WWDC last-minute rumors: Dark icons, locked apps, Siri with AI, and more

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It’s time for the most impactful keynote Apple will deliver all year: WWDC, when the company unveils the new direction it will take its devices. Today Apple will unveil iOS 18 and iPadOS 18, macOS 15, and watchOS 11, along with possible updates to tvOS, AirPods, HomePod, and visionOS all coming this fall. It’s a big day.

So if you’re as excited as we are, you’re tracking all of the latest news and rumors before the keynote kicks off at 10 am PT. Well, look no further—we’ve got everything you need right here.

WWDC 2024: Latest news

Dark-mode icons: According to MacRumors, iOS 18 will bring Dark Mode to the icons on the Home Screen to give the iPhone a full-on dark appearance. It has also been rumored that Apple will let users change the color of app icons using AI, so this is likely an extension of that feature.

Locked apps: Another MacRumors report claims that Apple will let users lock apps behind Face ID similar to how Notes, Photos, and Safari lets users enable authentication for certain content and features. (Note that certain third-party apps such as WhatsApp let you do this already.)

Siri with AI: AppleInsider outlines all the new features Siri will be able to do thanks to AI, which will be dubbed Apple Intelligence. The report says Apple “wants to get its AI accustomed to natural language, speech patterns, sentence structures, and instruction types.”

AirPods hearing test: According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple will announce a new “hearing test” feature for AirPods that will presumably play a series of beeps to test your ability to detect certain frequencies.

Buggy betas: Over on X, Gurman claims that “many of the features in the first iOS 18 beta have come in really hot” and some Apple engineers are “surprised the first betas are going out” today.

watchOS 11 compatibility: According to a report by a private account on X, watchOS 11 will drop support for Apple Watch Series 4 (2018), Apple Watch Series 5 (2019), and 1st-gen Apple Watch SE (2020).

Apple Store UP: Apple traditionally takes its online store down ahead of events that will showcase new hardware but it hasn’t done that today, suggesting software will be the star of WWDC.

WWDC 2024: Keynote preview

We’ve taken our best shot at writing the WWDC keynote based on rumors, reports, and our own educated guesses, so give it a read before Tim Cook takes the stage.

WWDC 2024: Watch the keynote

The WWDC keynote will kick off at 10am PT and will be live-streamed for all to see. You can watch it on Apple.com, in the TV app, or on YouTube below.