If you have an iDevice, today's WWDC 2021 keynote has something for you. With a slew of new announcements, Apple concluded its bid developer conference, which is of significance to end users just the same. It is important as Apple gives an early peek into what's in store for iPhones, iPads and Macs, making the coming months just as exciting.
In this article, we take you through some important announcements from today's much-anticipated event. No hardware was released, but a ton of software made the headlines (as naturally expected), to make that hardware-software integration stronger and deeper.
WWDC 2021 at a glance
iOS 15 brings big improvements to FaceTime with Spatial Audio, SharePlay, which lets you share media with people you are on call with virtually, a new look for notifications, set "Focus" statuses and more. iOS 15 arrives to the public this fall for iPhone 6s and later models.
Live Text will digitise text in your photos using AI.
FaceTime now works on Android and Windows devices via a browser. There's also the ability to schedule calls and get a shareable link and have a virtual party with Apple Music integration.
Apple Wallet will store your ID in digital format, but it comes with limited support for now.
iPadOS 15 will let you pin widgets to the home screen and there are improvements to multitasking with new controls to make app management easy.
Siri gets the capability to respond to some of your requests even without an active internet connection. Siri will process voice requests on the device.
The constant fear of losing your AirPods can finally be put to rest as Apple is making it easier to find them on Find My network. AirPods will also announce your notifications so you don't have to pull out your phone everything it rings.
WatchOS 8 gets new Mindfulness app, improvements to Photo watch face and more.
Apple's next macOS will be called Monterey. Of many things, it's pretty cool to be able to use the same mouse and keyboard for both your Mac and iPad. Monterey also gets Shortcuts app, and improvements to a lot of apps like FaceTime.
Safari gets a major overhaul with new look for tabs, tab groups.
