Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2024, held on Monday, June 10, unveiled a series of exciting announcements across various platforms. The event kicked off with VisionOS, followed by updates to iOS, Audio & Home, WatchOS, iPadOS, and macOS, with notable segments on Safari and gaming enhancements.

VisionOS 2

VisionOS 2 introduced several noteworthy features. Spatial Photos now allow users to turn their favorite pictures into immersive experiences, and new hand gestures make navigation smoother. The Mac Virtual Display has been upgraded with higher resolution and a larger size, and Travel Mode now supports train journeys, so users can enjoy apps and environments while commuting. A new Guest User feature lets family members or colleagues save their eye and hand data for 30 days. Safari now supports watching videos in an environment, including content from YouTube and Netflix, and Apple TV adds multiview support for watching up to five streams at once. The new Mindfulness feature, “Follow Your Breathing,” offers dynamic visual animations and sounds that respond to your breathing. While some updates are minor, the enhancements to the Virtual Desktop are particularly impressive.

iOS 18

iOS 18 offers more customization options for Home and Lock Screens, allowing users to arrange apps and widgets freely and customize Lock Screen buttons. The Photos app has received a major redesign, and Mail now categorizes emails on-device, making inbox management easier. Messages can now be sent via satellite when there’s no cellular or Wi-Fi connection. Safari uses machine learning to highlight key information from web pages, and the Reader experience has been revamped. Apple Maps now includes thousands of hikes across U.S. national parks and custom walking routes that can be accessed offline. Apple Pay lets users redeem rewards and access installments from eligible cards, with a new “Tap to Cash” feature for sending and receiving Apple Cash by holding two iPhones together. Notes can instantly solve formulas and equations with Math Notes. The Journal app has a new insights view for tracking journaling goals, searching and sorting entries, and tracking mindful minutes in the Health app. The Health app now features a redesigned Medical ID for easier access by first responders. The Home app introduces guest access for selected smart home accessories. The security improvements and satellite messaging capability are particularly noteworthy.

Audio & Home

For AirPods, there are updates to lower audio latency in Game Mode on iPhone for AirPods Pro, and the ability to respond to Siri announcements with head nods or shakes, thanks to machine learning on the H2 chip. Personalized Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking will be available across various AirPods models, and Voice Isolation will enhance call quality by isolating the voice from background noise.

In the Home segment, guest access now allows control of locks, garage doors, and security systems, with limited-time access and activity history tracking. SharePlay is coming to Apple Music on HomePod and HomePod mini, letting users control playback and add songs to the queue. Spatial Audio support is also coming to AirPlay. The Home app now supports robot vacuum cleaners and hands-free unlocking of smart locks within six feet. Users can connect utility accounts to the Home app to track electricity usage. While these updates are generally minor, the new Amazon X-ray-like feature for tvOS could be very useful.

watchOS 11

watchOS 11 brings a new Vitals app for health tracking, training load tracking, and new ways to customize Activity rings. The Smart Stack and Photos Face offer intelligent customization options, and the Translate app is now available on Apple Watch. The health updates are significant, though other changes are relatively minor.

iPadOS 18

iPadOS 18 finally introduces a calculator app, complete with Math Notes. The Notes app adds new handwriting tools for Apple Pencil. There are more customization options for the Home Screen and Control Center, and the tab bar has been redesigned to float at the top of the screen for better edge-to-edge content display. Safari now includes the same Highlights and redesigned Reader experience as in iOS 18. A new Passwords app simplifies managing passwords, verification codes, and security alerts. Freeform allows creating scenes to organize sections of a board by topic. The calculator and handwriting features are the highlights of this update, making the iPad even more appealing.

macOS Sequoia

macOS Sequoia introduces iPhone mirroring, allowing full access to and control of an iPhone directly from macOS. Safari features Highlights for easier information discovery and a redesigned Reader mode. Window Tiling lets users tile windows side by side by dragging them to the display edges. A new Passwords app provides central management for passwords, passkeys, Wi-Fi passwords, and other credentials. Messages add new text effects, emoji and sticker Tapbacks, and message scheduling. Apple Maps introduces curated hikes and custom walking routes across U.S. national parks. Notes are enhanced with audio transcription, summarization features, and equation solving. The Calculator app now includes a history of previous calculations and displays expressions as you type. The long-awaited iPhone mirroring feature is a major highlight, and the machine learning features in Safari are intriguing, though I hope they avoid issues like hallucinations.

Overall, WWDC 2024 brought several noteworthy updates, especially in customization, machine learning integration, and health tracking. While some changes might seem incremental, they collectively enhance the user experience across Apple’s ecosystem.