WWDC 2022 is nearly here. While most of Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference is actually a series of presentations and events for iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and watchOS developers, most of us are focused on Apple’s main keynote. Here, the company shows off new features and changes coming down the pipeline across its various software platforms, and, occasionally, reveals new devices, as well. Here’s how to watch this year’s presentation.
What will Apple announce at WWDC 2022?
It’s impossible to know for sure what Apple will reveal during its keynote, since the company makes very few official announcements ahead of time. However, based on precedent and rumours, we have some guesses that will likely pan out.
First of all, it’s almost a given we’ll see the next iteration of Apple software across the board. Apple always uses these keynotes to unveil the latest OSs the company has been cooking up, and we don’t expect this year to be any different. We’re expecting to see previews for iOS 16, iPadOS 16, macOS 13 (possibly named Mammoth), watchOS 9, and tvOS 16.
Apple’s only preview ahead of the conference was about upcoming accessibility features. The company showed off new options like door detection, advanced accessibility controls for Apple Watch, live captions, new VoiceOver languages, the ability to split game controllers with a second person, among other new features. While the company didn’t confirm which iOS version would receive these features, it’s likely they’ll arrive with iOS 16.
Rumours for iOS 16, iPadOS 16, macOS 13, and watchOS 9
As far as rumours go, there haven’t been too many this year. Most of the rumours we do have concern iOS 16: We should expect new changes to notification centre, lock screen, and Focus, and we could get features like wallpapers with widgets and a social media overhaul to Messages. We might even see Always-On Displays for the first time on an iPhone, but that will likely arrive only on the iPhone 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max later this year.
For iPadOS 16, the rumours say Apple is planning big changes to multitasking and windowing. Don’t get too excited, though — we hear every year that this update will finally be the one to make the iPad a real laptop killer. I doubt it, but, hey, we can hope. Expect many of iOS 16’s features to wind up in iPadOS 16, as well.
9to5Mac thinks macOS 13 will be dubbed “Mammoth” and will feature some M1-exclusive features now that Apple has phased out Intel chips from the lineup. We might also finally see a System Preferences overhaul that makes it feel more like the Settings app found on iPhone and iPad. If Apple wants its ecosystem to feel seamless, that’s one change that could help.
WatchOS 9 could bring some modest changes, if limited rumours are to be believed. We might see optimised wallpapers for larger watch faces, an improved low power mode, and new workouts, among other quality-of-life changes to watchOS.
We might see a colourful, M2 MacBook Air
If Apple does dive into hardware, you can expect to see the new MacBook Air. This laptop has been circulating the rumour mill for some time, promising a colour refresh reminiscent of the M1 iMacs, Apple’s upcoming M2 chip, and MagSafe. Apple could very well skip over this announcement in favour of sticking strictly to software, but it’s good to keep on your radar.
How to Watch WWDC 2022
Apple’s keynote is set to start at 3 a.m. AEST on Tuesday, June 7, 2022. You can stream the conference from this YouTube link, which is currently live, but Apple will also make the stream available on its main website, the Apple Developer app, and the Apple TV app.
[9to5Mac]
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