Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference is typically a highly-polished showcase of the company’s software updates and new features, and Apple is expected to follow the well-trodden formula this year. While past events have sometimes included hardware announcements, like the Vision Pro and Apple Silicon, WWDC 2025 might be a software-only show this time. (Looking for that new iPhone? You won’t see one on Monday; Apple’s iPhone launch events are typically held in September.)
The biggest announcements at WWDC 2025 are potentially a new naming convention and refreshed look for iOS, according to preshow reporting from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. Other highlights may include a new app for gamers and the company opening up its foundational AI models to third-party developers.
How to Watch Apple’s Keynote
Apple’s keynote for WWDC 2025 is going to be livestreamed on Monday, June 9, starting at 10 am Pacific, 1 pm Eastern, and 6 pm British Summer Time. It’s available to watch directly on Apple’s website or through the company’s YouTube channel. Are you curious how WIRED editors and reporters are reacting to the announcements from Apple? Open up another tab, and follow along with our live blog coverage during the event.
Just after the keynote, WIRED subscribers will be able to dig deeper with me and Michael Calore, WIRED’s director of consumer tech and culture, in a follow-up livestream where we’ll answer your most burning questions about Apple and the future of its software.
What to Expect at WWDC 2025
New iOS Naming Convention: Significant changes to Apple’s operating system will likely be the biggest news to come from this developer conference. Rather than transitioning from iOS 18 to iOS 19, the company is expected to leap forward to iOS 26. This new naming convention would continue to follow the upcoming year (27, 28, 29) for future iterations of the operating system.
Everything Will Look Different: Also, Apple’s software is anticipated to undergo a major aesthetic shift, with the visual changes staying consistent across the interfaces of Apple’s many devices. The look might be loosely based on the Vision Pro’s operating system, though it’s unclear exactly how a design tailored for mixed reality could translate to other products such as smartphones and watches.
Another Gaming App: Apple may give social gaming another whirl. The company could spin down its current Game Center, launched in 2010, and try again with a new, preinstalled gaming app on iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV devices. (While I do have Apple Arcade, I’m basically using it right now as a monthly subscription to mobile Balatro.)
Foundational Models Open Up: Third-party software experts may soon get access to a development kit that enables the creation of AI features within iPhone apps. This would be done using Apple’s large language models. When Apple Intelligence features initially launched, the notification summaries were criticized by users, as well as publications like the BBC, when erroneous summaries appeared on iPhone lock screens.
What Not to Expect at WWDC 2025
New iPhones, or Really Any Hardware: The company’s refreshed smartphones and other gadgets will likely be announced at an event later this year. Nothing on new Apple devices has leaked before this conference, so hardware surprises are not very probable.
Next-Gen Siri: Any day-of surprises are likely to be software-related. Still, a fabulous, new Siri is unlikely to be one of them. A generative AI redo of Apple’s voice assistant could be underway at the company, but it would need more development and testing before release.
A Bunch of AI Features for Consumers: The AI announcements will likely be related mostly to developer-focused tools. Other than a rumored AI-powered tracker designed to help extend an iPhone’s battery life, WWDC 2025 is not expected to be as focused on in-house AI tools for consumers as it was last year.