MacRumors

At least some Apple software engineers continue to believe that iOS 18 will be the "biggest" update in the iPhone's history, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Below, we recap rumored features and changes for the iPhone.

"The iOS 18 update is expected to be the most ambitious overhaul of the iPhone's software in its history, according to people working on the upgrade," wrote Gurman, in a report focused on WWDC 2024. Apple recently said that its annual developers conference will run from June 10 through June 14, and iOS 18 will be a key announcement.

iOS 18 is rumored to include new generative AI features for Siri and many apps, and Apple plans to add RCS support to the Messages app for an improved texting experience between iPhones and Android devices. The update is also expected to introduce a more customizable Home Screen and other user interface design changes, new features in apps like Apple Maps and Freeform, additional accessibility features, and more.

Smarter Siri and Generative AI

iOS 18 is rumored to have new generative AI features for Siri, Spotlight, Shortcuts, Apple Music, Messages, Health, Numbers, Pages, Keynote, and more, according to sources such as Gurman and The Information's Wayne Ma.

Apple CEO Tim Cook has repeatedly teased that the company is working on generative AI, and plans to share details "later this year," and Apple's marketing chief Greg Joswiak also hinted at AI this week in a social media post about WWDC 2024.

Generative AI surged in popularity in late 2022, when OpenAI released ChatGPT, a chatbot that can respond to questions and other text prompts. The company has also expanded into generative AI tools for images and videos. Other companies like Google and Microsoft have also pushed into the generative AI space, and the technology is quickly evolving.

iOS 18 is not expected to include Apple's own ChatGPT-like chatbot. Instead, Apple has reportedly held discussions with companies such as OpenAI, Google, and China's Baidu about potential generative AI partnerships, which could lead to other chatbots being integrated into iOS 18, although Apple's exact plans are unclear.

Some generative AI features might be exclusive to iPhone 16 Pro models, which are rumored to have a Neural Engine with "significantly" more cores.

More Customizable Home Screen

iOS 18 will feature a "more customizable" Home Screen, according to Gurman.

MacRumors exclusively reported that iOS 18 will finally allow users to place app icons anywhere on the Home Screen grid. This means that users will be able to create blank spaces, columns, and rows between app icons. This basic feature has long been available on Android smartphones, and now Apple is bringing it to the iPhone.

iPhone users can already customize the Home Screen with apps such as Shortcuts and Widgetsmith, which can be used to create "blank" app icons and widgets, but Apple's official solution will be much more convenient.

We expect iOS 18 to include additional customization options beyond icon arrangement, as part of the biggest Home Screen revamp in years.

New Apple Maps Features

MacRumors recently revealed two potential new Apple Maps features coming with iOS 18: custom routes and topographic maps.

With the custom routes feature, Apple Maps users would be able to choose specific roads to travel on while navigating, for reasons such as familiarity or scenic views. This feature is expected to be available in the U.S. only at launch. Google Maps already allows users to create custom routes on the web, and then view them on an iPhone.

Topographic maps first debuted on the Apple Watch last year with watchOS 10, and code suggests that the feature will be expanded to the iPhone, Mac, and Vision Pro with iOS 18, macOS 15, and visionOS 2. These maps include details such as trails, contour lines, elevation, and points of interest for hiking and other outdoor uses.

RCS Support in Messages App

In November, Apple announced that it would support the cross-platform messaging standard RCS in the Messages app on the iPhone starting "later" in 2024, so it will likely be an iOS 18 feature based on that timeframe.

RCS support should result in the following improvements to the default messaging experience between iPhones and Android devices:

• Higher-resolution photos and videos
• Audio messages
• Typing indicators
• Read receipts
• Wi-Fi messaging between iPhones and Android devices
• Improved group chats, including the ability for iPhone users to leave a conversation that includes Android users

These modern features are already available for iPhone-to-iPhone conversations with blue bubbles, via iMessage, and many of the features are also available in third-party messaging apps, such as WhatsApp and Telegram. RCS support on the iPhone will extend the features to green bubbles in the Messages app.

Design Changes

Apple plans to update the design of the iOS user interface as "early as this year," according to Gurman. He previously said that iOS 18 would have "major new features and designs," but he has yet to provide any specific details.

More Rumors

• iOS 18 may have new accessibility features tied to VoiceOver, Live Speech, and Text Size.
• AirPods Pro are expected to get a new hearing aid mode with iOS 18.
• iOS 18 may have an updated Freeform app with a new "Scenes" feature.
• "Apple ID" is expected to be rebranded to "Apple Account" starting with iOS 18.
• iOS 18 is rumored to be compatible with the same iPhone models as iOS 17.

For additional information, read our iOS 18 roundup.

Popular accessory brand Mophie today announced the launch of new iPhone charging products that use the new Qi2 wireless charging standard. Qi2 is similar to MagSafe in that it is able to charge compatible ‌iPhone‌ models at up to 15W rather than being limited to 7.5W.

The $70 Snap+ Wireless Charging Vent Mount is designed for use in the car. It is able to attach to a vehicle's vents, and it comes with a 30W USB-C car adapter and USB-C cable. A MagSafe-compatible ‌iPhone‌ is able to attach to the charger magnetically, and it will charge at 15W.

Mophie's Snap+ Wireless Charging Vent Mount is available today, and two other products are coming in April. The $130 Snap+ 3-in-1 Wireless Charge Stand has an upright 15W Qi2 charging pad that works in landscape or portrait mode, plus it can be tilted to an ideal viewing angle.

There's also an Apple Watch charging puck that can fast charge compatible Apple Watch models at 7.5W, and a 5W charging platform at the bottom that is designed to work with AirPods. All three devices can charge at one time.

Mophie's $70 Snap+ Powerstation Mini with Stand is a charging stand that comes with a 5,000mAh internal battery for charging the ‌iPhone‌ while on the go. Like Mophie's other Qi2 products, it is able to charge an ‌iPhone‌ at up to 15W. The Powerstation Mini and 3-in-1 Charge Stand will launch on April 30.

Qi2 products from Mophie and other manufacturers are compatible with the ‌iPhone‌ 13 models, iPhone 14 models, and iPhone 15 models. Older iPhones do not support Qi2 charging speeds.

Apple appears to be gearing up to add topographic maps to the Apple Maps apps in iOS 18, macOS 15, and visionOS 2, according to code reviewed by MacRumors.

First introduced with watchOS 10, topographic maps include trails, contour lines, elevation, and points of interest, features that are of use for hiking and other outdoor activities where accurate navigation is essential.

Since debuting topographic maps, Apple has been expanding support throughout the United States, and this year, Apple may be ready to bring it to iOS, macOS, and visionOS.

Backend topographic maps code was introduced last year, but only watchOS 10 had the feature. The code was dormant on iOS and macOS at that time, but in the backend files for ‌iOS 18‌, macOS 15, and ‌visionOS 2‌, the code is active, suggesting an expansion.

The possibility of topographic maps follows our report yesterday on another possible ‌Apple Maps‌ feature, support for custom routes. With custom routes, users will presumably be able to create their own routes without being limited to Apple's pre-selected options.

‌‌iOS 18‌‌ will be introduced at the Worldwide Developers Conference on Monday, June 10, and it appears there will be quite a few new features for ‌Apple Maps‌. For more details about the update, check out our iOS 18 roundup.

(Thanks, Nicolás!)

Apple today announced that three more Apple Arcade games will be available on the Vision Pro headset starting this Thursday, March 28.

The titles coming to the Vision Pro tomorrow include popular endless runner game Alto's Odyssey: The Lost City, hand-drawn adventure game Gibbon: Beyond the Trees, and physics-based puzzler Spire Blast. All three games are already available on Apple Arcade on other devices, including the iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV.

"On March 28, players can soar above windswept dunes in a fantastical place far from home in Alto's Odyssey: The Lost City, dive into an immersive jungle with a family of gibbons in the 2022 Apple Design Award winning Gibbon: Beyond the Trees, and collapse vibrant towers of all shapes and sizes that appear in their physical space in the fun physics-based puzzle game Spire Blast," said Apple, in an email about the games.

Accessible through the App Store, Apple Arcade is a subscription-based service that provides access to hundreds of games across the iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, and Vision Pro, all free of ads and in-app purchases. The service received its first price increase last year, with U.S. pricing rising from $4.99 to $6.99 per month.

Apple's brand new 13-inch 256GB M3 MacBook Air has hit $999.00 today on Amazon, down from $1,099.00. This sale is available in Midnight, but you might be able to get in Space Gray depending on stock, which has been fluctuating today. B&H Photo is matching this sale.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

This is a new all-time low price on the 13-inch M3 MacBook Air, and it accompanies a similarly steep discount on the 15-inch model that we started tracking last week. In that sale, you can get the 15-inch 256GB M3 MacBook Air for $1,204.00, a $95 discount.

These MacBook Air models just launched earlier in the month, coming in both 13-inch and 15-inch sizes. Both of the new MacBook Air machines include the M3 chip and focus on internal upgrades. Apple did not change the design of the MacBook Air with the 2024 update, using the same design that was first introduced in 2022.

Because of these new MacBook Air models, we're also tracking record low prices on previous generation models. Best Buy currently has both the 13-inch and 15-inch M2 MacBook Air at all-time low prices, with up to $300 off select computers.

Head to our full Deals Roundup to get caught up with all of the latest deals and discounts that we've been tracking over the past week.

Apple Pay's Express Mode has rolled out to all TTC subway stations in Toronto, allowing riders to simply hold their iPhone or Apple Watch near the reader at the turnstile to pay for their fare. With Express Mode, payment can be completed without waking or unlocking the device, or authenticating with Face ID, Touch ID, or a passcode. Express Mode even works for up to five hours after an iPhone has run out of battery power.

As noted by Toronto resident Andrew Escobar, it is still not possible to add a PRESTO card to the Apple Wallet app, so Express Mode is limited to credit and debit cards added to the Wallet app for now. Public documents related to recent TTC meetings suggest that the PRESTO card will gain Apple Wallet support later this year.

To set up a credit or debit card for use with Apple Pay, open the Wallet app on the iPhone, tap the plus sign in the top-right corner, and follow the on-screen instructions. To set a payment card as the default option for Express Mode, open the Settings app on the iPhone, tap Wallet & Apple Pay, tap Express Transit Card, and select a card.

Some payment readers elsewhere in the TTC system already worked with Apple Pay's Express Mode. Apple periodically updates a list of locations where Apple Pay's Express Mode is available for transit on its iOS feature availability page.

Apple retail stores are now receiving information about the company's new system for wirelessly updating iPhone software prior to sale, iGen reports.

Last week, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reported that the new proprietary system, called "Presto," will begin operation across the U.S. in April. Gurman first reported on the wireless system in October, describing it as a "proprietary pad-like device" upon which retail store staff can place a sealed ‌‌iPhone‌‌ box. The system wirelessly turns on the ‌iPhone‌ inside, updates its software to the latest available version, and then powers it off.

Presto features small lockers that can accommodate six ‌iPhone‌ boxes simultaneously. There are markings to ensure that boxes are correctly positioned for NFC depending on their size. Once correctly positioned, the ‌iPhone‌ will update within 15 to 30 minutes. iGen has now shared a still from a video showing two of the machines stacked one on top of the other:

Presto was developed by Apple's Backstage Operations team, which designs tools for technicians and retail store employees. The company developed "Presto" as a way to avoid selling iPhones in retail stores with outdated software. For example, the iPhone 15 series shipped with iOS 17, but Apple subsequently released iOS 17.0.1 before the devices launched. The update was required to fix an issue that prevented the transfer of data directly from another ‌iPhone‌ during the initial setup process.

Apple apparently intends to have the technology in all U.S. retail stores by early summer. Retail locations outside the U.S. are also now receiving information about how Presto works.

The Apple Vision Pro has received its first discount today at Woot, now available for $3,299.00, down from $3,499.00. The headset is in new condition and it comes with a one year Apple manufacturer limited warranty.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Woot. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

This model comes with a 21W light seal, small solo knit band, and small dual loop band. You can use Apple's website to determine if this size is right for you, but if it doesn't match your sizing recommendation you won't be able to take advantage of this discount.

Despite the murkiness with the sizes, Woot's discount today is notable as the very first sale we've ever seen from any major retailer for the Apple Vision Pro, which launched back in February. Woot says that this sale will last until it sells out, and there's an estimated delivery date between April 8 and April 10.

Our full Deals Roundup has more information on the latest Apple-related sales and bargains.

Updated: Woot has further discounted the Apple Vision Pro, and provided more details about sizing on the headset.

Apple on late Tuesday released revised versions of iOS 17.4.1 and iPadOS 17.4.1 with an updated build number of 21E237, according to MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris. The updates previously had a build number of 21E236.

The revised updates are available for all iPhone and iPad models that are compatible with iOS 17 and iPadOS 17, but they can only be installed via the Finder app on macOS and the Apple Devices or iTunes apps on Windows at this time. Apple has not made the new builds available over the air in the Settings app on the iPhone and iPad.

It is unclear what changed between the builds, if anything, but any potential differences are likely very minor. For those curious, we have confirmed that the new builds do not contain any references to unreleased iPad models.

There have been sporadic reports on social media about iOS 17.4 and iOS 17.4.1 causing some iPhones to get stuck in a boot loop, so perhaps the new build will allow those devices to be properly restored, but this is merely speculation.

iOS 17.4.1 and iPadOS 17.4.1 were first released last week with bug fixes and security patches.

Apple's iPhone shipments in China dropped by 33% in February compared to the same month last year, according to governement figures (via Bloomberg).

A report from China's Academy of Information and Communications Technology showed that foreign brands shipped around 2.4 million smartphones last month. Given that Apple is the only overseas vendor with a meaningful market share, the company accounts for the vast majority of those shipments.

The decline in February marks the third consecutive month of lower iPhone shipments. Apple in January shipped some 5.5 million units in China, which is around 39% fewer handsets than the same time last year. In December, the company suffered a 30% year-on-year decline in the country.

Apple appears to be facing an uphill battle to reverse falling iPhone sales in China, with a 24% year-on-year decline in 2023 projected to deepen through 2024. Apple resellers in China have been increasingly dependent on discounts to shift ‌iPhone 15‌ stock. The discounts followed Apple's own rare price reductions on its website ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday in February.

Apple's efforts to counter the slump are also likely to be hampered by China's decision last year to ban iPhones from the offices of multiple government agencies and state companies. China has a huge number of state-owned enterprises in power generation, seaport construction, mining, manufacturing, education, and investment markets.

Apple is also having to contend with strong interest in Huawei's latest home-grown Mate 60 lineup, which was released in September just weeks before the iPhone 15 launched. Huawei's Mate 60 Pro uses a new China-made 7-nanometer processor tailored for the local market, showcasing the kind of advanced semiconductor manufacturing capabilities that US sanctions were originally designed to prevent.

The overall Chinese smartphone market contracted by almost a third in February, according to research firm Canalys. Analysts still predict growth over the course of the year, but expect iPhone 15 sales to keep falling while local rivals continue to aggressively promote AI features in device marketing. CEO Tim Cook visited China earlier this month to Apple's newest store in Shanghai and attend the China Development Forum in Beijing, where he said the country was "critical" to Apple.

Apple supplier BOE has taken the lead in becoming the OLED panel supplier for the fourth-generation iPhone SE, IT Home reports.

Samsung Display, BOE, and Tianma have all been in discussions with Apple to supply the OLED panels, but today's report claims that Samung has withdrawn from negotiations due to pricing problems, despite having an existing iPhone 14 OLED inventory to draw from.

Apple has reportedly been holding out for $25 per panel, but Samsung's final offer was $30, which is lower than the two Chinese manufacturers. That leaves BOE and Tianma as potential suppliers, however Tianma has not yet met Apple's stringent quality requirements, leaving BOE in pole position to win the majority of the orders, if not all of them.

The panel prices for the iPhone SE 4 are said to be a lot lower than suppliers charge for the OLED displays used in the iPhone 15, since the panels for the SE will use legacy parts identical to those used in the iPhone 13 and iPhone 14, so the suppliers won't need to make new investments in R&D. Display manufacturers are believed to have been bidding to supply the panels since at least last August.

The fourth-generation ‌iPhone SE‌ is rumored to feature an iPhone 14-like design with a 6.1-inch OLED display, Face ID instead of Touch ID, a USB-C port, an Action button, and an all-screen look that does away with the Home Button.

Earlier this month, CAD renders of the device corroborated previous design rumors for the iPhone SE 4, which is expected to launch in 2025. Despite the rumored upgrades, the ‌iPhone SE‌ 4 may face faster depreciation than Apple's higher-end models, according to one report.

Phishing attacks taking advantage of Apple's password reset feature have become increasingly common, according to a report from KrebsOnSecurity. Multiple Apple users have been targeted in an attack that bombards them with an endless stream of notifications or multi-factor authentication (MFA) messages in an attempt to cause panic so they'll respond favorably to social engineering.

An attacker is able to cause the target's iPhone, Apple Watch, or Mac to display system-level password change approval texts over and over again. Because the password requests target the Apple ID, they pop up on all of a user's devices. The notifications render all linked Apple products unable to be used until the popups are dismissed one by one on each device. Twitter user Parth Patel recently shared his experience being targeted with the attack, and he says he could not use his devices until he clicked on "Don't Allow" for more than 100 notifications.

The actual popup can't be used to gain access to an Apple device, and it serves as a front for attackers to incite fear in the target. Following the flood of notifications, the attacker calls using a spoofed number that makes it appear to be coming from Apple. On these calls, the attacker confirms that the victim's account is under attack, and that sensitive information is needed to put a stop to it. It appears that the attacker is after a one-time code to confirm a password reset or login attempt.

In Patel's case, the attacker was using information leaked from a people search website, which included name, current address, past address, and phone number, giving the person attempting to access his account ample information to work from. The attacker happened to have his name wrong, and he also became suspicious because he was asked for a one-time code that Apple explicitly sends with a message confirming that Apple does not ask for those codes.

The attack hinges on the perpetrator having access to the email address and phone number associated with an ‌Apple ID‌ at a minimum, and given the description of what's been happening, it is likely that bad actors also had access to the victim's ‌Apple ID‌ password from database leaks and other means. One-time codes are most often triggered as secondary security, so the attacker sends the notification spam, calls the target to "save" them from the attack, logs in to the ‌Apple ID‌ with the stolen information and password, and triggers the one-time code. If the target hands over the code at this point, the attacker will have full access to the ‌Apple ID‌.

KrebsOnSecurity looked into the issue, and found that attackers appear to be using Apple's page for a forgotten ‌Apple ID‌ password to send the notification spam. This page requires a user's ‌Apple ID‌ email or phone number, and it has a CAPTCHA. When an email address is put in, the page displays the last two digits of the phone number associated with the Apple account, and filing in the missing digits and hitting submit sends a system alert.

It is not clear how the attackers are abusing the system to send multiple messages to Apple users, but it appears to be a bug that is being exploited. It is unlikely that Apple's system is meant to be able to be used to send more than 100 requests, so presumably the rate limit is being bypassed.

Apple device owners targeted by this attack should remain calm and make sure not to provide sensitive information to someone who calls, even if the phone call appears to be coming from Apple. Spoofing a phone number is a simple thing to do, so the best course of action is to hang up and call Apple support directly. There is never a situation where a one-time code should be shared with another person, and Apple will never ask for a code.

Update: This article has been updated to clarify how the attack works. The prior version suggested that an ‌Apple ID‌ could be accessed should someone press "Allow" on one of the password request popups, but that is inaccurate. This is a complicated, multi-step attack that requires social engineering, but the password reset spam is a component that Apple will hopefully address in a future update.

Apple may be planning to add support for "custom routes" in Apple Maps in iOS 18, according to code reviewed by MacRumors.

‌Apple Maps‌ does not currently offer a way to input self-selected routes, with Maps users limited to Apple's pre-selected options, but that may change in ‌iOS 18‌. Apple has pushed an ‌iOS 18‌ file to its maps backend labeled "CustomRouteCreation." While not much is revealed by the file except for the name, it does mention that this upcoming feature will be limited to the United States at launch.

Custom routes would allow users to set what specific roads they want to travel down, whether for scenic purposes or for the familiarity of a route. Route options beyond the default have been a highly requested ‌Apple Maps‌ feature for several years now, and other services like Google Maps allow users to create custom routes on a computer and then view them on an iOS device.

‌iOS 18‌ will be introduced at the Worldwide Developers Conference on Monday, June 10. For more details about the update, check out our iOS 18 roundup.

(Thanks, Nicolás!)

While Apple does not plan to hold a traditional in-person WWDC event this year, the company will invite select developers and students to attend a special event at the Apple Park campus in Cupertino, California.

On Monday, June 10, Apple will host a keynote viewing party to let attendees watch the pre-recorded unveiling of new software updates. Apple also promises "exciting new programming," an opportunity to meet with Apple experts, and other "special activities."

At last year's special event, developers and students were provided with refreshments in the morning, followed by the keynote event. The Platforms State of the Union followed, and there were two ‌Apple Park‌ tours to choose from. The day ended with the Apple Design Awards and an evening dinner.

Note that there will be a reception event at Apple's Infinite Loop campus on Sunday, June 9, where attendees can pick up their badges early.

Prior to 2020, the Worldwide Developers Conference was an in-person event that was hosted in San Jose, California. Developers were required to pay $1,599 to purchase a ticket to attend, and space was limited. Starting in 2020, Apple turned WWDC into an online event open to all developers, but there have been small in-person events at ‌Apple Park‌ since 2022.

Lottery Selection

Apple is inviting a limited number of developers and students to ‌Apple Park‌ for the special event, and attendees will be selected through a lottery process.

Who is Eligible to Attend

Current Apple Developer Program or Apple Developer Enterprise Program members can ask to attend, as can Apple Entrepreneur Camp alumni and Swift Student Challenge winners from 2022 to 2024.

350 Swift Student Challenge winners are set to be announced on Thursday, March 28. 50 Distinguished Winners will receive an invite to a special three-day experience that includes the special event on June 10.

Both adults and children aged 13 to 17 can apply, but children will need to be accompanied by a legal guardian.

How to Register for Apple's Special Event

Those eligible to enter the lottery can do so on Apple's developer website through the special event request page. Apple is accepting requests to attend through 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time on Wednesday, April 3.

Attendees chosen by the random selection process will be informed about their status by the end of the day on Thursday, April 4.

Costs

There is no cost to attend the special event at ‌Apple Park‌, but Apple will not cover transportation. Out-of-state attendees will need to purchase plane tickets, accommodations at nearby hotels, and will need to find a way to get to ‌Apple Park‌ on the day of the event.

Media

In addition to inviting developers and students, Apple will likely extend invitations to select members of the media. Media invites for the ‌Apple Park‌ event have not yet gone out.

WWDC Details

WWDC 2024 will take place from Monday, June 10 to Friday, June 14. Developers who are not selected to attend can watch the June 10 keynote event on Apple's website or on YouTube.

For those unable to watch the live stream, or who prefer to read a text version of the announcements, we'll have live WWDC 2024 coverage both here on MacRumors.com and through our MacRumorsLive Twitter account, so make sure to follow.

Apple also plans to share all of the WWDC sessions and events in its Developer app and on a new Apple Developer YouTube channel.

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman today reported that Apple is not planning to debut its own generative AI chatbot with its next major software updates, including iOS 18 for the iPhone. Instead, he reiterated that Apple has held discussions with companies such as Google, OpenAI, and Baidu about potential generative AI partnerships.

Recent reports indicated that Apple has considered licensing existing chatbots, such as Google's Gemini and OpenAI's ChatGPT, but Apple offering its own chatbot of some kind on iOS 18 had not been explicitly ruled out until now.

Gurman still expects AI to be a major focus at Apple's just-announced WWDC 2024 developers conference. He reiterated that Apple plans to announce new AI features that "assist users in their daily lives," but he did not provide any specific details. He has previously reported that generative AI will improve Siri's ability to answer more complex questions, and allow the Messages app to auto-complete sentences. Other apps like Apple Music, Shortcuts, Pages, Numbers, and Keynote are also expected to gain generative AI functionality.

Apple already promised that the company would share generative AI announcements later this year, and the company hinted at it again today. WWDC 2024 runs from June 10 through June 14, with video sessions to be shared on YouTube for the first time.

The first iOS 18 beta should be made available to developers following the WWDC keynote, and the update is expected to be released to all users in September.

Apple today announced official dates for the 35th annual Worldwide Developers Conference, which is set to begin on Monday, June 10. In its announcements, Apple sometimes gives us minor hints on what to expect, and Greg Joswiak is making some not-so-subtle references to AI.

In a tweet, Joswiak said that the WWDC 2024 event is going to be "Absolutely Incredible," and he deliberately capitalized the first two letters of each word, AI.

There have been multiple rumors suggesting that AI will be a major focus in iOS 18, macOS 15, and other operating system updates that are set to come out this year. Apple will add AI features to many of its built-in apps, and the company is in talk with Google and other companies about integrating an existing large language model (LLM) into ‌iOS 18‌.

Over the course of the last few months, Apple executives have confirmed Apple's work on AI, Apple CEO Tim Cook said in February that Apple plans to "break new ground" on generative AI in 2024. "We believe it will unlock transformative opportunities for our users," said Cook.

Cook in November confirmed that Apple was "investing quite a bit" in AI, and during Apple's most recent earnings call, he said that Apple was spending a "tremendous amount of time and effort" on AI, with details set to come out later in 2024.

WWDC 2024 is set to take place during the week of June 10, and it will begin with a keynote event that will see the unveiling of ‌iOS 18‌ and other operating system updates.

As part of today's WWDC 2024 announcement, Apple said that it plans to announce this year's Swift Student Challenge winners on Thursday, March 28. The annual Swift Student Challenge asks students to create an innovative coding project using the Swift Playgrounds app.

While Apple normally starts the Swift Student Challenge when WWDC dates are announced, the company launched the challenge early to give students more time to work on their projects.

Submissions were accepted from February 5 to February 25, and are now closed.

Apple is selecting 350 winners for the 2024 challenge, all of whom will be eligible to attend the June 10 WWDC Special Event at the Apple Park campus in Cupertino, California. Winners will need to enter the lottery process to get a chance to attend.

Apple is also choosing 50 Distinguished Winners recognized for "outstanding submissions." The Distinguished Winners will be invited to Cupertino for a three-day experience that will include the Special Event keynote viewing and other activities.

Swift Student Challenge winners will be informed via email if they've won later this week. Projects are judged based on technical accomplishment, creativity of ideas, and the content of written responses explaining the project.

In preparation for WWDC 2024, Apple today launched a new Apple Developer YouTube account, which will be used to share WWDC sessions and events that developers can follow along with.

Apple has seeded the new account with a selection of videos from WWDC 2023, and this gives us an idea of the kind of content that we can expect to see during the WWDC 2024 season.

Videos are organized into playlists by topic, making it easy to find content on the App Store, Swift, Spatial Computing, Safari, and more.

In the WWDC 2024 announcement, Apple said that developers can experience WWDC24 throughout the week on YouTube, referencing the new YouTube channel. Apple also plans to share content on the developer website and the Apple Developer app. Videos uploaded to YouTube will include all of the different video sessions that Apple holds on the latest software updates.

WWDC 2024 is set to kick off on Monday, June 10, and we are expecting to see iOS 18, iPadOS 18, macOS 15, and more.

(Thanks, Dylan!)