Apple WWDC24 Roundup: Apple Intelligence Breaks into iOS 18, New Siri, macOS Sequoia, and Much More

Apple’s WWDC event is finished now, its a great event for developers which helps the company to present its new software for the iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Apple TV, Vision Pro, and the rest of devices. We review everything they've presented, focusing on the standout new features of iOS 18 and the other operating systems.

iOS 18 and iPadOS 18

As expected, both iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 have been two of the big stars of this year. Some of its most notable innovations are these:

• Possibility of moving icons and widgets anywhere on the screen, leaving gaps. (although following the classic duadricula).
• Customization of icons with colors adapted to the wallpaper.
• New redesigned control center with sections dedicated to functions such as controlling home automation accessories.
• In 'Messages' we find the possibility of scheduling messages or formatting texts.

• New organization of the 'Mail' app by categories.
• 'Calculator' comes to the iPad and also to the 'Notes' app, in which we can obtain results for complex operations that we draw with the Apple Pencil.
• The game mode comes to both operating systems to optimize resources so that background processes do not prevent games from running at full capacity.
• The 'Photos' app has been completely redesigned (the biggest update in history), with a photo library that is now organized by theme and with the 'Collections' section in which you can access memories and photographs of special beings and pets, as well as events.

macOS 15 Sequoia

The new macOS Sequoia was presented with interesting new features in which all of these stand out:

• Ability to use iPhones on the Mac screen.
• New application with which to manage passwords securely.
• iPhone notifications can also be seen on the Mac.
• New video games are announced that will come to Mac, such as 'World of Warcraft: War Within' or 'Dead Island 2'.

watchOS 11

Among the highlights that will come to the Apple Watch are these new features:

• Recording of training intensity with a new algorithm that takes advantage of values ​​such as heart rate, age or weight to better calculate the data.
• The Apple Watch now allows you to set weekly goals for your rings, giving you the flexibility to take a rest day without breaking your streak.

• A new application has been released that provides improved visual metrics and statistics to monitor our health more effectively. The app includes alert systems that notify users when potential health issues are detected, prompting them to seek medical attention if necessary.
• The latest update also introduces new widgets that can be integrated with smart batteries. For example, the weather widget will automatically display when it rains, providing users with relevant information at a glance. Furthermore, the update includes Live Activities, which were first introduced on iOS a couple of years ago.

visionOS 2

The next big update to the Vision Pro will be visionOS 2 and will bring, among others, these improvements:

• Ability to convert normal photos into spatial ones.
• The home screen will finally be editable and the apps can be placed in any order you want.
• Photos can be shared in real-time with other Vision Pro users with Shareplay.
• New way to see the Mac screen with a much more panoramic format.
• The new train mode will allow you not to get dizzy while using the device on transport such as trains.

AI news for all systems

Of course, artificial intelligence has been the protagonist and Apple has named it Apple Intelligence. Among its many new features are these as the main highlights:

• It is transversal and reaches iOS 18, macOS 15, and iPadOS 18 (but only iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max, and devices with an 'M' chip).
• ChatGPT comes to Siri with the latest OpenAI model, GPT-4o.
• We now have an updated Siri that can understand natural language and context more effectively.
• Summaries of notifications or emails may be made.
• Custom emojis can be created for each occasion.

Vision Pro arrives in new countries

The speculation is over because it is now real. Vision Pro reaches more countries, although not to Spain and Latin America at the moment. It will be to China, Japan, and Singapore on June 28 and to Germany, Australia, Canada, France, and the United Kingdom on July 12.

Other news

Also at this event, improvements for tvOS were announced, specifically the 'Apple TV' app with new functions to know the names of the actors appearing on stage. The AirPods will also receive improvements with the latest operating systems regarding audio spatialization or noise cancellation.