2019 Worldwide Developers Conference
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Every year, Apple holds a Worldwide Developers Conference near its Cupertino campus in California to give thousands of developers from around the world a chance to meet up with Apple engineers and attend valuable workshops and software development sessions.
For many years, WWDC was hosted at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, but starting in 2017, Apple moved to the McEnery Convention Center in San Jose, California, where this year's conference was also held. WWDC 2019 took place from Monday, June 3 to Friday, June 7.
Apple kicks off each conference with a keynote on the first day, where the company makes major announcements and sets the stage for the rest of the week. Media invites for the June 3 keynote event went out on May 22.
Keynote events typically offer a look at upcoming products and provide the first details on new operating systems, though in some years there are no hardware announcements and the focus of the event is software.
In 2019, we saw updated versions of iOS (including a new iPadOS specifically for the iPad), macOS, watchOS, and tvOS, all of which will gain new features and capabilities. We also got a preview of the new Mac Pro and Apple Pro Display XDR, both launching in the fall. Read on for our event preview published prior to WWDC.
Everything Apple Announced at WWDC 2019
The 2019 Worldwide Developers Conference was easily one of the most exciting events of the year, with Apple introducing feature after feature over the course of a two and a half hour event. For those who don't want to rewatch the entire keynote, we condensed everything Apple announced into 9 minutes, so you can get a quick recap of everything important.
Apple debuted new versions of iOS, iPadOS (now separate from iOS!), macOS, tvOS, and watchOS, all of which have a long list of new features, plus Apple gave us a peek at the new Mac Pro and 6K Apple Display. In addition to our video, there's a recap of all of our coverage below, giving you a complete overlook of everything new.
iOS 13
Apple Unveils iOS 13 Featuring Dark Mode, Swipe Keyboard, Performance Improvements, and More
iOS 13 Gaining Revamped Reminders App and Enhanced Apple Maps
Apple Announces 'Sign in With Apple' for Signing into Apps Using Your Apple ID
Sign In With Apple Will Be Required for Apps That Offer Third-Party Sign-In Options
Apple Updating Messages in iOS 13 With User Profiles and Memoji Stickers
Apple Unveils New Photo Browsing and Editing Features Coming With iOS 13
iOS 13 is Compatible With iPhone SE and Later, iPhone 6 and 6 Plus Not Supported
iPadOS
Apple Unveils 'iPadOS' Designed Specifically for the iPad's Larger Display
Apple's New iPadOS Software Includes Mouse Support as an Accessibility Option
Apple's New iPadOS Software Includes Additional Keyboard Shortcuts
macOS Catalina
Apple Announces 'macOS Catalina' With Separate Apple Music, Podcasts, and TV Apps
Apple's New 'Find My' App for macOS and iOS Can Find Your Devices Even When They're Offline
Apple Introduces Sidecar App for Using an iPad as a Mac's Secondary Display
Apple Reveals 'Voice Control' Accessibility Feature Coming to Mac and iOS
Apple Seeds First Beta of macOS 10.15 Catalina to Developers
tvOS 13
Apple Reveals tvOS 13 With New Home Screen and Support for Multiple User Profiles
Apple TV Gaining Xbox One and PlayStation 4 Controller Support
watchOS 6
Apple Unveils WatchOS 6 With Dedicated App Store, New Apple Watch Faces and Native Apps
Apple Watch Getting New Health Features, Including Noise App and Menstrual Cycle Tracking
Apple Releases First Beta of New watchOS 6 Operating System to Developers
Here Are All the Apple Watch Models Compatible With watchOS 6
New Mac Pro and XDR Display
Apple Reveals All-New Mac Pro With Up to 28-Core Processor and 1.5TB of RAM, Starting at $5,999
Apple Unveils 32-inch 6K 'Pro Display XDR' Monitor Starting at $4,999
Adobe and Other Developers Are 'Incredibly Excited' About New Mac Pro
The Stand for Apple's New $4,999 Pro Display Costs an Extra $999
Other Announcements
HomeKit Coming to Routers and Gets New 'Secure Video' Feature
HomePod Gaining Handoff Support, AirPods Get Audio Sharing Feature
Apple News+ Expanding to United Kingdom and Australia in iOS 13
Apple Announces ARKit 3 With Immersive People Occlusion Feature, RealityKit, and More
Apple Unveils New SwiftUI Framework For Building App Interfaces Using Less Code
Tickets
Due to overwhelming demand and the sheer number of App Store developers, Apple offers tickets to WWDC via a lottery system. Prospective attendees enter a lottery and can only attend WWDC if they are awarded a ticket. For the past several years, tickets to WWDC have been priced at $1,599 each, and 2019 is no exception.
To enter the ticket lottery, developers were required to submit an entry on Apple's developer website. Registration for tickets closed on March 20, 2019, at 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time, and developers who won a ticket were notified on March 21.
Apple also provided 350 WWDC scholarships with free tickets and accommodations to students and STEM organizations around the world. Applicants needed to create an interactive Swift Playground able to be experienced within three minutes. Apple took applications until Sunday, March 24, 2019, at 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time, with scholarship winners notified on Monday, April 15.
Past WWDCs
WWDC 2018
At WWDC 2018, Apple made the following software and hardware announcements:
Apple Reveals iOS 12 With Digital Health Features, Group FaceTime, Memoji, and More
Apple Creates 'Measure', an Augmented-Reality Measuring Tape App
Apple Announces New USDZ Augmented Reality File Format Coming in iOS 12
Apple Unveils 'ARKit 2' and Showcases New LEGO AR App That Interacts With Physical Sets
Apple Unveils New 'For You' Tab and Sharing Suggestions Coming to Photos in iOS 12
Apple Details Siri Updates Alongside 'Shortcuts' App to Create Customized Voice-Controlled Workflows
Apple Introduces Memoji: Personalized, Animated Emojis Coming in iOS 12
Group FaceTime Chats Coming to iOS 12, Supports Up to 32 Simultaneous Users
First Beta of iOS 12 Now Available for Registered Developers
Apple Revamps App Store Guidelines, Sets New Rules for Remote Mirroring Apps Like Steam Link
Apple's Mac App Store Updating With All-New Design Inspired by iOS
Safari Browser in iOS 12 and macOS Mojave to Feature Enhanced Privacy Tools
Apple Reveals tvOS 12 With Dolby Atmos Support for Apple TV 4K, Aerial Screensaver Updates, and More
Apple's watchOS 5 Adds Automatic Workout Detection, Walkie-Talkie, and More
Apple Watch Gaining New 'Walkie-Talkie' App in watchOS 5 so You Can Quickly Talk to Friends
Apple Watch Owners Can Compete in watchOS 5, Auto-Detection of Workouts Coming Too
Apple Releases First Beta of New watchOS 5 Operating System to Developers
Live From WWDC 2018: Coverage of Apple's Keynote with iOS 12, macOS 10.14, and More
Apple Launches New 2018 Pride Band for Apple Watch, Available to Buy Today
Apple Introduces Apple Watch Bands and iPhone Cases in Summer Colors
WWDC 2017
At WWDC 2017, Apple made the following software and hardware announcements:
iOS 11 Preview: Enhanced Siri, Voice Translation, Unified Control Center & More
Apple Reveals 'macOS High Sierra' With APFS, Metal 2, and Refinements to Safari and Other Apps
Apple Releasing 'ARKit' for iOS Developers to Fuel All-New Augmented Reality Apps
watchOS 4 Bringing New Interface, Apple News, New Music App & Gym Machine Support
Apple Announces New 10.5-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pro Models With Advanced Displays
Apple Updates Entire MacBook Line-Up With Kaby Lake CPUs, Faster SSDs, and Graphics
Apple Reveals New 'iMac Pro' Built for Users With Demanding Workflows, Starting at $5K
Apple Unveils $349 HomePod Smart Speaker to be Available in December
WWDC 2016
At WWDC 2016, Apple made the following announcements:
Apple Announces iOS 10 With Overhauled Messages App, Rich Notifications, and More
Apple Announces watchOS 3 With Dock, Control Center, New Watch Faces and Apps, and More
Apple Debuts New tvOS Features Including 'Single Sign-On', Enhanced Siri and More
WWDC 2015
At WWDC 2015, Apple unveiled the following services and software:
Apple Announces iOS 9 With Proactive Siri, Maps Transit, iPad Multitasking and More
Apple Announces watchOS 2 With Native Apps, Third-Party Complications, and More
Apple Announces 'Apple Music' With 'Beats 1' Live Radio Station, Launches June 30 for $9.99/Month
WWDC 2014
At WWDC 2014, Apple unveiled the following services and software:
Apple Announces OS X Yosemite with Improved Cross-Device Connectivity and New User Interface
Apple Announces iOS 8 with Interactive Notifications, QuickType, More
Apple Announces 'iCloud Drive' and 'Mail Drop' Features for OS X Yosemite
Apple Updates iMessage with Improved Group Messaging and Video and Audio Messages
'QuickType' Keyboard for iOS 8 Offers Context-Aware Predictive Typing Suggestions
iOS 8 to Include Support for System Wide Third-Party Keyboards
Apple to Enhance App Store with 'Explore' Tab, App Bundles, Beta Testing, and More
WWDC 2013
At 2013's WWDC, Apple unveiled iOS 7, OS X Mavericks, iWork for iCloud, the Mac Pro, and new MacBook Airs.
WWDC 2012
2012's event saw the introduction of the MacBook Pro with Retina Display, iOS 6 and its standalone Maps app, OS X Mountain Lion, MacBook Pro and MacBook Air updates, and a redesigned AirPort Express.