Apple's all-online Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) starts today with the traditional keynote kicking things off at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time.
We're expecting to see a number of announcements, including iOS 15, macOS 12, watchOS 8, and tvOS 15, but it's unclear what else we'll be seeing at the event. While there had been some claims of redesigned MacBook Pro models making an appearance at the event, last-minute rumors have indicated that hardware announcements are unlikely this year.
Apple is providing a live video stream on its website, on YouTube, and in the company's TV and Developer apps across its platforms. We will also be updating this article with live blog coverage and issuing Twitter updates through our @MacRumorsLive account as the keynote unfolds. Highlights from the event and separate news stories regarding today's announcements will go out through our @MacRumors account.
Apple is facing increasing pressure to tighten its App Tracking Transparency rules after it was found that third parties are using workarounds to identify users who do not consent to be tracked, according to the Financial Times.
Apple rules around App Tracking Transparency, which came into effect as part of iOS 14.5 and iPadOS 14.5, require apps to ask for consent to track users across websites and apps so that they can be targeted with advertising.
According to Eric Seufert, a marketing strategy consultant, many apps are using workaround methods to identify users who do not consent to being tracked, meaning that the amount of data being collected from many users is de facto unchanged.
"Anyone opting out of tracking right now is basically having the same level of data collected as they were before. Apple hasn't actually deterred the behavior that they have called out as being so reprehensible, so they are kind of complicit in it happening," Seufert explained.
According to an email seen by the Financial Times, one app vendor told its clients that it had managed to continue collecting data on over 95 percent of its iOS users, using device and network information such as IP addresses to determine user identities. This secretive technique, known as "fingerprinting," is banned by Apple, which insists that developers "may not derive data from a device for the purpose of uniquely identifying it."
Some adtech groups, used by thousands of developers, believe that looser "probabilistic" methods of user identification, which group users by behavior, are allowed under Apple's rules, since they rely on temporary, aggregated data rather than creating unique or permanent device IDs.
The situation regarding workarounds and Apple's lack of enforcement has created confusion around what Apple's rules actually allow. Apple told the Financial Times:
We believe strongly that users should be asked for their permission before being tracked. Apps that are found to disregard the user's choice will be rejected.
Apple declined to comment about whether it makes a distinction between fingerprinting and "probabilistic matching" under its rules.
Some industry observers think that the problem is severe enough that Apple is at risk of legal issues. Alex Austin, chief executive of Branch, a mobile marketing platform, said "It's becoming clear that iOS 14 was much more a marketing promotion than an actual privacy initiative, sadly."
Apple has suggested that third parties' ability to track users is blocked when users ask them to stop, but if this is not the case, Apple may be subject to litigation over marketing rhetoric and reality. Founder of the Yale Privacy Lab, Sean O'Brien, accused Apple of being "extremely disingenuous" in lauding its privacy measures without adequately enforcing them.
Apple may find this out the hard way, as Google has in the past, if the company is hit with lawsuits for misleading customers in regard to privacy. Just as it was discovered that Google's location history was never actually turned off in 2018, I think we will find that Apple still allows apps to peer into the windows of consumers' lives.
O'Brien highlighted a comparison with Google, which faced a number of lawsuits after it was discovered that it had been tracking the locations of its users even after they expressly told it not to.
Seufert believes that Apple is likely to provide clarity on the issue soon, which could coincide with its Worldwide Developers Conference, leading to a potential wave of app rejections during the review process later this month for those developers that use surreptitiously tracking techniques.
In March, Apple announced that the full-sized HomePod would be discontinued once supplies run out, following years of reportedly lackluster sales. Apple said it would focus its efforts on the HomePod mini released last year.
"HomePod mini has been a hit since its debut last fall, offering customers amazing sound, an intelligent assistant, and smart home control all for just $99," Apple said in March. "We are focusing our efforts on HomePod mini. We are discontinuing the original HomePod, it will continue to be available while supplies last through the Apple Online Store, Apple Retail Stores, and Apple Authorized Resellers."
Since that announcement, the HomePod has been removed from sale on Apple's online store in several countries, including France, Germany, China, Hong Kong, and India. The full-sized speaker remains available on Apple's online store in the United States, Australia, and the UK for the time being, but only in a white color.
Apple ensured that it will provide HomePod customers with software updates and service and support through AppleCare for an unspecified amount of time.
Update: The white HomePod is once again in stock in Canada, but supplies are likely running very low at this point.
Apple has used its app review process as a bulwark in recent legal assaults on its App Store policy, and put particular emphasis on the security benefits for iOS users when buying apps. However, an investigation has found that almost 2% of the top 1,000 highest grossing apps on a given day were some sort of scam.
According to The Washington Post, which conducted the investigation, scam apps have been "hiding in plain sight" in Apple's App Store, including several VPN apps that duped users into paying for software they didn't need, a QR code reader that asked users for a $5 weekly subscription for a feature that's already built into Apple's native Camera app, and some apps that fraudulently appropriated the branding of Amazon and Samsung.
Two thirds of the 18 apps that The Post flagged in its paywalled report have since been removed by Apple from the App Store. However, according to market research firm Appfigures, the scam apps are said to have cost customers an estimated $48 million during the time that they were available, while earning Apple a sizable commission in the process.
The report comes at a time when Apple has increasingly looked to security as one of the reasons it takes up to a 30% cut on all App Store transactions. In the recent Apple vs Epic Games trial, for example, CEO Tim Cook claimed the the company's strict review process prevented the App Store from becoming a "toxic mess." Cook has also suggested that allowing developers to offer their own payment systems in apps would make the App Store no better than a "flea market," and that by curating the App Store, users have "a safe and trusted place" to discover apps.
Only last month, Apple announced that it had blocked $1.5 billion in potentially fraudulent transactions in 2020. In the same press release, the company claimed that it catches most scams within a month of them arriving on the App Store.
In a statement given to The Post, an Apple spokesperson said:
"We hold developers to high standards to keep the App Store a safe and trusted place for customers to download software, and we will always take action against apps that pose a harm to users. Apple leads the industry with practices that put the safety of our customers first, and we'll continue learning, evolving our practices and investing the necessary resources to make sure customers are presented with the very best experience."
The problem of scam iOS apps has dogged Apple's App Store for some years now, but recently there have been concerted efforts by some developers to highlight that the problem remains as big as ever in at least some app categories.
Apple is holding its second all-virtual WWDC keynote today, with the event kicking off at 10:00 am Pacific Time and likely once again consisting of a pre-recorded stream from Apple Park. Still, some MacRumors readers who can't follow the event as it's being broadcast are interested in avoiding all of the announcements and waiting until the event has ended and is available for on-demand viewing so as to experience it without already knowing the outcome.
For those individuals, we've posted this news story, which will be updated with a direct link to the presentation once it becomes available from Apple. No other news stories or announcements will be displayed alongside this story.
Apple's recent virtual events have been made available to view almost immediately following the conclusion of the broadcasts, and we expect similar timing for today's event.
Users waiting for the video to be posted are welcome to gather in the thread associated with this news story, and we ask that those who follow the events as they occur refrain from making any posts about Apple's announcements in this thread.
In response to a tweet asking if there will be hardware announcements at WWDC 2021, cryptic but reliable leaker "l0vetodream" suggested there won't be any. In a follow-up tweet, he seems to have ruled out new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models being unveiled at this time, suggesting that it is still too early for an announcement.
Leading up to WWDC, which kicks off today with Apple's Keynote at 10 a.m. Pacific Time, there had been some rumors that at least one new MacBook Pro model with Apple silicon would be announced at the developer conference. However, supply chain reports from outlets like Nikkei Asia and DigiTimes have claimed that mass production of new MacBook Pro models will not begin until the second half of 2021.
我感觉14寸和16寸应该还没那么快
— 有没有搞措 (@L0vetodream) June 7, 2021
The leaker also hinted at a new user interface for at least one of Apple's software platforms, although he did not specify which one, and said that Apple plans to announce improvements to its smart home framework HomeKit.
WWDC is Apple's annual developers conference, and it is typically focused on software, with Apple expected to unveil iOS 15, iPadOS 15, macOS 12, watchOS 8, and tvOS 15. However, as noted by Stephen Hackett at Six Colors, Apple has made at least one hardware announcement at 65 percent of WWDC keynotes over the last two decades.
Ahead of WWDC, Apple has updated its official leadership site to show Memojis for all the key executives listed on the page. Similar avatars also now appear on executives' social media accounts, as the company prepares to preview new versions of its operating system software including iOS 15, which is expected to feature major updates to the Messages app.
Apple has changed the profiles to Memojis on its leadership page once before. In 2018, Memoji avatars were used to celebrate World Emoji Day, the year that Memojis were an iPhone X feature coming in iOS 12. On that occasion, just the heads were replaced with Memojis, leaving the real shoulders in place.
This time around, the photos have been replaced wholesale with disembodied heads against dark backgrounds, reflecting the wider use of more advanced Memoji technology in Apple's WWDC 2021 promotional material.
Apple is holding a virtual keynote that will take place on Monday, June 7, with the event set to give us our first look at new operating system updates. We don't know a lot about this year's event, but everything that we're expecting to see based on rumors can be found in our dedicated roundup.
Apple plans to live stream the WWDC keynote on its website, the Apple TV app, and YouTube, but for those unable to watch, we'll be covering the event on MacRumors.com and through the MacRumorsLive Twitter account.
Apple has paid a 21-year-old millions of dollars in a legal settlement after photos and videos from the customer's iPhone, sent in for repair, were uploaded to Facebook, leading to "severe emotional distress," according to a new report from The Telegraph.
The incident occurred in 2016 at a repair facility run by Apple supplier Pegatron in California. The 21-year-old college student sent her iPhone into the repair facility to be fixed after it had stopped working. Legal documents outline that while it was being fixed, technicians posted 10 photos of the Apple customer in "various stages of undress and a sex video."
The exact amount Apple paid to the student was not disclosed. However, the report describes a "multimillion-dollar" settlement, and says that the customer's lawyers specifically requested $5 million during negotiation talks. Her lawyers also threatened to sue Apple for invasion of privacy and "infliction of emotional distress." They had reportedly warned the Cupertino tech giant that a lawsuit would give it negative PR, which possibly made the company more willing to pay the settlement.
Lawyers for the victim had threatened to sue for invasion of privacy and infliction of emotional distress, and had warned of the "negative media publicity" that would accompany a lawsuit. The settlement included a confidentiality provision that prevented her from discussing the case or revealing the size of the payout.
In a statement given to The Telegraph, Apple said that it takes customers' privacy "extremely seriously," and that it thoroughly investigated the "egregious violation." The company said it took "immediate action" and has since "continued to strengthen our vendor protocols."
In a video posted on Apple Music, first spotted on Twitter, Apple is teasing a "special event" that will take place on June 7 at 12 p.m PT, two hours after the main WWDC keynote begins. Currently not on the WWDC schedule, this event is related to Spatial Audio for Apple Music, which Apple has said will launch later this month.
Apple announced that Spatial Audio, powered by Dolby Atmos, will be coming to all Apple Music subscribers in June, in addition to higher-quality lossless streaming. The company has been promoting the new features across social media and within the Apple Music app; however, the mention of a special event dedicated fully to it had previously remained undisclosed.
Apple's official keynote begins at 10 a.m PT on June 7, and the State of the Union takes place four hours after at 2 p.m PT.
Less than 48 hours away from the start of WWDC, a new App Store leak suggests that Apple plans to announce a brand new "Mind" app across its different platforms, as well as the introduction of the standalone Tips and Contacts app for Apple Watch, presumably as part of the watchOS 8 update.
The leak comes at the courtesy of developer Khaos Tian, who noticed that Apple accidentally updated the App Store manifest with new app ID bundle identifiers. The findings reference "com.apple.NanoTips" and "com.Apple.NanoContacts," both identifiers include "Nano," which is Apple's internal codename for Apple Watch apps.
Alongside the identifiers referencing the unreleased apps for Apple Watch, Apple also posted "com.Apple.Mind," an app currently not offered by the company. The lack of a specific codename, such as Nano, likely indicates that the app will be available across watchOS and iOS. Apple has in the past been rumored to be working on different health features, including mental health.
Bloomberg'sMark Gurmanhas stated that the next update to watchOS will include new and improved health tracking features. Apple already offers a Breathe app on Apple Watch, and the unreleased Mind app may be an expansion or replacement of the app to better suit mental health needs. Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference kicks off on Monday, June 7, at 10 a.m PT.
iPadOS 15 will include improvements to the way users manage multiple apps open at once, in addition to a redesigned incoming notification banner that will also debut in iOS 15, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
In an overview report of what to expect from Apple at its Worldwide Developers Conference on Monday, Gurman reiterates his previous reporting while also providing a few additional new tidbits. Gurman has said previously that iPadOS 15 will allow users to place widgets anywhere on the Home Screen. Today Gurman expanded, saying that improvements to multitasking can also be expected on iPadOS 15.
For the iPad, Apple plans to revamp the home screen and support the placement of widgets -- snippets of dynamic information like calendar, weather, and stocks -- anywhere on the screen. This is a commonly requested feature that will bring the iPad in line with Android rivals. The company also plans an improved multitasking system to make it easier to operate multiple apps at the same time.
Addtionally, Gurman says that alongside major changes to iMessage and a new way for users to set their status on their device, iOS 15 will also include a redesigned incoming notification banner.
On the iPhone and iPad software updates, users will now be able to set a status -- such as whether you are driving, sleeping, working or don’t want to be disturbed -- and have that dictate how incoming notifications are handled. The update will also include a larger focus on auto-replying to messages and a new design for incoming notification banners at the top of the screen.
Gurman also notes that Apple has been working on a redesigned lockscreen for the iPad and iPhone, but says that some of those changes have been pushed until iOS 16, next year.
Apple has also been working on a revamped lock screen for the iPhone and iPad, though some of those changes have been pushed back to a future release and won’t appear this year.
As for macOS 12, tvOS 15, and watchOS 8, Gurman says to expect minor updates. watchOS 8 will include improved health tracking features and "interface improvements." Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference officially kicks off on Monday, June 7, at 10 a.m PT. Check out our roundup of everything else you can expect.
It's finally here! Apple's annual Worldwide Developers Conference kicks off on Monday with the traditional keynote address at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time. At the event, we'll undoubtedly see the unveiling of upcoming versions of Apple's operating systems like iOS 15 and macOS 12, and if we're lucky, perhaps some hardware like a redesigned MacBook Pro.
This week also saw a host of rumors about Apple's future iPad lineup, AirPods, and the iPhone 13, as well as an interesting tidbit that Jony Ive was involved in the design of the new M1 iMac, so read on for all of the details on these stories and more!
What to Expect at WWDC 2021: iOS 15, macOS 12, watchOS 8, New MacBook Pro?
With WWDC kicking off on Monday, we've put together a look at what we can expect at the keynote event. We actually haven't seen a whole lot in the way of leaks this year, so there are likely to be plenty of surprises coming on Monday, but we'll certainly be seeing what Apple has planned for iOS 15, macOS 12, watchOS 8, and more.
It doesn't seem like we should be expecting much in the way of hardware, with Apple having already launched several new products over the past month or so, including AirTags, the M1 iMac, updated iPad Pro models, and the second-generation Apple TV 4K. But there's still a chance we could see some hardware announcements on Monday, with the most likely candidate being the MacBook Pro, so check out our guide and video overview of what to expect.
New 14-Inch and 16-Inch MacBook Pro Seemingly Filed in Regulatory Database Ahead of WWDC
Next iPad Pro to Feature Both Wireless Charging and Reverse Wireless Charging Capabilities
In a wide-ranging report touching on Apple's roadmap for most of its iPad lineup, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman this week reported that the next iPad Pro coming in 2022 is expected to adopt a glass back and support wireless charging, as well as reverse wireless charging that would allow it to charge other devices like iPhones and AirPods.
Gurman also says Apple is working on a new iPad mini for launch later this year that will have thinner bezels around the display and do away with the Home button. Apple is also planning a thinner version of the low-cost iPad.
Finally, Gurman says Apple is working on multiple wireless charging projects including a multi-device charger similar to the defunct AirPower that never came to fruition, as well as longer-range wireless charging technology.
iPhone 13 Lineup Appears to Feature Significantly Larger Battery Capacities
iPhone 13 Pro models are rumored to feature a power-hungrier 120Hz display, so larger batteries would help ensure that the higher refresh rate does not have too much of an impact on battery life relative to current iPhones.
Jony Ive Was Involved in the New M1 iMac Design, Despite Leaving Apple in 2019
Each week, we publish an email newsletter like this highlighting the top Apple stories, making it a great way to get a bite-sized recap of the week hitting all of the major topics we've covered and tying together related stories for a big-picture view.
Some of the world's richest countries have today reached a landmark agreement to close international tax loopholes used by some of the biggest multinational corporations, including big tech companies like Apple, Google, and Amazon (via Reuters).
At the G7 summit in London, representatives of the U.S., UK, France, Germany, Canada, Italy, and Japan reached an agreement on a coordinated effort to support a minimum global corporation tax rate of at least 15 percent and committed to ensure that multinational corporations pay taxes in the countries where their business operates.
"After years of discussion, G7 finance ministers have reached a historic agreement to reform the global tax system to make it fit for the global digital age," said the United Kingdom's Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak.
The joint accord, which is expected to form the foundation of a global pact next month, is aimed to stop what U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen called "thirty-year race to the bottom on corporate tax rates," where countries have felt compelled to slash tax rates and introduce exemptions to remain appealing to corporate giants.
The deal will put pressure on other countries to follow suit and join the agreement. A meeting of the G20 next month is expected to continue the talks with a wider group of nations, including Argentina, Australia, Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, and Turkey.
Any broader, final agreement could have repercussions for low-tax countries and tax havens, such as Ireland, where Apple is headquartered outside the U.S. Low-tax countries are expected to try to build support for a minimum rate as close as possible to around 12.5 percent or seek exemptions.
American multinationals play a significant role in Ireland's economy, attracted by the country's "BEPS" tools, that protect their non–U.S. profits from the U.S. "worldwide" corporate tax system, and provide an effective Irish tax rate of zero to 2.5 percent. As a result, large multinational companies, particularly in the technology industry, such as Apple, Google, Amazon, and Facebook, are expected to be heavily impacted by the new international tax plans.
The agreed minimum corporation tax rate of 15 percent is still above the level in countries such as Ireland, but below the lowest level in the G7. The 15 percent rate is lower than the 21 percent that was expected ahead of the summit, and some countries, such as France, are arguing that the 15 percent rate should be viewed as a base level for setting a higher, more ambitious rate.
A move toward making companies declare their environmental impact in a standardized way, primarily so that it is clearer to investors, was also agreed upon.
Note: Due to the political or social nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Political News forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.
In the detailed letter sent yesterday afternoon, addressed to CEO Tim Cook and the company's executive leadership, the Apple employees said that they want a more flexible approach where those who want to work remotely are able to do so.
Without the inclusivity that flexibility brings, many of us feel we have to choose between either a combination of our families, our well-being, and being empowered to do our best work, or being a part of Apple. This is a decision none of us take lightly, and a decision many would prefer not to have to make.
Earlier this week, Tim Cook sent a note to Apple employees explaining that they will need to return to the office for at least three days a week starting in September. Teams that require in-person work will return to the office for four to five days a week, but most employees will still be able to have two days of remote work. Employees will also be able to work entirely remotely for up to two weeks every year, but the remote work requests will need to be approved by managers.
Over the last year we often felt not just unheard, but at times actively ignored. Messages like, 'we know many of you are eager to reconnect in person with your colleagues back in the office,' with no messaging acknowledging that there are directly contradictory feelings amongst us feels dismissive and invalidating. Not only do many of us already feel well-connected with our colleagues worldwide, but better connected now than ever. We've come to look forward to working as we are now, without the daily need to return to the office. It feels like there is a disconnect between how the executive team thinks about remote / location-flexible work and the lived experiences of many of Apple's employees.
The new remote working policy is a distinctive easing compare to the company's previous working from home policy, but some Apple staff believe that the new plan does not go far enough and is "not sufficient in addressing many of our needs."
Benefits of more flexible work highlighted by the employees included diversity and inclusion in retention and hiring, tearing down previously-existing communication barriers, better work-life balance, better integration of existing remote workers, and reduced spread of pathogens.
We ask for your support in enabling those who want to work remotely / in location-flexible ways to continue to do so, letting everyone figure out which work setup works best for them, their team, and their role — be it in one of our offices, from home, or a hybrid solution. We are living proof that there is no one-size-fits-all policy for people. For Inclusion and Diversity to work, we have to recognize how different we all are, and with those differences, come different needs and different ways to thrive. We feel that Apple has both the responsibility to recognize these differences, as well as the capability to fully embrace them.
The letter reportedly began in an Apple Slack channel for "remote work advocates" with around 2,800 members. As many as 80 employees are said to have been involved in writing and editing the note.
The letter summarised its formal requests as follows:
We are formally requesting that Apple considers remote and location-flexible work decisions to be as autonomous for a team to decide as are hiring decisions.
We are formally requesting a company-wide recurring short survey with a clearly structured and transparent communication / feedback process at the company-wide level, organization-wide level, and team-wide level, covering topics listed below.
We are formally requesting a question about employee churn due to remote work be added to exit interviews.
We are formally requesting a transparent, clear plan of action to accommodate disabilities via onsite, offsite, remote, hybrid, or otherwise location-flexible work.
We are formally requesting insight into the environmental impact of returning to onsite in-person work, and how permanent remote-and-location-flexibility could offset that impact.
Apple's 32nd annual Worldwide Developers Conference will continue to be held in a digital-only capacity much like the 2020 WWDC event, which means it's free for all developers worldwide to attend.
Apple is holding a virtual keynote that will take place on Monday, June 7, with the event set to give us our first look at new operating system updates. We don't know a lot about this year's event, but everything that we're expecting to see based on rumors has been highlighted below.
Apple is working on new 14 and 16-inch MacBook Pro models that could perhaps see a launch at WWDC. The rumor comes from leaker Jon Prosser, who has something of a mixed track record when it comes to predicting Apple's plans. Other more reliable sources have pointed more broadly to a launch in the second half of the year and haven't pinpointed June as a specific launch month for the new machines.
Analysts from Wedbush and Morgan Stanley have also said that new Apple silicon Macs could debut at WWDC, but a recent DigiTimes report said that redesigned MacBook Pro models won't be shipping to customers until late 2021, so it's unclear what's going to happen.
Apple has in the past launched new hardware at WWDC, but since 2017, WWDC events have focused on software. MacRumors recently discovered a database listing for a battery that could be used in the next-generation MacBook Pro, but that also doesn't offer a clear picture on a release timeline.
The new MacBook Pro models will feature the most radical redesign to the MacBook Pro lineup since 2016. Apple is reintroducing the MagSafe port, and the new MacBook Pro models will include an HDMI port and an SD Card reader in addition to a trio of Thunderbolt/USB-C ports.
There will be no Touch Bar, with Apple instead returning to a traditional function row of keys, and there will also be a redesigned thermal system to accommodate the upgraded Apple silicon chips that the machines are expected to include. Additional color options are also a possibility.
Even if we don't end up getting new MacBook Pro models at WWDC, we could possibly hear about the next-generation Apple silicon chips that are in the works.
Apple is working on 10-core Apple silicon chips for the MacBook Pro models, with the chips expected to include eight high-performance cores and two energy-efficient cores, along with 16 or 32-core GPU options and support for up to 64GB RAM.
Higher-end chips are coming too. For a future Mac Pro, Apple is working on Apple silicon chip options with 20 or 40 computing cores, made up of 16 or 32 high-performance cores and four or eight high-efficiency cores. These upgraded chips are also expected to include 64 or 128 core GPUs, and at the top of the line, the graphics chips would be several times faster than the graphics modules Apple uses from Nvidia and AMD.
Last year, Apple unveiled details about Apple silicon chips, but it was when developers needed to prepare for the transition to Arm technology. That's not the case this year, so there's no clear word on if we might get more Apple silicon info at WWDC.
There have been several years where early versions of iOS leaked, giving us a clear picture of what to expect from the next-generation version of the iPhone's operating system, but that didn't happen this year. We've heard little about iOS and iPadOS 15, but there have been a few hints about what to expect, mainly sourced from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
Notification Updates
iPhone and iPad users will be able to set notification preferences based on their status. So if you're awake, for example, you might set your iPhone to send notifications with sound, while sound might be disabled if you're sleeping.
Users will be able to select from categories like driving, working, or sleeping, and there will be a feature for creating custom categories for handling incoming notifications in different ways, along with new settings for automatic replies. Menu options for selecting a mode will be available on the Lock Screen and in the Control Center.
iMessage Changes
Apple is updating iMessage to better compete with other messaging apps like WhatsApp, but what new features we can expect remains unknown.
Last year, there was evidence that Apple was testing features like retracting sent messages, group chat typing indicators, and marking messages as unread, but none of these materialized in the iOS 14 update. It's possible that we might see some of these surface in the iOS 15 update.
Privacy Enhancements
Apple plans to enhance user privacy even further with the addition of a new menu that shows which apps silently collect data from users.
Food Tracking
An unconfirmed rumor has suggested that Apple is planning to add a new food tracking feature to the Health app, but it is not clear how expansive it might be. It could allow users to log the food items that they consume, providing nutritional details and calorie tracking through a built-in database, or it could be something more simple where users are required to manually enter information.
Interface Updates
We've seen some minor interface changes spotted in screenshots of Accessibility features coming in iOS 15, with Apple using inset cells and merged navigation bars in the Settings app. These changes could also be brought to other areas of the operating system.
Apple is also said to be making some minor tweaks to the colors that are used when an iPhone is in Dark Mode.
New iPad Home Screen
Apple is working on a new Home Screen for the iPad that will let users place widgets anywhere. An entire app grid will be replaceable with widgets on the iPad, a design that is available already on the iPhone.
Accessibility Updates
Apple is working on several new Accessibility features that are likely to debut in iOS 15, including Background Sounds, an option that will allow iPhone users to play various soothing sounds like ocean, rain, or white noise to drown out unwanted environmental or external noise.
AssistiveTouch, another new feature, will let the Apple Watch be used without the need to touch the display or the controls. the optical heart rate sensor, and on-device machine learning will let Apple Watch detect subtle differences in muscle movement and tendon activity that will control a cursor on the screen through hand gestures like a pinch or a clench.
Apple is also working on iPad eye-tracking, more inclusive Memoji, MFi hearing aid improvements, and more.
Other New Features
The Wall Street Journal's Joanna Stern said on the Friday before WWDC that she's heard Apple will introduce improvements to Safari, iMessage, Maps, and Health, but she did not provide additional context.
Of course, next week at WWDC the walls will get even higher. I hear there are big updates coming to Safari, Health, Maps and iMessage at WWDC next week.
— Joanna Stern (@JoannaStern) June 4, 2021
As little as we know about iOS 15, we know even less about macOS 12, the next-generation version of the Mac's operating system. We do expect it to be labeled macOS 12, however. For a long time, macOS updates were labeled as 10.x, but with the launch of macOS Big Sur, Apple jumped to macOS 11. We've already had 11.x software updates, so the next-generation version of macOS will be macOS 12.
Apple will also give the operating system the name of a California landmark. Apple has been using California landmark names since 2013, and so far, we've had Mavericks, Yosemite, El Capitan, Sierra, High Sierra, Mojave, Catalina, and Big Sur.
There's no word yet on what Apple will use for macOS 12, but the company has trademarked Mammoth, Monterey, and Skyline. Trademarks aren't a good guide to names, though, because Apple has used several names without trademarking them.
watchOS 8
Apple will introduce a new version of watchOS, watchOS 8, but what it will include is unknown at this time. Some of the features expected in iOS will naturally extend to watchOS, like the notification updates, but we don't know what's coming beyond that.
tvOS 15
We've also heard no hints of what to expect for tvOS 15, but a new version of tvOS always accompanies new versions of iOS.
homeOS?
In the days before WWDC, Apple mistakenly referenced "homeOS" as an operating system in a job listing before later removing it. There's a possibility that tvOS will be renamed to homeOS, given that tvOS is the operating system that runs on both the Apple TV and the HomePod. It's also possible that the "homeOS" mention was just a mistake on Apple's part.
MacRumors Coverage
Apple plans to live stream the WWDC keynote on its website, the Apple TV app, and YouTube, but for those unable to watch, we'll be covering the event on MacRumors.com and through the MacRumorsLive Twitter account.
We'll also have in-depth coverage of all of Apple's announcements throughout the rest of the week and going forward as we test the new software.
Apple will use the data collected to improve its Maps app and expand its Look Around feature beyond the five countries where it is currently supported, including parts of the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland, and Japan. Introduced in iOS 13, Look Around is similar to Google's Street View, providing a street-level view of a location with high-resolution 3D imagery that can be zoomed and panned.
In areas where Look Around is available, a binoculars icon appears in the top-right corner of the Maps app. Tapping that icon opens a street-level view in a card overlay at the top of the screen, which can then be expanded to a full-screen view. Look Around also appears in the search results for a supported city, below the Flyover and Directions buttons.
Apple Maps vehicles have also surveyed all or parts of the United States, Canada, the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Belgium, Italy, France, Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, Slovenia, Croatia, Singapore, and select other countries since data collection began in 2015. In some areas where streets are not easily accessible, Apple employees collect data using portable systems, such as a backpack with LiDAR equipment.
Apple says it is committed to protecting the public's privacy while conducting these surveys. For example, Apple blurs out faces and license plates in street-level imagery that is made available through the Look Around feature.
iFixit has started one of its traditional teardowns on the 12.9-inch M1iPad Pro, which began arriving to customers on its May 21 launch date. iFixit's teardown delves into the new "XDR" mini-LED display, which is one of the iPad's major new features.
The M1 iPad Pro features new 5G antennas at the sides to enable 5G connectivity, and there's a 10566 mAh (40.33Wh) battery inside.
As for the display, it's slightly thicker than the Liquid Retina display from the prior-generation iPad Pro (0.5mm), and "quite a bit heavier." Unlike a traditional LED display, the mini-LED display in the iPad Pro features a giant grid of tiny LEDs that introduce the contrast and quality improvements seen in the 2021 iPad Pro.
There are 2,596 local dimming zones in the M1 iPad Pro, and each one is a square with four tiny LEDs inside. The non-XDR iPad display, meanwhile, uses a single strip of LEDs along one side, so this inside look at the display gives a great explainer on what's different between the 2020 iPad Pro and the 2021 12.9-inch version.
iFixit shared a YouTube video opening up the iPad Pro, and the full teardown with photos, writeup, and repairability score isn't yet available, but it should be coming in the future.
The Sensibo Pure air purifier was today updated with HomeKit compatibility, making it one of the few air purifiers on the market able to integrate with HomeKit.
HomeKit allows you to control the Sensibo Pure through the Home app, and it enables Siri commands for checking air quality, turning the air purifier on and off, and more.
It also enables automations, so the Sensibo Pure can be used in tandem with other HomeKit accessories. Sensibo says that the air purifier can be paired with the HomeKit-compatible Sensibo Air AC controller and Ecobee thermostat to improve air circulation to boost purification.
The Sensibo Pure is advertised as featuring a triple-level filtration system with technology that monitors indoor and outdoor air quality to increase airflow through air conditioners and central systems.
