Apple’s WWDC 2025: Anticipated Updates and AI Developments

Apple’s major Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) is scheduled for June 9 to 13, 2025. The keynote is planned for 10am PDT (10:30 p.m. IST) on June 9. Although comprehensive updates are confirmed for various operating systems including iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and watchOS, industry insiders speculate that the event might not meet expectations in terms of advancements in artificial intelligence (AI).

Modest AI Push

Amidst increasing competition from the likes of OpenAI and Google, Apple is perceived to be treating 2025 as a “gap year” for significant AI reveals. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman has indicated that some insiders see this year’s conference as likely to disappoint in regard to AI developments.

Nevertheless, meaningful enhancements to Apple Intelligence are anticipated, particularly concerning developer-focused tools. One key move includes opening on-device foundation models, with roughly 3 billion parameters, to third-party developers. These models, capable of tasks such as text summarisation and autocorrection, will soon be available for app development, albeit with less power compared to cloud-based options offered by competitors.

Additionally, Apple is investigating collaborations with external AI providers like Google and Anthropic to incorporate their models into Apple Intelligence, building on its existing partnership with OpenAI’s ChatGPT.

Software Over Hardware

In contrast to prior years, no significant new hardware launches are anticipated at WWDC 2025. The focus will instead be on major software updates, coupled with a significant redesign of operating systems aimed at establishing a more cohesive user experience across devices. The forthcoming iOS update may bypass expected version numbers, launching as iOS 26, in an effort to standardise naming conventions across platforms.

The anticipated software will showcase translucent menus and panels, subtle motion effects, and glimmering elements inspired by the company’s visionOS interface. These enhancements are designed to simplify navigation and aesthetics, especially as users transition between iPhones, iPads, and Macs.

New Tools and Features in iOS 26

iOS 26, along with related platform updates, is expected to introduce numerous new features, including:

• A new battery power management mode
• An revamped Translate app, with deeper integration into Siri and AirPods
• Selected AI-driven features in Safari and Photos
• A modernised Shortcuts app and a health project known internally as Project Mulberry

Furthermore, Apple is set to launch an advanced software development kit (SDK) and frameworks, allowing developers to integrate tools like Writing Tools more effectively into their applications. UI testing tools and SwiftUI will also receive enhancements, including the introduction of a built-in rich text editor.

Looking Ahead

While the WWDC 2025 keynote may not seem groundbreaking in terms of AI innovations, Apple is engaged in more ambitious initiatives behind the scenes. These projects include larger language models (LLMs) featuring 7B, 33B, and even 150B parameters, alongside a next-generation Siri boasting improved contextual awareness and a web-based ChatGPT-like search assistant.

More prominent AI updates are now anticipated to headline WWDC 2026, marking this year’s announcements as foundational steps towards deeper AI integration across the Apple ecosystem.