Apple's WWDC - Detailed Report

Jitin Cherian
Jun 25, 2021
6 min read

This year at WWDC, Apple announced significant updates to iOS, iPadOS and MacOS. This one is going to be a longer video if you prefer something quick - I’ve covered this year’s WWDC in under four minutes. A shorter & crispier version of this report is covered in a separate article (Read the article).

If you are an Android user, these updates may not seem significant as most of the features are already available in Android for a few years now. Even though Apple is slow in releasing features when compared to Android but it makes up for this measured move to ensure that there is a strong integration of every feature introduced across its ecosystem. This means that most of the updates announced were common across iOS, iPadOS and MacOS with a couple of updates that were specific at an OS level.

Without any further delay, let’s dive into all the details of the announcement. We’ll start with the Common Features across iPhone, iPad and Mac and then delve into product-specific updates.

Starting with major updates:

FaceTime gets a massive facelift with SharePlay - with this new feature you can now stream movies, TV shows, listen to music, see what’s next on the playlist, add songs while sharing your screen on a FaceTime call. SharePlay will automatically adjust audio so you can hear your friends even during a loud scene or a climactic chorus. Facetime calls will now keep you in focus by blurring your background and will keep your calls in focus. I had never imagined that I would ever say this, now with just a link, Android users can be a part of FaceTime calls. FaceTime calls will default at Portrait mode which means it will blur your background to keep you in focus. FaceTime will also include an equal-sized grid tile view and the person talking will get automatically highlighted. Finally, there are some significant enhancements on the audio front as well. Apple is introducing spatial audio to FaceTime which means that the individual voices sound will feel like they are coming from the direction in which each person is positioned on the screen. In addition to spatial audio, there are three audio modes being introduced to FaceTime, these are Standard Mode, Voice Isolation and Wide Spectrum. Imagine an audio spectrum, at one end you have the voice isolation mode where the app uses AI to narrow down noisy background focussing just on your voice and at the other end, you will have the Wide Spectrum mode that leaves ambient noise unfiltered.

After FaceTime, Photos get a massive upgrade - Live Text - a new feature that unlocks rich and useful information in images, so you can make a call, send an email, or look up directions with just a tap on the highlighted text in a photo. Live Text also works in the Camera app, so you can point your phone camera to quickly take action on useful information. Live Text will be able to understand text in seven different languages, these are English, Chinese, French, Italian, German, Portuguese, and Spanish and with system-wide translations you can now translate at a tap. Photos will also be able to detect objects in your photos. Visual Look Up feature highlights objects and scenes it recognises - so you can get more information about them. With Visual Look Up, you can quickly learn more about art, landmarks, nature, books, and pets simply by tapping a photo on your device or on the web. Photo memories will get interactive with an immersive interface, along with new Memory mixes that let you personalize the look and feel of your story with a song and vibe to match.

A fair share of updates is coming to Messages. Messages with multiple photos will now appear as an elegant stack of images. You can swipe through the stack OR tap to view them all as a grid OR add a quick Tapback and save them to your library. Shared with You is the latest feature addition to Messages. This feature integrates incoming messages such as links, images and other content to apps such as Photos, Safari, Apple News, Apple Music, Apple Podcasts, and the Apple TV. Based on the type of message, the content will feature in the Shared with You section of the corresponding app. This end-to-end integration means that you can even reply to the messages right from the app without going back to Messages.

Apple introduced Focus, preset modes that help you stay in the moment when you need a distraction-free moment or when you need to step away. Focus can be activated using any of the pre-defined modes or you could create your own. When Focus mode is active, your status will be automatically displayed in Messages and for truly urgent messages, there’s still a way for people to notify you.

Notifications get a new look with contact photos and larger app icons with a quick summary that is ordered by priority, with the most relevant notifications at the top.

Exploration has never looked better in Apple Maps. The new updates deliver incredible new details that go beyond simply taking you from point A to point B. Some landmarks get a 3D view in both the day and dark mode maps. Maps now use Augmented Reality to provide a step by step immersive walking instructions and a new dedicated driving map that helps you see current incidents and traffic conditions at a glance. Integration with public transit shows nearby stations and transit times and lets you pin favourite routes to the top.

Safari’s new tab bar design maximises your screen space and stays out of the way as you scroll. The new Tab Groups features allow you to organize your tabs in the way that works best for you, save them and switch between them easily. Tab groups sync across devices so you have access to your tabs from anywhere. Voice-based Web search extension is now available on Safari with the option to choose when the extensions will be active.

Apple Wallet will now allow you to add your driver’s license and also works like a key to unlock your home, your garage, your hotel room, and even your workplace.

Spotlight shows you more information at a glance with new rich search results for artists, entertainers, TV shows and movies, as well as your contacts. And you can now search your photos in Spotlight and even search based on text in your photos by using Live Text.

Updates to the Health app give you new ways to share data with your loved ones and healthcare team, a metric to assess your risk of falling, and trend analysis to help you understand changes in your health.

iCloud has always kept photos, documents, and notes — safe, up to date, and accessible across all your devices. Now iCloud gets a plus that takes that experience a step further, with new features including iCloud Private Relay for more privacy while browsing the web, Hide My Email - Instantly generate unique, random email addresses that forward to your personal inbox — so you don’t have to share your real email address when filling out a form on the web or signing up for a newsletter.

In addition to these are some subtle feature updates to

While there are all these great features it is pointless if it comes at the expense of your privacy.

The new OS-level update provides increased visibility into how apps access your data, protects you from unwanted data collection and gives you more control over what you choose to share. You can see how apps are using the permissions you’ve granted them, which third-party domains they contact, and how recently they made contact.

So now that we’ve addressed the Common Features across iOS, iPadOS and MacOS, let’s quickly jump into unique features coming to iPad and Mac.

Multi-tasking is already great on iPadOS and with the latest update multitasking layout allows you to access apps on your Home Screen. You can also touch and hold to bring a note or message to the centre of the screen without leaving your current view. If you use a magic keyboard with the new update you can view a list of all shortcuts when you press and hold the Command key. Widgets get bigger and better. Find My, Contacts, Game Center, App Store, and Mail app widgets come in new larger sizes. The introduction of App Library on iPad automatically organises apps into categories like Productivity and Games. And for quick access, it’s built right into the Dock. iPad is one of the best note-taking devices out there and with the latest update, you can jot down information from any app or screen using the quick note feature. And all the quick notes can be found right in your Notes app.

Universal Control is one of my favourite feature from this year’s WWDC that comes to iPadOS and MacOS. A single keyboard and mouse or trackpad will now work seamlessly between your Mac and iPad. And they’ll even connect to more than one of the same device. You can now simply move your cursor from your Mac, right to your iPad. Type on your Mac and it shows up on your iPad. It is flawless OS-level integrations like these that bind consumers to the Apple ecosystem.