Apple has unveiled the long-awaited update to its Siri personal assistant, alongside a host of other updates at its annual Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) on Monday.
Outgoing chief executive Tim Cook presided over his fifteenth and final WWDC, which featured a major focus on AI and safety. The new Siri AI will be integrated across Apple’s devices, though will not be available in the EU due to regulatory issues.
Announcements at the Cupertino event included the reveal of the new iOS 27 mobile operating system for iPhones, which will be available later this year.
There were also updates to the software that powers Macs, iPads and Apple Watches, together with major upgrades to the iPhone camera app.
WWDC 2026 comes 15 years after Cook took over from Steve Jobs at the helm of Apple, with incoming CEO John Ternus set to fill the role at the beginning of September.
You can follow all the latest updates from WWDC 2026 right here. A live stream of the event is also available at the top of the blog.
Key points
- Apple Intelligence gets big update
- Apple leans into protecting children online
- The big question facing Apple's incoming CEO
Watch Apple WWDC 2026 keynote live
17:36 , Anthony Cuthbertson
Here’s the official live stream for Apple WWDC 2026:
A personal message from Tim Cook
19:17 , Anthony Cuthbertson
Tim Cook is back onstage to close out the WWDC 2026 keynote. After rounding up the announcements, he reflects on 15 years in the role as Apple CEO, saying that these events have been among his favourite memories of his time at the company.
“It’s been the honour of a lifetime,” he says, adding: “I truly believe the best is still ahead.”
Apple Intelligence round-up
19:12 , Anthony Cuthbertson
Here’s a round-up of everything announced for Apple Intelligence:
Siri AI not available in EU
19:11 , Anthony Cuthbertson
Siri AI is coming later this year - but not to people in Europe. Regulatory issues mean Apple is unable to release it in the European Union. The company says it is working with lawmakers to try and fix this.
Apple Intelligence a 'big step forward'?
19:09 , Anthony Cuthbertson
Apple has described its new Apple Intelligence offerings as a “big step forward”, but there’s no real standout features with Apple’s AI offerings. It’s more a melange of all the existing AI tools already announced by the tech giant’s rivals.
There’s been a good five minutes on how Apple Intelligence can be used to edit photos, with features like ‘clean up’ and ‘extend’ that appear to do exactly what other apps have been doing for years. The ‘extend’ feature, for example, comes three years after Photoshop released Generative Fill.
Write with Siri
18:54 , Anthony Cuthbertson
You can write with Siri virtually anywhere you type. From emails to essay drafts, you can just type a short prompt and it will do it for you.
One catch: Siri AI is currently only available in English.
Siri AI coming to more platforms
18:49 , Anthony Cuthbertson
Siri AI will be available on iPhones, iPads and Macs, while users can also interact with it on WatchOS and VisionOS.
As previously mentioned, there’s also a dedicated Siri AI app, similar to other AI models from Anthropic, DeepSeek and OpenAI.
Siri AI gets voice update
18:44 , Anthony Cuthbertson
The new Siri AI is designed to sound much more conversational than its predecessor, and can be customised to sound the way you like it.
One thing that hasn’t changed: you begin interactions with ‘Hey Siri’.
Siri AI
18:39 , Anthony Cuthbertson
The new AI-powered Siri is imaginatively called Siri AI.
The digital assistant is more conversational, comes with a dedicated Siri app, and has visual intelligence to understand the world around it.
A brief demonstration shows how it can be used to book tickets, listen to music, and identify what’s on your screen.
It appears to work across all apps, offering directions one moment and organising photo albums another.
Next generation of Apple Intelligence
18:34 , Anthony Cuthbertson
We’re onto Apple Intelligence now, which will power the brand new Siri assistance.
Apple has partnered with Google to power its new Apple Intelligence with its rival’s Gemini models. New features include image generation and editing, personal context understanding, and “app actions” that trawls through all your apps to find information.
Now for the all-new Siri...
Apple leans into protecting children online
18:29 , Andrew Griffin
Apple has long offered child safety features. But there's a real change of tone this year: they are taking a central part of the presentation, on the same level as big new feature updates and its AI changes.
The new and much louder focus comes amid increasing concern about the ways that constant access to the internet, social media and entertainment might be hurting children.
And that has come with pressure from regulators across the world – led by Australia, which has been under-16s from social media entirely.All of the new changes are part of a broad commitment to ensuring that children's time online is healthy, Apple said.
They were introduced by its lead for health technologies and the company made significant reference to the latest scientific research.It seemed to mark a significant change in the technology industry more broadly.
While Apple has long led the industry for child protection technologies, it has rarely focused quite so much and so publicly on how they can be used.In practice, the changes are about giving parents the ability to control and limit the ways that young people can engage with the internet.
Broadly, they are focused on "what kids can see", "who can kids can talk to", "when kids have access" and "how parents can guide their kids' digital journey".Specifically, that includes the ability to decide which apps children have access to, and automatically spotting potentially harmful content being sent in messages, for instance.
Big focus on trust and safety
18:24 , Anthony Cuthbertson
We’re 20 minutes in and there’s been no news on the new AI-powered Siri. Instead there’s been a heavy focus on trust and safety, particularly around new child safety features in iOS 27.
Parents are being given pretty much complete control over everything their children sees, including a new ‘ask to browse’ feature that requires parental permission to look at a new website.
Apps to launch 30 per cent faster
18:12 , Anthony Cuthbertson
Some of the updates for MacOS Golden Gate include design tweaks to app interfaces and brand new app icons.
There’s also new customisation features for Liquid Glass, while iPhone and iPad apps will now launch up to 30 per cent faster. Photos will launch up to 70 per cent faster, while AirDrop transfers are now 80 per cent faster.
New MacOS Golden Gate
18:07 , Anthony Cuthbertson
Craig Federighi is on screen now, telling us there will be a “big leap forward” for Apple Intelligence and Siri.
He also has an odd bit about trying to figure out the new name for Mac’s operating system. Eventually a VW bus arrives to tell us the latest era of MacOS is called ‘Golden Gate’.
Good morning from Tim Cook
18:03 , Anthony Cuthbertson
WWDC 2026 is officially underway, with Tim Cook appearing on screen with his customary “good morning!”
Tim Cook addresses attendees before WWDC event officially kicks off
18:01 , Anthony Cuthbertson
While we wait for the live stream to kick off, Tim Cook is speaking to those assembled at Apple Park for WWDC 2026. Here’s some of the things he said:
“This is such an honour to be here with you and celebrate our incredible community of developers. today we're excited to be joined by developers from 65 countries.
“Your imagination and ingenuity have inspired me for the past 15 years and i am deeply grateful to have been on this journey with you. that same creativity will continue to shape experiences that bring people closer together, unlock new possibilities, and change the world in ways we can only begin to imagine.
“I would also like to acknowledge our incredible teams across apple including our engineers, designers and so many others who creativty dedication and hard work have made today's amazing announcemnts possible. Thank you to everyone. we've got a huge day ahead. so let's get on with the show.”
Is this what the iPhone Fold will look like?
17:55 , Anthony Cuthbertson
We probably won’t get a glimpse of the long-awaited foldable iPhone today, but this dummy unit could give an idea of how it looks.
First look at the iPhone Fold dummy unit. It doesn't look like Apple will offer multiple colors, with white currently appearing to be the only option. What do you think? pic.twitter.com/olMzm6t6Ts
— Sonny Dickson (@SonnyDickson) June 7, 2026
Here’s everything you need to know about Apple’s iPhone Fold:
iPhone Ultra could launch soon as new mock-ups leak
Will we get a glimpse of the iPhone Fold?
17:16 , Anthony Cuthbertson
Apple’s first foldable iPhone is expected to be announced later this year, most likely in September during the company’s annual hardware showcase.
Rumoured to be called the iPhone Fold, or iPhone Fold Ultra, there is a chance that Apple could tease it today.
The new iOS 27 operating system, which will be unveiled today, will need to be able to support a device that changes forms. So keep an eye out for any new features that could hint at a forthcoming foldable phone.
How to watch WWDC 2026
17:09 , Anthony Cuthbertson
There’s just under an hour to go now until the WWDC 2026 keynote, and there’s a number of ways you can watch it.
The live stream will be available right here as soon as it begins, but you can also watch it on Apple’s website, the Apple TV app, and the company’s official YouTube channel.
We’ll of course have all the latest news and updates on this page. Here’s how Apple Park is currently looking as attendees head for their seats (photo courtesy of our tech editor Andrew Griffin):
Tim Cook gets help with his 'good morning'
16:24 , Anthony Cuthbertson
As catchphrases go, ‘good morning’ might sound a little mundane. But somehow Tim Cook has managed to make it something special, having kicked off pretty much every major Apple event for the last 15 years with a “gooood moooorrrnang!”
A host of celebrities have now offered their take on how to spice it up a bit for his final opener.
— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) June 8, 2026
The big question facing Apple's incoming CEO
15:46 , Anthony Cuthbertson
Alongside all the other new things, Apple has another new thing to show off: its incoming chief executive, John Ternus.
The handover from Tim Cook doesn’t happen until September, but Ternus is expected to make an appearance. The biggest challenge facing him, according to our tech editor Andrew Griffin, will be whether he can finally achieve what Apple has so far struggled with: turning AI into a product.
You can read his piece here:
It’s the new Apple CEO’s first big outing. He is about to answer a very big question
What else to expect from WWDC 2026
15:06 , Anthony Cuthbertson
Beyond the big Siri upgrade, there will be the usual string of updates and announcements that come each year at Apple’s WWDC. Here’s a brief round-up of what to expect:
• iOS 27 – Big software changes will come with Apple’s new mobile operating system for iPhones. There will be a big emphasis on AI, along with the usual bug fixes and battery life improvements.
• Major upgrades to Photos and Camera – The iPhone’s camera app will reportedly have a dedicated ‘Siri Mode’ to bring new visual intelligence capabilities. The Photos app could also include AI image editing tools.
• AI agents in the App Store – Rumours suggest that Apple will be laying down a new framework for software developers that will allow autonomous AI agents into the App Store.
• New interfaces for new phones – The first foldable iPhone is set to be unveiled later this year. The larger display will run on iOS 27, which will require a major redesign to fit the changing layout.
What else to expect from WWDC 2026
15:06 , Anthony Cuthbertson
Beyond the big Siri upgrade, there will be the usual string of updates and announcements that come each year at Apple’s WWDC. Here’s a brief round-up of what to expect:
• iOS 27 – Big software changes will come with Apple’s new mobile operating system for iPhones. There will be a big emphasis on AI, along with the usual bug fixes and battery life improvements.
• Major upgrades to Photos and Camera – The iPhone’s camera app will reportedly have a dedicated ‘Siri Mode’ to bring new visual intelligence capabilities. The Photos app could also include AI image editing tools.
• AI agents in the App Store – Rumours suggest that Apple will be laying down a new framework for software developers that will allow autonomous AI agents into the App Store.
• New interfaces for new phones – The first foldable iPhone is set to be unveiled later this year. The larger display will run on iOS 27, which will require a major redesign to fit the changing layout.
The biggest ever change to Siri
14:18 , Anthony Cuthbertson
The headline news from today’s WWDC event is expected to be a complete makeover of its digital assistant Siri.
It will be Apple’s first big forray into the AI race, which is currently dominated by Anthropic, Google, Meta and Anthropic, and could help define the future of the company going forward.
Siri proved hugely successful when it launched in 2011 – the same year Tim Cook took charge at Apple – but has since fallen behind the curve with the arrival if AI chatbots like OpenAI’s ChatGPT.
Analysts predict Apple will reinvent Siri to be an AI-powered assistant that can compete with its popular rivals. You can read more about it here:
The biggest change to Siri in years may be days away
Hello and welcome...
13:44 , Anthony Cuthbertson
to our live coverage of Apple’s annual Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC).
We’ll have all the latest updates from Cupertino, California, with the biggest news expected to be a complete overhaul of its Siri personal assistant.
It will also be the final keynote for outgoing CEO Tim Cook, and a first public appearance for the incoming John Ternus, who takes over on 1 September.
