WWDC26

watchOS 27 will bring the new Siri AI, a smarter Workout Buddy and other useful new features to Apple Watch. While the wearable didn’t receive much attention during the WWDC26 keynote on Monday, Apple said watchOS will get AI-powered upgrades like the rest of its platforms.

“You can start chatting with Siri on your iPhone, pick up where you left off on your iPad, and wrap up on your Mac,” said Mike Rockwell, Apple’s VP of Siri engineering, during the keynote. “We’re also tailoring Siri AI for watchOS. So you can ask questions and take action right on your wrist. And you can also tap into the Siri app using the new app grid on Apple Watch.”

Before Apple even started talking about new features, it devoted a significant chunk of Monday’s WWDC26 keynote to talking up improvements to performance and stability coming to all its operating systems this fall, including macOS 27, iOS 27 and iPadOS 27.

It’s surely welcome news to Apple users that their devices with run faster, with fewer bugs. And that’s includes a significant performance improvement especially for older iPhone models.

At the Platforms State of the Union, Apple covered the nitty gritty on the new Siri AI and Apple Intelligence features, improved Liquid Glass design, Device Hub and more tools announced today.

Much nerdier than the morning keynote, this event covers the technical details of how developers are supposed to use and adopt the new features inside their apps with the latest developer tools. 

You can watch the Platforms State of the Union on YouTube, in the Apple Developer app or on the web. Read on to see our live coverage of the event. 

While Siri got a complete redesign to include a dedicated chatbot app, on-screen awareness and deeper integration with third-party tools, that’s not the only AI upgrade cited in the WWDC26 keynote. A bunch of new Apple Intelligence features are set to upgrade your life, too.

“Truly helpful AI must be centered on our users’ needs, deeply integrated into the products they rely on every day, grounded in personal context, and built with privacy at every step. That is our vision for Apple Intelligence,” said Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of software engineering.

“With useful features for browsing the web, expressing creativity, editing photos and so much more, today marks a big step forward on our journey to integrate powerful AI into the core of our platforms and make our products even more personal and useful,” he added.

The new features will be available with the release of iOS 27 and other OS updates coming in September 2026.

At WWDC26, Apple previewed visionOS 27, the next major software update coming to its Vision Pro headset. The biggest new change is the introduction of Siri AI and the suite of new Apple Intelligence features, as is the case for all of Apple’s announcements today. 

But there are other great quality of life features coming to the headset. You can turn your own panoramas into immersive environments, view 3D models from your Mac, and use apps with curved windows. visionOS 27 features another redesigned Control Center, a new virtual environment, improved notifications, faster Wi-Fi connectivity, faster Messages sync and much more. 

visionOS 27 is available now as a developer beta, with a public release expected in September. 

iPad users got their first look at iPadOS 27 on Monday, with Apple using the keynote address of WWDC26 to tout improvements to stability and performance before taking a deep dive into new AI-related features.

There are a great many enhancements for tablet users. Here are the standouts.

Apple reinvented its smart assistant Siri as “Siri AI,” with a new range of advanced capabilities and its own dedicated app, the company said Monday during its WWDC26 keynote.

Siri‌, Apple’s long-maligned smart assistant that was often not terribly smart, gets a new architecture that better understands personal context and can perform a wide range of actions across devices.

“We couldn’t be happier to bring you Siri AI, our new version of Siri, powered by Apple Intelligence,” said Apple’s software chief Craig Federighi during the keynote. “It’s more intelligent, knowledgeable and capable.”

Apple showcased iOS 27, iPadOS 27, watchOS 27 and macOS 27 at WWDC26’s opening keynote Monday. The updates refine last year’s Liquid Glass redesign, add several new Apple Intelligence features, and introduce a host of quality-of-life improvements across the company’s devices.

Before you get excited about trying the new features, you’ll want to make sure your device is supported. Below, we rounded up the full compatibility lists for iOS 27, iPadOS 27, watchOS 27 and macOS 27.

The much-anticipated iOS 27 update for iPhone showcased at the Worldwide Developers Conference rebuilds the Siri voice assistant from the ground up as Siri AI, improves Apple Visual Intelligence, offers an improved Camera app, fixes myriad bugs and more, Apple said Monday. It turned out to be quite the consequential update.

“We’re excited to bring a wide range of improvements to each of our platforms, making them even more useful and delightful,” said CEO Tim Cook as he began to close out the keynote presentation. It’s expected to be his last before he steps down from the role on September 1.

Apple CEO Tim Cook’s chipper “good morning!” from many, many events got the quasi-royal treatment Monday in a video he shared on X.com filled with celebrities saying the phrase just hours before WWDC26 kicks off.

For Cook, who remains CEO until John Ternus takes over September 1, today’s keynote might be the last opportunity to say it on such a big stage.

And it begs the question: What will be Ternus use as a catchphrase, anyway?

How can you watch the Apple event at WWDC26? You can stream the keynote on YouTube, on the apple.com website or on your smart TV. It starts at 10 a.m. Pacific time on Monday, June 8.

Each spring at its Worldwide Developers Conference, Apple unveils all the software updates that will ship later in the year — typically in September. Apple will show us what the headlining new features will be in iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, tvOS and visionOS 27. 

This year, we can expect Apple Intelligence to take center stage. The company failed to deliver on its 2024 promise of a smarter Siri, but rumors indicate that the upgraded assistant is finally coming. Also rumored are a new, customizable Camera app and tweaks to the design of macOS. 

Here’s how you can watch it all live, whether you’re watching at home, secretly at work or in person at Apple Park.

This week on the Cult of Mac podcast: As per tradition, we match wits with our predictions about what we’ll see at Apple’s WWDC26 keynote. Griffin and I are joined by two special guests, Charlie Sorrel and Graham Bower, for this year’s installment of the WWDC prediction game.

What will the new Siri do? Will Apple unveil new hardware? And who, exactly, will get how much screen time?

We chisel our answers into digital stone on 10 tricky questions (which also serve as a jumping-off point to discuss Apple’s future and strategies). And, as always, you can play along! Just be sure to submit your answers (via this Google Docs form) before Monday’s WWDC26 keynote.

Also on the Cult of Mac podcast:

• The “dark cherry” color rumored for iPhone 18 Pro looks pretty funky, if the latest dummy models can be trusted. Some of us love it, some not so much.
• With the first folding iPhone on the way, iOS 27 seems primed for true multitasking.
• Apple’s smart glasses reportedly got delayed again. Will they be worth the wait?
• And finally, Graham discusses what it’s like being an extremely late adopter of Apple’s Vision Pro headset.

Listen to this week’s episode of the Cult of Mac podcast in the Podcasts app or your favorite podcast app. (Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review if you like it!) Or watch the video live stream, embedded below.

Everybody expects Apple’s Siri voice assistant to get a big AI-powered makeover Monday at WWDC26. But there’s more to the picture, in that Apple Intelligence and Visual Intelligence will see a bunch of separate new features, too, according to rumors rounded up in a new report Friday.

With Apple’s WWDC26 keynote just days away, the latest iPadOS 27 rumors should give iPad owners plenty of reasons to pay close attention. Beyond the new artificial intelligence features for all Apple devices, tablet users can look forward to Monday’s keynote unveiling of iPadOS 27 enhancements that should make tablets easier to use in multiple ways.

Here are four reasons for iPad users to be eager for these announcements, whether you use your tablet for writing, creative projects or daily multitasking.

With WWDC26 just days away, the annual guessing game over California place-names that could become the new macOS name is in full swing. Various clues and speculation about macOS 27 suggest this year’s leading candidates are Big Bear and Emerald.

Apple is reportedly working on new multitasking features in iOS 27 that would automatically adapt any iPhone app for landscape and split-screen layouts.

With the rumored folding iPhone on the horizon, a lack of multitasking would translate to a waste of screen real estate. But this rumored capability could mean your entire app collection would work instantly, without Apple waiting for developers to redesign their apps.

Apple chose 12 apps and games as the best of the best in 2026 from its developer community on Tuesday, honoring titles spanning six award categories for recognition at WWDC26 next week. 

“This year’s Apple Design Award winners are a remarkable reflection of how developers are creating exceptional experiences,” said Susan Prescott, Apple’s vice president of Worldwide Developer Relations. She added that honorees “represent the very best of what our platform makes possible.”

Apple prepares to bring one of the most-requested social money features directly into iPhone, with a new bill-splitting tool expected to debut as part of iOS 27 this fall, according to a new report Monday. We expect to hear more about it next week at WWDC26.

With one week to go until its annual developer showcase, Apple leaned into a luminous theme with the new WWDC26 tagline “All systems glow.”

You can get your devices ready for the WWDC26 keynote, which kicks off the weeklong event on June 8, with new wallpaper and an Apple Music playlist.

This week on the Cult of Mac podcast: The new Ferrari Luce is a $540,000 electric vehicle that’s the closest thing to an Apple car we’re ever going to see. That’s no surprise, considering the key role ex-Apple design chief Jony Ive played in crafting the EV.

We discuss the good, the bad and the laughable about the car (and fantasize about sliding behind the wheel).

Also on the Cult of Mac podcast:

• A last-minute bombshell gives us an awfully good look at what the new AI-powered Siri — and the rest of iOS 27 — will look like. It’s filled with major spoilers for the WWDC26 keynote, which is coming on June 8. Tim Cook must be seething!
• A long-overdue tweak in iOS 27 should make it easier to use AirPods‘ advanced features. We’re thrilled. But will the changes go far enough?
• And finally, special guest Christina Warren returns to join in on all the fun. Plus, she gives us an update on what’s going on at GitHub amid the AI frenzy.

Listen to this week’s episode of the Cult of Mac podcast in the Podcasts app or your favorite podcast app. (Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review if you like it!) Or watch the video version, embedded below.

Apple will reportedly play up the on-device AI prowess of its devices next month during its Worldwide Developers Conference keynote. The company will supposedly highlight how its A-series and M-series chips allow AI models to run locally for better efficiency and privacy.

With Apple’s competitors aggressively pushing cloud-based AI features, the company will likely position on-device AI as a key advantage of its ecosystem throughout WWDC26.

As Apple prepares what could be its most consequential software release in years with iOS 27 at WWDC26, we get our first real glimpse at what an overhauled Siri and other Apple Intelligence features may look like, courtesy of Bloomberg. It mocked up a bunch of illustrations in a new report Thursday.

The Apple Watch’s next big software update — watchOS 27 — will supposedly follow the same strategy as iOS 27: It will focus on stability and performance rather than introducing radical new features.

Apple will not launch its AI-powered health coaching service with the initial build, according to a new report.

As it struggles to catch up on AI, Apple almost undoubtedly plans to focus on Apple Intelligence in iOS 27. But the company will also reportedly focus on refining the iPhone experience and tidying up existing features.

Thanks to leaks, we already have an early look at some of iOS 27’s biggest new features. While Apple certainly has some surprises planned, these are the leaked iOS 27 features I’m most excited to try.

Apple might be planning to make Genmoji much more useful in iOS 27. The feature, which currently lets users create custom emoji, could soon suggest AI-generated emoji based on your personal photo library and the phrases you type most often.

That would solve one of the biggest problems with Genmoji: Most iPhone users forget it exists. Despite being genuinely fun and useful, Genmoji remains one of the most overlooked Apple Intelligence features.

But Apple might change that with iOS 27.