WWDC 2026: Apple poised to reveal blockbuster new iPhone, iPad, and Mac updates – this is what you can expect

This will mark the last keynote fronted by Tim Cook, who will be stepping down as Chief Executive in the coming months. Senior Vice President of Hardware Engineering John Ternus takes over the top job on September 1, making this conference a historic moment in Apple's leadership transition.

All we've heard from the secretive US company about the contents of the opening keynote for WWDC 2026 is: "WWDC will open with a first look at the latest updates coming to Apple platforms."

Fortunately, there have been several whispers about what to expect, so we have a bit of an idea about what will be announced in the keynote. We've rounded up the latest rumours...

Artificial Intelligence (AI) will be the focus of WWDC, with Apple poised to launch a brand-new version of its Siri assistant. It'll arrive with a sleek new design, replacing the rainbow glow that swirls around the edge of your screen with a glowing animation inside the Dynamic Island — the pill-shaped area at the top of your iPhone screen that shows background processes. But it's not just a lick of paint.

Apple will purportedly launch several powerful new capabilities that can draw together information from across the default apps on your iPhone, dubbed Personal Intelligence. In theory, this means you'd be able to issue a command like "Siri, send photos from that concert last month to Mum and Dad".

If that sounds familiar, it's likely because Apple announced something similar before. The Californian company ended up ditching those features, stating that it'll take "longer than we thought to deliver on these features". To help build these features, Apple will rely on Google's Gemini models under the bonnet to power its "Apple Intelligence features, including a more personalised Siri," the Californian companies confirmed in a joint statement.

We've heard about a slew of exciting new Google Gemini features coming to Android, and now we'll see how Apple plans to leverage some of those same Artificial Intelligence systems as a foundation for Siri.

For the first time, Siri will be able to answer questions based on what is happening on-screen. You'll be able to ask Siri to carry out tasks across a variety of iOS apps and widgets. Some whispers suggest Siri could handle two or more actions simultaneously, which would be a significant upgrade from the current version.

Apple will also launch a new way to interact with its chatty AI assistant.

You'll be able to swipe downwards from the top centre of your iPhone to launch a new interface, where you can type out requests to Siri instead of speaking. That shake-up will mean a change for notifications. You'll need to swipe from the top left to access your Notification Centre, which might take some getting used to if you're set in your ways.

Some whispers suggest Apple will launch a standalone iOS app, similar to ChatGPT or Claude by Anthropic, where you can daisy-chain multiple requests together in a conversation-like interface.

The rebooted Apple Intelligence will also power a swathe of new editing features inside the Photos app, including improved object removal and the ability to request specific edits with natural language. Just tell your iPhone or iPad what you'd like to look different with the final photo, and it'll tweak the sliders, granualr adjustments, and dials behind-the-scenes to make it happen.

It's unclear whether Apple will make good on its promise to add other AI assistants, building on its deal with OpenAI to throw some voice commands to ChatGPT, with Gemini or others.

Elsewhere, leaks claim that iOS 27 won't be packed with flashy new features. Apple is rumoured to take a more measured approach this time around, focusing on under-the-bonnet tweaks rather than new bells and whistles.

Some have suggested that it will be analogous to macOS X Snow Leopard, released back in 2009, which was marketed as having no new features but focusing on refinements to improve responsiveness, battery life, and other quality-of-life improvements.

Engineering teams in Apple Park have reportedly been toiling away to quash bugs, cut unnecessary code, bolster battery life, and improve the overall quality of the operating system.

Even better, these improvements won't just benefit iOS either. Whispers suggest you can expect similar stability upgrades across iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, visionOS, and tvOS, when these new versions arrive later this year.

Likewise, some have claimed there will be refinements to the Liquid Glass redesign that rolled out across all devices. There will be a system-wide slider that lets you adjust the levels of translucency and reflectivity. For those who don't like the real-time refraction and distortion of user interface elements beneath the Liquid Glass elements.

The Wallet app — which handles boarding passes, credit and debit cards, loyalty cards, and more — is expected to gain the ability to quickly split bills with friends and family, killing off a slew of standalone apps found in the App Store dedicated to this specific function. Tipsters say you'll snap a photo of a receipt, assign items to different people, and transfer the funds via Apple Pay with tips and taxes already calculated.

Elsewhere, we've heard rumours of a redesigned pairing system for AirPods, shortcuts to undo and redo when customising app icons and widgets on your homescreen, a visual refresh of the Find My app, a top-to-bottom revamp of the default Calendar app, and the ability to generate never-before-seen wallpapers for your devices with AI.

Apple has previously used its WWDC keynote to unveil new hardware, so it's possible the iPhone manufacturer will use the opportunity to unwrap some new devices. New iterations of the Apple TV 4K and HomePod Mini smart speaker are widely believed to be nearly finished, so it's possible these will make an appearance on-stage.

Both of these devices could play a pivotal role in controlling smart home gadgets, from internet-connected lightbulbs to video doorbells, so it would be a strong way for Apple to spotlight its new Siri in action.

When the WWDC keynote wraps up, the first beta versions of the newly announced iOS 27, macOS 27, iPadOS 27, watchOS 27, tvOS 27, and visionOS 27 will be released for developers. This allows enough time for teams to test some of the new features, provide feedback to Apple, and make sure everything works as expected.

If everything goes to plan, Apple will release its new software upgraded to billions of devices in September. Here's the rundown of when you've been able to download the latest version iOS in recent years, just to give you a rough idea of when you might expect the upgrade to drop.

• iOS 26: Monday, September 15, 2025
• iOS 18: Monday, September 16, 2024
• iOS 17: Monday, September 18, 2023
• iOS 16: Monday, September 12, 2022