(Credit: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
PCMag is set to be on the ground at WWDC 2026 in early June, Apple's annual developer conference, where the Cupertino-based tech giant is poised to drop a barrage of updates across its major operating systems. We're anticipating a full slate of announcements for iOS 27, iPadOS 27, macOS 27, watchOS 27, and more. According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, however, Siri is expected to be the star of the show. Rumors are flying about a massive overhaul that will make the controversial personal assistant competitive in a world where ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, and other bots are left running the AI playground.
If you're curious about what the iPhone maker has in store for all of your Apple devices, here's a breakdown about how to tune in—and what to expect.
How to Watch the WWDC 2026 Keynote
Mark your calendars, folks. WWDC takes place from Monday, June 8 to Friday, June 12, with the keynote—the only segment streamed publicly—kicking off the four-day conference on day one, June 8, at 10 a.m. Pacific. If you're on Mountain Time, Central Time, or Eastern Time, that works out to 11 a.m., 12 p.m., and 1 p.m., respectively. For our readers in the UK, you'll be tuning in at 6 p.m. The keynote will take place at Apple Park in Cupertino with reserved seats for press, developers, and other VIPs.
(Credit: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images)If you didn't get an invite, you can watch the keynote from the comfort of your own home. It will be livestreamed via Apple's Events website, YouTube channel, and Apple TV app. In my experience, the Apple Events page delivers a faster, higher-fidelity stream, but YouTube is more familiar to use and easier for jumping across devices, such as from your smart TV to your phone.
For a closer look at the action, stay tuned for our live blog, as PCMag's mobile expert Florence Ion tracks key announcements straight from Apple Park.
What to Expect at WWDC 2026
I've been covering WWDC for six years, and my favorite part of the pre-keynote excitement is analyzing Apple's promotional art ahead of the event. On last year's logo, featuring a translucent "25," Apple teased iOS 26's Liquid Glass aesthetic.
(Credit: Apple)This year, the logo's "26" has a glowy effect—and Gurman suspects it captures the new, luminous animation effects we'll see for the revamped Siri and beyond.
(Credit: Apple)A Smarter Siri Powered By Gemini
Siri is expected to be the highlight of WWDC. Per Gurman, Apple will announce major updates to the digital assistant, including a standalone app with a chatbot-style interface, the ability to process multiple requests in a single query, and seamless integration with third-party AI agents (e.g., Claude).
(Credit: Eric Zeman)Further, Siri will reportedly gain the option to access and reference your personal data, as well as your on-screen activity, to improve contextual awareness and deliver more relevant responses.
Gurman claims this will be Siri's biggest reboot since its long-ago debut, and that it will be supported by Gemini, thanks to Apple's AI partnership with Google, announced earlier this year.
More Intelligent Apple Intelligence
Apple is also expanding Apple Intelligence, according to Gurman. We're expecting announcements about AI-generated wallpapers via natural-language prompts, as well as an upgraded Image Playground app with improved image generation and Genmoji creation.
Camera ... Widgets?
The Camera app is getting a boost, too. Rumor has it that Apple is adding an Add Widgets panel that allows users to swap out the standard top-row shortcuts for pro tools like depth and exposure adjustments. For users who enjoy working with Shortcuts, Gurman claims they will be able to build complex workflows using natural language instead of tedious, step-by-step programming. This could really enhance your results, though Apple hasn't indicated whether it will stamp AI-manipulated photos with an obvious watermark. Expect better Visual Intelligence for image-based searches, too.
Upgrades Across Platforms
Meanwhile, iPadOS 27 and macOS 27 are expected to inherit many of the same AI-driven enhancements rumored for iOS 27, bringing a more intelligent and context-aware experience to iPad and Mac devices, respectively.
In a recent Apple Newsroom post, the company highlighted some accessibility-focused features rolling out to tvOS and visionOS. The former is gaining larger text support, making on-screen text easier to read, while the latter is adding motion sickness reduction for passengers in moving vehicles, face gesture support for performing select actions, and a new eye-selection method.
If there's one thing we're clamoring for, it's a less liquid-looking glass user interface.
About Face
Last year's watchOS 26 upgrade introduced the AI-enabled Workout Buddy alongside improvements to the Smart Stack, new gesture controls, and the Liquid Glass makeover. Watch for Apple's next watchOS, presumably 27, to double down on AI. Both Samsung and Google have AI-based guidance built into their respective wearables for planning workouts and even improving sleep. We expect Apple not to directly follow suit but to find a different way to solve the same problem with its own AI.
New health tracking features are possible as well, of course. Apple Watches can already monitor blood pressure to an extent with hypertension notifications, but this process happens entirely in the background. Samsung watches have a blood pressure feature, but it's a pain to use because you have to calibrate readings with a cuff. Apple could get ahead of the crowd here with a feature that takes blood pressure readings without calibration—though, admittedly, this is a long shot.
Finally, as always, watch for the usual upgrades like new watch faces, gesture controls, and more improvements to existing features like the Smart Stack.
Fresh Hardware
Apple's track record of debuting new hardware at WWDC is somewhat hit-or-miss. Every now and then, it has a fresh round of MacBook updates or a big surprise like the Apple Vision Pro. This year, we're not expecting to see any new phones, tablets, Macs, or other gear from the company. We will, however, be keeping our eyes open for a sneak peek of the rumored folding iPhone. Will it make a (brief) appearance? We hope so!
Follow PCMag for the Latest
Whether you're looking forward to a smarter Siri or a less nauseating car ride while wearing your Vision Pro, WWDC 2026 is set to tell us all about how the updated ecosystem will reshape how we use our Apple hardware in the near future. PCMag will be reporting live from Cupertino, so be sure to tune in to follow along with us for the latest news as it happens.
Andrew Gebhart contributed to this report.