The WWDC 2021 keynote was jam-packed with announcements. Here are some that stood out to me. This list is not exhaustive.

macOS

  • Universal control
    • Control multiple Macs/iPads with single keyboard/mouse
    • Just place devices next to each other and move cursor between them
    • Drag and drop across devices!!
  • Airplay to Mac
  • Low power mode
  • Safari
    • Total redesign

watchOS

  • Sleep app
    • New metric: respiratory rate
  • Next hour precipitation alerts
  • Find devices/items
  • Multiple timers

iPadOS

  • New multitasking icon at top of window
    • Tapping it shows a new menu
  • “The shelf”
    • Displays all app windows at bottom of screen

iOS

App Privacy Report

  • Gives privacy overview of installed apps
    • Located in Settings
  • Shows how often/when an app used a permission
    • Data includes last 7 days
    • Shows access to location, photos, contacts, etc.
  • Displays all third party domains app has contacted

Siri

  • On device speech recognition!
    • Many requests handled without needing an internet connection

Focus

  • Notification summary
    • Schedule delivery at specific time(s) of day
  • Build different Focus profiles
    • Determines which notifications are shown
    • Displays Home Screen page specific to profile
    • Profile auto suggested based on time/location
    • Can be used to reflect status in thirdparty apps, like Slack
  • DND status displayed in iMessage

FaceTime

  • Voice isolation to drastically reduce background noise
  • FaceTime in a browser (still e2ee)
  • SharePlay
    • Screen sharing!

Mail

  • Mail Privacy Protection
    • Hides your IP from trackers
    • Hides whether you opened an email

Wallet

  • Adding support for additional keys
    • House keys, corporate badges, hotel keys
  • ID support
    • Just scan your ID
    • Shows exactly what info will be presented
      • e.g. legal name, state, DoB, sex, height, etc.
    • Will work at TSA

Health

  • Long term trends
  • Health sharing with family/friends
  • Sleep widget
  • Store vaccine records

Photos

  • Copy text from images
  • Look up object in images
    • E.g. breed of dog, type of slower
  • Photo search in spotlight

Safari

  • Tab bar moved to bottom of screen
  • Extensions!
  • Hide IP from trackers

Maps

  • Incredible new detail
    • Includes CarPlay
  • Easier to find transit near you
  • Notification when it’s time to disembark a train
  • Scan buildings around you when lost to get detailed directions

Other

  • Find My now locates iPhone when powered off
  • “Temporary iCloud storage to transfer data”
    • This appeared on a slide but otherwise went explained

AirPods

  • Conversation boost
    • AirPods Pro amplify person talking
  • Locate using Find My network
  • Receive separation alert when leaving AirPods behind
  • Background sounds (ocean, rain, stream, etc.)

iCloud

  • Account Recovery
    • Designate person allowed to help recovery account
    • If locked out, they send you a passcode you can use
  • Legacy Contact
    • Grant person access to iCloud data once deceased

iCloud+

  • Another service…
  • Private Relay
    • Relays all safari traffic through 2 relay servers
    • “The first [relay] assigns the user an anonymous IP address that maps to their region but not their actual location. The second [relay] decrypts the web address they want to visit and forwards them to their destination. This separation of information protects the user’s privacy because no single entity can identify both who a user is and which sites they visit.”
  • Hide my email
    • Generate unique, random email addresses