Macworld
Of the big Apple events of the year, WWDC is the most reliable: In each of the past 18 Junes, like clockwork, Apple has held a big get-together for its developer partners and announced a raft of important software updates. The September iPhone launch, March/April spring event and October event seem almost unpredictable by comparison.
In this article, we list the major announcements (and some of the smaller titbits) you can expect to hear about at WWDC 2025. Some of these–updates to the five big Apple operating systems, most obviously–are as predictable as the timing of the event. But we reckon Apple will spring a few surprises this year.
When is WWDC 2025?
Apple has announced that WWDC25 will take place from June 9 to 13, with the keynote on Monday June 9.
Apple traditionally holds WWDC during the first weeks of June. Here are the dates from the past few years:
- WWDC 2024: June 10-14
- WWDC 2023: June 5-9
- WWDC 2022: June 6-10
- WWDC 2021: June 7-11
- WWDC 2020: June 22-26
- WWDC 2019: June 3-7
- WWDC 2018: June 4-8
When is the WWDC keynote?
The keynote is likely to begin, as usual, at 10am Pacific Time. It will take place on Monday, June 9.
If you are wondering what time will the WWDC keynote start where you are it translates to:
- US: at 10 a.m. (PDT), 11 a.m. (MDT), noon (CDT), 1 p.m. (EDT)
- Canada: at 2 p.m. (ADT)
- UK: at 6 p.m. (BST)
- Europe: at 7 p.m. (CEST)
- India: at 10.30 p.m. (IST)
- Singapore and China: next day at 1 a.m.
- Japan: following day at 2 a.m. (JST)
- Australia: following day at 1 a.m. (AWST), 2.30 a.m. (ACST), 3 a.m. (AEST)
- New Zealand: following day at 5 a.m. (NZST)
How to watch WWDC 2025
When WWDC starts Apple will live stream the opening keynote on its website and elsewhere, including on the Apple TV app. This means you’ll be able to watch the presentation on iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, and even PC.
You’ll be able to apply to attend if you are a Current Apple Developer Program or Apple Developer Enterprise Program members or a Swift Student Challenge winner. More information below.
What will Apple announce at WWDC 2025?
Apple
WWDC stands for the Worldwide Developers Conference and is dedicated to the third-party software and hardware developers that create apps and accessories for Apple’s platforms: iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, and Vision Pro. If you are a developer we have more information about getting an invite below.
While devs are at the heart of the event, it’s also a press event that Apple uses to announce its software plans and potentially some new Macs and other products to the world. In the past we’ve seen quite a lot of new stuff. Read on to find out what we expect to see Apple unveil at the event, from software and hardware to some entirely new products.
WWDC 2025: Software releases
WWDC is all about the software, so we can be certain that Apple will reveal details of its upcoming operating system updates for iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, HomePod, and Apple Watch. Those updates will then be issued to developers as a beta to test, and then a few weeks later a public beta will start. Learn about participating in Apple’s beta software program so you can test the new software as soon as the beta arrives.
Eventually, the new software will be available for everyone to download in the fall (usually September for iOS/iPadOS/watchOS and either September or October for macOS.
Here’s what to expect:
Apple Intelligence
AI will be at the forefront of WWDC, with the company likely to discuss how it is growing its AI feature set known as Apple Intelligence. At WWDC 2024 Apple Intelligence features were a large part of the announcements arround iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS 15 Sequoia, but Apple is yet to deliver on some of it’s promises relating to Apple Intelligence, with some Siri related features being pushed to the iOS 19 release.
iOS 19
The headliner of the event simply because of the sheer number of iPhone owners across the planet. If you’ve got an iPhone made within the past five years, you’ll likely be able to install the new version of iOS when it’s released in the fall of 2025–though the Apple Intelligence features are only for the iPhone 15 Pro or later.
At WWDC Apple will showcase the new features coming to iPhones later in 2025. The rumors we’ve heard about iOS 19 so far indicate that we could see a major design overhaul, improvements to Siri, more Apple intelligence features, and Home app changes.
But before iOS 19 launches, there’s a whole beta-testing cycle to get through. iOS 19 will be announced at WWDC 2025, and then released as a developer beta (for registered app developers only) almost immediately after the keynote. Developers will then be able to install the iOS beta and a few weeks later a public beta version will be made available for all users who want to try the new features. Our advice is to be cautious and prepared for serious flaws with the beta software–it might even brick your device.
Over the course of the next few months, the developer and public betas will go through a testing process where features will be tweaked, changed, fixed, and updated until we reach the finished iOS 19.0 public release, most likely in September.
Read all the rumors and our hopes for iOS 19 in our iOS 19 guide.
iPadOS 19
The accompanying update for iPad owners, iPadOS 19 is likely to incorporate most of the new features of iOS 19 but adapted to a larger-screen interface. When Apple’s two mobile operating systems split in 2019 they were similar in most respects, but the iPad version is heading steadily into its own realm.
In 2022, Apple released iPad OS 16 a month after iOS 16, so it’s possible that the two versions don’t arrive at the same time.
macOS 16
What’s Apple got in store for its follow-up to macOS Sequoia? We’ll find out at WWDC 2025.
This version will be numbered macOS 16, but what is less predictable is the California landmark Apple will name the version after. So far we’ve had: Mavericks, Yosemite, El Capitan, Sierra, High Sierra, Mojave, Catalina, Big Sur, Monterey, Ventura and Sonoma. Based on the trademarks Apple has applied for, macOS Rincon or Skyline could be likely.
We’ll share all the rumors and our hopes for macOS 16 in our macOS 16 guide.
visionOS 3
Now that the Vision Pro has been on sale for a while you can expect to hear about new software features coming to the device at WWDC. Apple is likely to have things to say about new apps being made for the device as well as third-party software that is being created for Vision Pro.
watchOS 12
The new operating system for the Apple Watch will be revealed at WWDC 2025. This is more of a niche than the iPhone, iPad, and Mac updates discussed above but could bring more health and fitness features to Apple Watch owners around the world. Expect AI to have an impact here as well.
tvOS 19
The lowest-profile of the big Apple operating systems, tvOS is the platform that runs on the Apple TV. tvOS is generally light on new features, but the push into AI could change that, with new discovery and search tools.
HomePod software version 19
Apple is also likely to update the software on the HomePod and HomePod mini alongside the other operating systems. We may hear more about Apple’s plans for the HomePod during the WWDC event–especially as Apple is rumored to planning big changes to the HomePod.
Other software
You can also expect Apple to update its developer-focused apps, like Swift, Xcode, and TestFlight.
Apple
WWDC 2025: Hardware releases
WWDC tends to be a software-focused event, but Apple has often found time during its WWDC keynotes to launch hardware products too. The first few iPhone revisions—iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, and iPhone 4S—were all released at WWDC, and the HomePod had its unveiling at the event in 2017 as well.
However, the event has focused on Mac releases in recent years. Apple unveiled the iMac Pro in 2017 alongside updates to the iMac, MacBook, and MacBook Pro, and announced a new Mac Pro and the Pro Display XDR in June 2019. At WWDC 2020, Apple announced the transition from Intel to Apple silicon, and WWDC 2022 saw Apple launch the M2 chip in the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro. WWDC 2023 saw Apple introduce the Vision Pro, 15-inch MacBook Air, and the Mac Studio and Mac Pro with M2 Ultra chip.
What’s in the hardware pipeline for Apple right now? Hardware seems unlikely for this event due to a heavy focus on AI, but there are still some possibilities for surprises:
New Macs
We already have M4, M4 Pro, and M4 Max, but no M4 Ultra yet, and updates to the Mac Pro are long overdue.
Mac Pro
Over the years, including in 2023, new Mac Pro models have been launched at WWDC. Apple updated the Mac Studio in March 2025, but notably Apple gave the Mac Studio an M3 Ultra chip option rather than an M4 Ultra: is the M4 Ultra being kept back for the Mac Pro? It looks like it.
Read what we know about the M4 Mac Pro.
How to attend WWDC
If you want to attend the WWDC Keynote in person you need to be prepared to enter a lottery and apply for a ticket alongside other developers. There is a lot of competition for those tickets, which are randomly selected from those to apply and aren’t transferable. The good news is that tickets are free.
The lottery for ticket allocated for 2025 will probably start around the end of March and those interested will need to apply before a date around the beginning of April. (In 2023 the deadline was April 4).
You will be able to request to attend the keynote via that link.
Apple invites developers to participate in a series of classes, workshops, and sessions to learn about the system-wide changes coming to the major software platforms in the coming year so they can update their apps. Some lucky developers even get to watch the event live in person.
- Current Apple Developer Program members.
- Apple Entrepreneur Camp alumni.
- Swift Student Challenge winners; 2024 challenge applicants will be included in a separate random selection process for winners (in early May 2023 Apple began alerting the lucky few of their status as winners).
- Current Apple Developer Enterprise Program members.
The lucky applicants were notified of their success in getting a ticket at the beginning of April 2024.
You can find out more about how to get tickets to WWDC in our FAQ.
WWDC keynote tickets have been free and randomly distributed for the past few years, but it previously cost $1,599 for developers to attend and those tickets sold out very quickly.
Even without a ticket, all registered Apple developers get online access to session videos, slides, and sample code throughout the week.
Apple will share additional conference information in advance of WWDC24 through the Apple Developer app.
Further reading
We’ll update this article regularly in the run-up to WWDC, so check back to see the latest news.
For a broader view of the year’s plans, check out our guide to the new Apple products coming in 2024.
Source : Macworld
