Apple's annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2026 will kick off on Monday local time. According to multiple media reports and market expectations, this year's focus will be on the redesigned Siri and the expansion of Apple Intelligence across various system applications.
This launch event is not only related to the pace of Apple's own AI product line development, but is also seen as an important moment for its response to competitors such as ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude.
Siri may be getting a new round of AI upgrades.
The most anticipated update is a potential major AI overhaul of Siri. The new Siri is expected to be closer to a conversational assistant, capable of understanding context, handling multi-step tasks, and interacting more naturally between different apps and services.
The report mentions that Apple may leverage Google's Gemini technology to enhance Siri's capabilities. Bloomberg previously also revealed that Apple is preparing a standalone Siri app, aiming to compete more directly with mainstream AI chatbots.
If these features are implemented, Siri will no longer be just a voice entry point, but will move closer to becoming a system-level AI assistant.
App stores and cameras may incorporate AI capabilities.
According to The Information, Apple may also bring an AI agent to the App Store. Limited information is available, but such functionality is typically used to handle tasks like bookings, daily errands, document editing, or controlling smart home devices on behalf of users.
The camera app may also feature a new "Visual Intelligence" entry point. This feature is said to be separated from the original camera control buttons and become a separate option in camera modes, alongside modes such as photo, video, portrait, and panorama.
The report indicates that this visual recognition capability uses Google Image Search to identify objects photographed by the user.
Image generation, wallet updates, and system updates are progressing simultaneously.
Apple is expected to update Image Playground, focusing on improving image generation quality, adding more artistic styles, enhancing character consistency, and providing richer editing options. The new interface may reduce complex controls and add a "describe what you've modified" editing method.
In addition, Apple may launch suggested Genmoji based on user media content and text interactions, and support generating AI wallpapers by theme or mood.
The Wallet app has also been rumored to be getting new features, including bill splitting and a "Create a Pass" option. The former allows users to generate payment requests to different recipients by taking a picture of a receipt, while the latter can convert physical vouchers such as movie tickets, concert passes, or gym memberships into digital passes.
In addition to the applications mentioned above, macOS, iPadOS, visionOS, watchOS, and tvOS are also expected to receive more AI features and stability updates.
