Software is the main focus of WWDC, and 2024 rumors suggest that iOS 18 could be the biggest update to the iPhone that we’ve had in many years thanks to AI, and many of those features will also likely to be included in macOS.

iOS 18 and iPadOS 18

Apple wants to catch up with competitors when it comes to AI, and Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman has said that iOS 18 will be a “relatively groundbreaking” software update with “major new features and designs,” primarily focused on AI.

AI is expected to be incorporated across the operating system, and here are some of the ways Apple is rumored to be using it:

• Photo retouching, such as the removal of unwanted objects.
• Voice memo transcriptions.
• Suggested replies to emails and messages.
• Auto-generated custom emojis based on the content of a user’s messages.
• Smart recap for missed notifications and messages.
• Improved Safari web search and faster searches in Spotlight.
• Auto-generated Apple Music playlists based on input from the user, such as a mood.
• AI-assisted writing in Pages.
• AI-assisted slide deck creation in Keynote.
• AI code writing in Xcode for developers.
• Siri improvements that integrate large-language models (LLMs), such as natural conversation capabilities and improved user personalization.

iOS 18 will include some design changes, perhaps adopting some design cues from visionOS, but it will not receive a total overhaul. The update is expected to feature a more customizable Home Screen, giving iPhone users more options for the look of the iPhone. Apple plans to give customers more control over how their app icons are arranged and the colors of individual icons.

App icons are expected to remain locked to an invisible grid for organizational purposes, but the update could add the option to create blank spaces, rows, and columns between app icons. iOS 18 is likely to bring the most significant update to the Home Screen that we’ve had in years, on par with the Lock Screen changes that Apple introduced in iOS 16.

iOS 18 is expected to include updates for several of the built-in apps, including Notes, Mail, Photos, and Fitness. The Photos app is expected to have new AI integrations for editing, Apple Music will get auto-generated playlists, Calendar will have better integration for Reminders, and the Apple Maps app could gain new features like support for topographic maps and the option to save custom routes as an alternative to the pre-selected routes that maps offers when putting in directions.

Apple will introduce RCS for the Messages app in iOS 18, improving conversations between iPhone and Android users. Sending photos and videos to Android users from an iPhone will no longer result in errors, and group chats will have better performance. Features like cross-platform emoji reactions, read receipts, and real-time typing indicators will also be added.

For more on what’s coming in iOS 18, we have a dedicated iOS 18 roundup.

macOS 15

macOS and iOS often have many features in common, so while most of the rumors we’ve heard have focused on iOS 18, many of the same AI features are coming to the Mac.

As for a name, Apple is still using California landmarks. Apple has trademarked several California-related names over the years, and many of them have gone unused.

Some of the remaining possibilities include Redwood, Grizzly, Sequoia, Mammoth, Pacific, Rincon, Farallon, Miramar, Condor, Diablo, and Shasta. Apple could go with a non-trademarked name, though, and it has done so in the past.

Here are the names that Apple has used since it started naming macOS versions after landmarks in 2013: Mavericks, Yosemite, El Capitan, Sierra, High Sierra, Mojave, Catalina, Big Sur, Monterey, Ventura, and Sonoma.

More on macOS 15 is available in our macOS 15 roundup.

Other Updates

We’ll also see watchOS 11, tvOS 18, HomePod Software 18, and visionOS 2, but we haven’t heard many rumors about what might be included in these updates.