WWDC 2023: Everything We Can Expect

Apple announced that its annual Worldwide Developers Conference will be held June 5–9 this year, with the keynote address being delivered on June 5 at 10:00 a.m. PDT. We can expect to hear about iOS 17, iPadOS 17, macOS 14, and watchOS 10 at the keynote, but there are sometimes other surprises in store, and this year it looks like we might be hearing about Apple's new AR/VR headset. Let's go over everything we know about WWDC 2023.

WWDC 2023: When & How to Watch

The WWDC 2023 keynote will be given at 10:00 a.m. PDT on June 5. This year the conference will include in-person events, but as always, the keynote will be streamed so anyone who wants to can watch it live. Here are your options for how to watch WWDC 2023:

On Mac:

• The Apple TV app is a stock app on Mac. On the day of the keynote event, open the app to watch the livestream.

• On a Mac running macOS version 10.15 or later, open the App Store and download the Apple Developer app. On the day of the keynote event, open the app to watch the livestream.

• Open Safari and visit Apple’s Event page. Apple should update its Events page with details a few days before WWDC begins.

• Visit Apple's official YouTube channel. Apple will add the keynote to the top of its page before WWDC begins.

On PC:

• Download the Edge browser by Microsoft for Windows 10 users. Then on the day of the Keynote, visit Apple’s Event page or the official YouTube channel, and you’ll be able to live stream the Keynote event as easily as any Mac user. Some devices may be able to stream the event using a recent version of Chrome or Firefox.

On Apple TV, iPhone, or iPad:

• The Apple TV app is a stock app on the Apple TV, iPhone, and iPad. On the day of the keynote event, open the app to watch the livestream.

• On iPhone, iPad, or the Apple TV HD or later, open the App Store and download the Apple Developer app. On the day of the keynote event, open the app and navigate to the WWDC tab to watch the livestream.

Live Coverage:

• iPhone Life: Be sure to visit the iPhoneLife website on the day of the event for our coverage of the WWDC Keynote. 

• Post Announcement Podcast: We’ll also be recording a special podcast episode following the WWDC Keynote. We’ll cover all the new things we’re excited about and any parts that didn’t live up to expectations.

iOS 17

If there's one thing we can be sure of, it's that Apple will announce iOS 17 at its WWDC keynote. Leading the pack of iOS 17 rumors is the theory that it will drop support for iPhone models through the iPhone X. This rumor comes from an anonymous Twitter user, so take it with an entire block of salt, but there is solid reasoning behind the potential move: devices powered by the A11 chip and earlier have a bootram security vulnerability that Apple is unable to patch. Dropping for support for these devices might make sense in light of this, but we'll have to see what Apple decides to do.

As for what the new iOS will include, we're starting to get some pretty exciting possible new features. Apple analyst Mark Gurman said in a recent tweet that Apple originally planned to release a "tuneup release," meaning it was focused on fixing bugs, performance issues, and security risks rather than having any banner features to focus on like iOS 16 did with its Lock Screen customizations but now plans on implementing some "nice to have" features that users have been requesting. As more rumors come out, we're getting a better idea of what those might be:

• An Apple journaling app. While there is no shortage of journaling apps out there, one that integrates fully with Apple opens up all sorts of new possibilities for photos, music, and calendar integration. The Wall Street Journal reports that the journaling app will help track daily moods and routinues, as part of Apple's overall effort to track and help mental health. Considering how much exercise trends help me, I'm excited to think what mood and daily habit trend tracking could do for my overall wellbeing.
• New AI health features. Mark Gurman reports that Apple is also working on a service to offer health coaching, focusing on exercise, nutrition, sleep, and more. It seems there's some potential for overlap in what we think the journaling app might offer, but according to Gurman, the health coaching has the codename Quartz while the journal's codename is Jurassic, so these are likely two separate features. Gurman is also expecting this feature not to roll out quite yet, so the journaling app could be somewhat of a soft launch for these new features.
• iMessage Contact Key Verification. This is a new feature that adds additional security to those at the greatest risk of digital attacks, such as politicians, journalists, and human right activists. It adds the ability to verify further that they are talking to the people they intend to talk to. They will also receive alerts about any bad actors breaching the cloud.
• Control Center redesign. MacRumors claims a forum member is telling us to expect "major" Control Center design changes. These are believed to include further customization options, a brightness slider for the flashlight, and some new Dynamic Island features.
• New Wallet app design. Gurman expects a new design for the Wallet app, but it sounds as if the physical layout may be the main thing changed, though we can hope to see features like Apple Pay Later added to the app.
• Background sharing. Leaker on Twitter @analyist941 leaked some renderings that show a grid view customization layout for Lock Screens, and claimed we'll be able to share background this time around just by swiping up.

We don't have any specifics on the iOS 17 release date yet, but we can expect it this fall if Apple keeps to its usual timeline. The iOS 17 public beta release date is likely to be soon after WWDC, so those of us who would like to get started early might be able to as soon as June or July.

iPadOS 17

We could very well see some of the Lock Screen customization options we saw in iOS 16 come to the iPad. Apple frequently releases a feature first on iOS and then later on iPadOS, as seen with the App Library and Home Screen widgets. As Apple seems to be focusing the iPad more on professionals, we might see expanded multitasking capabilities and updates to Freeform. We might also see expanded Apple Pencil support, but no major redesigns seem to be expected this time around.

We also might see an iPad Health app. This is one that seems so expected it surprised me it doesn't already exist. The iPad does not currently have a Health app, and Gurman expects to see one launched with iOS 17. The larger format could be very beneficial to the ones who want to use the health app the most (those with limited vision, mobility, or other disabilities) so I hope this does indeed come out this year. Gurman is also expecting mood tracking, and vision condition tracking to be added to the Health app, both of which would be beneficial to many users.

watchOS 10

If you own an Apple Watch, watchOS 10 might be where we see some big changes. Gurman claimed we'd see a "fairly extensive upgrade" this time around. First and foremost, he expects us to see widgets return with a bang and integrate fully with the interface. This could include widget stacks and new ways of activity tracking. According to Gurman, this will be the main functionality change we see this year which makes sense; we already saw some headline features like crash detection and the Apple Watch Ultra last year, so it tracks for this year to be a bit of a routine upgrade, but I'd be excited to see some flashy new functionality.

macOS 14

Gurman doesn't expect a big overhaul to macOS 14, but we will likely see some steady performance upgrades. The macOS updates we see each year are always named after a California landmark, though there haven't been any guesses so far as to what this year will be. As with iOS 17 and iPadOS 17, we'll likely see a public beta go live sometime after WWDC and a full release in the fall.

AR/VR Headset

This WWDC, we are finally expecting Apple to unveil its Mixed Reality headset. It's expected to have a blend of Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality features and have wireless integration with the iPhone. We might only get an announcement rather than the actual headset this year, or it's possible we might see a headset aimed toward developers so they can work on developing apps, with a commercial version coming later. No matter what we end up getting, this is exciting news.

New Macs

Apple is always working on upping its Mac game, and this time around, we could get a new Mac Pro powered by an Apple Silicon chip. Apple analyst Ross Young shared that Apple is working on a new 15-inch MacBook Air that we could see at this event. We might even see the M3 series chip, bringing even more processing power to the Mac.

What are you hoping to see at this year's WWDC? Comment below!