycle to get through. iOS 18 will be announced at WWDC 2024, and then released as a developer beta (for registered app developers only) almost immediately after the keynote. Developers will then be able to install the iOS beta and a few weeks later a public beta version will be made available for all users who want to try the new features. Our advice is to be cautious and prepared for serious flaws with the beta software–it might even brick your device.

Over the course of the next few months, the developer and public betas will go through a testing process where features will be tweaked, changed, fixed, and updated until we reach the finished iOS 18.0 public release, most likely in September.

Read all the rumors and our hopes for iOS 18 in our iOS 18 guide.

iPadOS 18

The accompanying update for iPad owners, iPadOS 18 is likely to incorporate most of the new features of iOS 18 but adapted to a larger-screen interface. When Apple’s two mobile operating systems split in 2019 they were similar in most respects, but the iPad version is heading steadily into its own realm.

In 2022, Apple released iPad OS 16 a month after iOS 16, so it’s possible that the two versions don’t arrive at the same time.

macOS 15

What’s Apple got in store for its follow-up to macOS Sonoma? We’ll find out at WWDC 2024.

This version will be numbered macOS 15, but what is less predictable is the California landmark Apple will name the version after. So far we’ve had: Mavericks, Yosemite, El Capitan, Sierra, High Sierra, Mojave, Catalina, Big Sur, Monterey, Ventura and Sonoma. Based on the trademarks Apple has applied for, macOS Rincon or Skyline could be likely.

We’ll share all the rumors and our hopes for macOS 15 in our macOS 15 guide.

visionOS 2

Now that the Vision Pro is on sale you can expect to hear about new software features coming to the device at WWDC. Apple is likely to have things to say about new apps being made for the device as well as third-party software that is being created for Vision Pro. Reports claims that visionOS 2 will fix some of the issues, including the lack of some native Apple apps.

watchOS 11

The new operating system for the Apple Watch will be revealed at WWDC 2024. This is more of a niche than the iPhone, iPad, and Mac updates discussed above but could bring more health and fitness features to Apple Watch owners around the world. Expect AI to have an impact here as well.

tvOS 18

The lowest-profile of the big Apple operating systems, tvOS is the platform that runs on the Apple TV. tvOS is generally light on new features, but the push into AI could change that, with new discovery and search tools.

HomePod software version 18

Apple is also likely to update the software on the HomePod and HomePod mini alongside the other operating systems. In 2022 Apple introduced HomePod Software Version 16 which didn’t bring a lot of new features at the time, but a later update: HomePod Software Version 16.3 brought temperature and humidity sensing to the HomePod mini and more. We may hear more about Apple’s plans for the HomePod during the WWDC event–especially as Apple is rumored to planning big changes to the HomePod.

Other software

You can also expect Apple to update its developer-focused apps, like Swift, Xcode, and TestFlight.

Apple

WWDC 2024: Hardware releases

WWDC tends to be a software-focused event, but Apple has often found time during its WWDC keynotes to launch hardware products too. The first few iPhone revisions—iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, and iPhone 4S—were all released at WWDC, and the HomePod had its unveiling at the event in 2017 as well.

However, the event has focused on Mac releases in recent years. Apple unveiled the iMac Pro in 2017 alongside updates to the iMac, MacBook, and MacBook Pro, and announced a new Mac Pro and the Pro Display XDR in June 2019. At WWDC 2020, Apple announced the transition from Intel to Apple silicon, and WWDC 2022 saw Apple launch the M2 chip in the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro. WWDC 2023 saw Apple introduce the Vision Pro, 15-inch MacBook Air, and the Mac Studio and Mac Pro with M2 Ultra chip.

What’s in the hardware pipeline for Apple right now? Hardware seems unlikely for this event due to a heavy focus on AI, but there are still some possibilities for surprises:

Vision Pro

The Vision Pro launched in the U.S. in February, but it’s still not available elsewhere in the world. We expect Apple to announce availability for the U.K., Europe, Canada and Australia at WWDC in June. Less likely is the launch of a cheaper model, which we’ve heard is in the work but not likely to launch until later next year. Read more here: Apple Vision Pro: Everything you need to know.

New Macs

We already have M3, M3 Pro, and M3 Max, and updates to the Mac mini and Mac Studio are overdue. However, the Mac Studio and Mac Pro aren’t on Apple’s 2024 release schedule. Apple introduced the M4 chip with the new iPad Pro, so it looks like Apple is done with the M3 series. The M4 MacBook Pro isn’t expected until later this year, so it’s possible we may not see any new Macs at WWDC24.

Mac Pro

Over the years, including in 2023, new Mac Pro models have been launched at WWDC. However, a Mac Pro update may not happen at WWDC24. Read what we know about the M3/M4 Mac Pro.

Mac Studio

A recent report stated that the Mac Studio is not on Apple’s 2024 release schedule, so it may not be upgraded at WWDC24. Read more here: Mac Studio M3/M4 rumors.

Mac mini

Now that the iMac and MacBook Air have an M3 chip, and the MacBook Pro an M3, M3 Pro, and M3 Max chip, it seems as if it’s only a matter of time before those same chips make their way into the Mac mini. However, Apple may decide to wait until 2025 to update the Mac mini with M4-series chips. Read our new Mac mini rumors.

iMac

For some time there have been rumors that the iMac Pro will make a return, in the form of a M3 Pro and possibly M3 Max version of Apple’s all-in-one. This could make an appearance at WWDC 2024, but rumors do seem to suggest we could be waiting a little longer for this larger iMac. Read the rumors about Apple’s plans for the iMac Pro.

How to attend WWDC

If you want to attend the WWDC Keynote in person you need to be prepared to enter a lottery and apply for a ticket alongside other developers. There is a lot of competition for those tickets, which are randomly selected from those to apply and aren’t transferable. The good news is that tickets are free. The bad news is they have already been allocated for 2024.

Apple invites developers to participate in a series of classes, workshops, and sessions to learn about the system-wide changes coming to the major software platforms in the coming year so they can update their apps. Some lucky developers even get to watch the event live in person.

Apple has stopped taking requests to attend the keynote. It was open to the following:

Current Apple Developer Program members.
Apple Entrepreneur Camp alumni.
Swift Student Challenge winners; 2024 challenge applicants will be included in a separate random selection process for winners (in early May 2023 Apple began alerting the lucky few of their status as winners).
Current Apple Developer Enterprise Program members.

The lucky applicants were notified of their success in getting a ticket at the beginning of April 2024.

You can find out more about how to get tickets to WWDC in our FAQ.

WWDC keynote tickets have been free and randomly distributed for the past few years, but it previously cost $1,599 for developers to attend and those tickets sold out very quickly.

Even without a ticket, all registered Apple developers get online access to session videos, slides, and sample code throughout the week.

Apple will share additional conference information in advance of WWDC24 through the Apple Developer app.