Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference next week promises to be a pivotal moment in the iPhone maker’s history. Though the Vision Pro debuted at last year’s event, don’t expect hardware to be the main attraction at WWDC 2024, which kicks off Monday at 10 a.m. PT.
WWDC is for developers, and much of the focus will be on iOS 18. The Cupertino tech giant will showcase how it’s chosen to integrate AI technology into its devices and software, including through a historic partnership with OpenAI. As the big event nears, all sorts of leaks have emerged about what iOS 18 and its rumored AI-powered apps and features have in store.
Among the changes, Apple is said to be powering some of its new AI features with its Ajax LLM. Other reports indicate that Apple plans to process data from AI in a way that even employees won’t be able to access, which would help Apple continue to deliver on its promise of data privacy for its users.
“This year’s WWDC is going to be a game-changer for Apple. We’re taking a major step towards the future by incorporating AI into our products and services,” said Tim Cook, CEO of Apple.
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Siri’s AI-enabled future:
- The digital assistant will leverage Apple’s own large language models and will allow Siri to control individual features inside applications. This revolutionary capability will work without any setup required by developers or users.
- Some of Siri’s upgraded AI capabilities won’t be ready until next year, as the ability to handle tasks with multiple steps is likely delayed.
- A more advanced Siri will also come to Apple Watch for on-the-go use, allowing users to ask Siri to do things like play music on another device.
- Siri will receive more natural-sounding voices and the ability to summarize notifications that include people, companies, calendar events, locations, dates, and more.
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Apple Photos’ new look:
- A new interface is being teased that will allow users to retouch photos with AI, potentially challenging Google Photos in this area.
- The “Clean Up” feature would let users remove objects from photos using generative AI technology, similar to Google’s Magic Eraser.
- Apple has also reportedly created an internal-only application called Generative Playground that uses GenAI to create and edit images. It is unclear how this functionality will be presented to end users, though iMessage integration has been spotted in the form of an app extension.
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Safari with more AI:
- A new Intelligent Search feature will provide AI recaps of Safari web pages and news articles.
- Notes injected with AI:
- Users will be able to ask for AI recaps of Notes, and GenAI will also help to transcribe audio in Notes.
- In-app audio recording will be supported alongside audio transcription and AI summarization.
- Math Notes will help users create graphs and solve equations through AI by recognizing the text of mathematical equations and then helping them to solve them. Users may also have the option to auto-complete their equations.
- Project Greymatter is the code name for a set of AI tools being integrated into core apps like Safari, Photos, and Notes, according to Bloomberg.
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Voice Memos transcriptions:
- Real-time transcription for voice memos is also coming.
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iMessage gets an AI makeover:
- Generative AI emojis will be supported, and users will also be able to receive AI recaps of missed texts.
- Overall deeper Siri integration is expected, and tapbacks will receive new icons.
- Message effects for individual words will be supported in addition to effects for the entire message.
- Suggested replies generated by Apple’s on-device Ajax LLM will make texting back easier.
- RCS support is also expected to arrive this year, allowing users to send read receipts, typing indicators, and high-quality video and images when texting with Android users via iMessage.
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Calendar refresh:
- Apple’s LLM will be able to communicate with the Calendar app to check for events when composing responses to messages.
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Mail with support for AI:
- Mail will also get suggested email replies generated by Ajax.
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New Settings interface:
- Settings will hopefully get less confusing with a revamped interface and updates that include better organization and improved search.
- A new Music widget will be available, possibly featuring larger artwork.
- Improvements to HomeKit for smart home integrations are also expected.
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Notifications:
- AI recaps of missed notifications will be available, and Apple is working on something called “Enhanced” notifications.
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Spotlight:
- Spotlight is expected to offer faster and more reliable search capabilities.
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iOS 18 brings new customization options:
- Users will be able to place app icons wherever they want, instead of having to align them to the grid without spaces in between.
- They will also have the option to change the color of app icons, possibly as Apple’s answer to Google’s Material You.
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Maps with route creation:
- Maps will support custom route creation in iOS 18, allowing users to design their own routes for a trip.
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Music with AI-powered playlists:
- Apple Music may take on Spotify with its own AI-powered auto-generated playlists.
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More improvements:
- Other apps with planned updates include Freeform, Xcode, and Apple’s productivity apps like Keynote and Pages, which may get GenAI features.
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