The first WWDC 2019 events kick off in just two days with the early arrival of student scholars, and Apple is putting the finishing touches on decorations at and around the McEnery Convention Center in San Jose.
Decorations on the convention center, light poles, and public transit stops all carry the same neon theme on dark blue as seen on other WWDC materials, with the front entrance area of the convention center covered in a huge sheet displaying a robot emoji with all sorts of icons exploding out of the top of it and the "Dub Dub" nickname sometimes used for WWDC.
Photos from earlier in the assembly process hint at the possibility of some sort of lighting behind the sheet, so we'll have to wait and see what it looks like at night.
The main event of WWDC 2019 kicks off on Monday at 10:00 am Pacific Time with the traditional keynote, and we'll have full coverage here on MacRumors.com and through our MacRumorsLive Twitter account.
Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference is set to kick off on June 3 with a keynote event that will see Apple unveiling next-generation versions of iOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS.
We've rounded up all of the rumors that we're heard so far about the features we can expect in each of the new operating systems. Watch the video below and read on to get a glimpse of what's coming.
Many of these rumors have been sourced from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman and 9to5Mac's Guilherme Rambo, both of whom have shared details on what's coming in 2019.
iOS 13 is going to be a major update, introducing some features that iOS users have been hoping will come to the iPhone and the iPad for quite some time. Below, we'll outline all of the major features that we're expecting, with full details on iOS 13 available in our iOS 13 roundup.
iOS 13, like iOS 12, is expected to introduce speed improvements for devices, including older devices, and it will include bug fixes thanks to Apple's 2018 plan to put more focus on quality.
Dark Mode
iOS 13 will introduce a dark mode for the first time, letting users choose between light and dark themes. There aren't a lot of details on dark mode at this time, but it's expected to be a system wide feature much like the dark mode that came in macOS Mojave.
Apps that are currently light mode only will have darker themes available when dark mode is set, much like Books or Maps, existing apps that have a darker night mode.
Leaked screenshots of iOS 13 suggest the Dark Mode option will be enabled via the Settings app or the Control Center. The Home screen will look similar to the Home screen in light mode, though the dock will be darker.
New Volume HUD
If you're tired of the current volume interface that blocks the middle of the iPhone's screen when you're adjusting the volume, there's good news -- it's expected to change in iOS 13.
We're expecting a volume HUD that's less obtrusive than the current version, with something that doesn't take up quite as much room on the display. We've mocked up what it might look like below.
Sleep Mode
iOS 13 is expected to streamline sleep time behavior with a new sleep mode that's available in the Control Center. According to rumors, sleep mode will toggle on Do Not Disturb, darken the Lock screen so it's not so bright if you pick up your phone in the middle of the night, and mute all incoming notifications.
Unspecified improvements could also come to the Bedtime tab that's available in the Clock app. Bedtime is a feature that was first introduced in iOS 12 and is designed to send you reminders when you should go to bed.
iPad Updates
Several iPad-specific features are going to be overhauled in iOS 13, so this should be a major update for those who use iPads. A new Home screen layout is expected, but few details have been provided.
Apple is introducing improved multitasking. iPad apps will support multiple windows through a tab view, and there may be stackable cards within apps that can be rearranged. Apps will have sheets that are initially attached to the screen, but that can be detached and dragged around so you can have multiple instances of the same app (or different apps) open.
These app cards can be stacked on top of one another, and a depth effect will indicate which cards are on the top or on the bottom. As with card-based interfaces in other parts of iOS, you can close out an app card by flinging a card to dismiss it.
There will be a new gesture for undoing text input on an iPad, letting users undo or redo an action using a three finger tap on the keyboard area along with a slide to the left or the right. Apple will also be adding a new gesture for selecting multiple items in table and collection views, letting users drag multiple fingers on the screen to draw a selection.
There have been rumors that mouse support could come to the iPad as an Accessibility option, and iOS 13 would be an ideal time to introduce that feature, though it has not been confirmed that it's part of the update.
Updated Find My iPhone App
Apple is designing a new Find My iPhone app that also incorporates Find My Friends, so in iOS 13, we may no longer have two apps for these features. The new app is said to include a networking feature that will let Apple devices be tracked even when not connected to a Wi-Fi or cellular network by leveraging other iOS devices that are close by.
A mockup of the "Find My" app icon in iOS 13
The app, which is expected to just be called "Find My," will include existing Find My iPhone features like Lost Mode and an option to remotely wipe a device. Location-based sharing options pulled from Find My Friends will also still be available.
Messages
Messages is said to be gaining a new WhatsApp-style feature that will let users add their own profile picture and display name, and then choose who sees that info. Apple is also adding a dedicated menu for Animoji and Memoji stickers.
Mail
In the Mail app, Apple may be planning to add new features that will organize messages into searchable categories like marketing, purchases, travel, "not important," and more, plus there will be a read later queue, an option to mute incoming Mail notifications for specific email threads, and a tool for blocking people you don't want to talk to.
Reminders
The Reminders app may get overhauled to make it a bit more useful with four default sections laid out in a grid, encompassing tasks to be finished today, all tasks, scheduled tasks, and flagged tasks.
A leaked iOS 13 screenshot of the new Reminders app on the iPad via 9to5Mac
Books
You might get rewarded for reading books in iOS 13 with Apple perhaps planning to introduce a progress tracker and a rewards system to encourage reading. There's no word on how this might work, but it could be similar to the achievement system that rewards you with stickers when completing a fitness goal.
Health
The Health app may be getting a new feature related to the health of your ears. The app is said to include a "hearing health" section that will measure how loud you play music on your headphones and the volume of the ambient environment around you.
A better view of daily activity may also be included, and Apple may include better tools for tracking menstrual cycles.
macOS 10.15, like iOS 13, is going to be a major update for Mac users. We'll highlight major features below, but full details on the new software can be found in our macOS 10.15 roundup.
We don't know what Apple will call macOS 10.15, but it will have the name of another California landmark, following Mavericks, Yosemite, El Capitan, Sierra, High Sierra, and Mojave.
Cross-Platform Apps
macOS 10.15, paired with iOS 13, marks a major year in macOS app advancement. Apple started introducing universal apps in iOS 12 and macOS Mojave, and that project, known as "Marzipan," is going to progress in macOS 10.15. Universal apps let iOS apps be ported over to the Mac with few changes, resulting in an app that can run on both platforms.
Apple started porting iOS apps to the Mac in macOS Mojave during the early stages of the project, and in macOS 10.15, Apple is going to give developers the tools to easily bring iPad apps to the Mac.
Apple's aim with Marzipan is to let developers design a single app that works with either a touchscreen or a mouse and trackpad based on whether it's running on iOS or macOS. This universal app feature would likely significantly increase the number of apps available on Macs while also cutting down on developer workload to create cross-platform apps.
iOS apps ported over to the Mac will be able to take advantage of Mac-specific features like the Touch Bar and keyboard shortcuts along with support for multiple windows. Adding Mac support to an existing iOS app will be as simple as checking a checkbox in Xcode.
New Apps Coming to Mac
As part of the Marzipan project, Apple is bringing several iOS only apps to the Mac and revamping some others.
There will be new Music, Podcasts, and TV apps, along with an updated Books app, some of which will be built using Apple's Marzipan developer tools. Right now, all of these functions on Mac are done through the iTunes app, but Apple is retiring iTunes in favor of these new apps.
All of the current iTunes functions will be available, just through the aforementioned separate apps. The iOS Device management that's done through iTunes at the current time will reportedly be done through the Music app instead.
Apple has already announced the TV app, but it's expected to launch on Mac this fall. Music and Podcasts are new apps, and the Books app is rumored to be getting overhauled with an Apple News-style design and new tracking features and rewards that encourage reading.
The Reminders app, Screen Time, and iMessage Effects are also new features that are rumored to be coming to the Mac in macOS 10.15.
iPad as an External Display
macOS 10.15 will feature an option to send any app to an external display, including connected monitors and even an iPad. The feature is said to be available through a menu that can be opened by hovering over the maximize icon in any Mac app.
A mockup of an iPad as a second display for a Mac
Options will be available for opening the app on the external display, making windows full screen, and tiling windows. On an iPad that supports Apple Pencil, users will be able to draw with the Pencil while the iPad is serving as an external display, turning the iPad into a Wacom-style tablet.
32-Bit App Support Ending
Apple began issuing warnings about 32-bit apps in macOS Mojave, and has said that Mojave will be the last version of macOS to support them.
Apple is expected to phase out support for 32-bit apps in macOS 10.15, which means some older apps that haven't been updated in a while will cease to work. Aperture, for example, Apple's now-discontinued photo editing software, will not run on macOS after Mojave, nor will any other 32-bit app.
This change is still likely going to catch some people unaware and there could be some people who are upset when the new version of macOS is released and their favorite older apps no longer run.
New Find MyApp
The new Find My iPhone and Find My Friends hybrid app in the works for iOS is also expected to come to macOS.
It will be similar to the existing Find My iPhone feature on the web, but it will include Find My Friends functionality and it will perhaps have a "find network" feature that will let Apple devices be tracked even when WiFi and cellular connectivity is disabled by using other nearby iPhones. Apple is expected to name this app just "Find My."
Your Apple Watch can already unlock your Mac, but in macOS 10.15, the Apple Watch may be able to serve as an authentication method for other operations on the Mac.
Full details on what this might entail are not available, but it could allow the watch to be used instead of entering passwords or confirming payments, similar to Touch ID on Touch ID-enabled Macs.
watchOS 6
There are quite a few new features coming to the Apple Watch with the launch of watchOS 6. First of all, the Apple Watch is rumored to be getting its own App Store, which would let users download new Apple Watch apps right from their wrists.
A mockup of what the App Store could look like on Apple Watch
There's no word on just how this will work, but the Apple Watch App Store is also likely to be available on the iPhone through the Apple Watch app to make it easier to see just what you're downloading.
New health apps could come to the Apple Watch in watchOS 6, with Apple rumored to be working on a "Dose" app for pill reminders and a "Cycles" app for tracking menstrual cycles.
New apps including Calculator, Voice Memos, and Audio Books could come to the Apple Watch, and Apple is expected to add support for Animoji and Memoji stickers.
There will be new complications for hearing aid battery life, audio book status, rain data, and external noise information, which is another new health-related feature coming to Apple Watch. Going forward, the Apple Watch may be able to keep track of the ambient noise level, letting you know if you're in danger of damaging your hearing.
Several new watch faces are said to be in the works, including a Gradient watch face that makes a gradient out of the color a user chooses, two new X-Large faces with jumbo numbers in different fonts and colors, and a California dial that's similar to a classic watch face but with a mix of Roman and Arabic numerals.
The existing Solar Analog face may also be redesigned with a watch face that looks like a sundial.
tvOS 13
We don't know what features are coming in tvOS 13 as it doesn't often get the same major feature changes as other operating systems, but Apple could further refine the TV app and lay the groundwork for the upcoming Apple Arcade service that's designed to let you access exclusive games for a monthly fee.
Games will be available on iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV.
Apple is working on a high-end high-throughput modular Mac Pro that's set to debut in 2019, and we could see our first glimpse of it at the Worldwide Developers Conference.
There's no guarantee that we're going to see the new Mac Pro, but when Apple debuted the 2013 Mac Pro, it was shown off at WWDC before its December launch. Apple is also working on a 6K 31.6-inch high-end display to go along the Mac Pro.
New iPhone Cases and Apple Watch Bands
WWDC is one of the events where Apple typically unveils Apple Watch bands, iPhone cases, and iPad cases in refreshed summer colors.
This year should be no exception, and we may also see another rainbow-colored pride band, as Apple has done rainbow bands in June for the last couple of years.
MacRumors Coverage
Apple will have a livestream of the WWDC keynote available on its website and through the Events app of the Apple TV, but for those unable to watch, we'll be covering the event on MacRumors.com and through our MacRumorsLive Twitter account. We'll also have in-depth coverage of all of Apple's announcements throughout the week.
Subaru is experiencing growing popularity in the U.S., developing a strong reputation based on emphasizing safety, all-wheel drive operation, and technology. The redesigned 2019 Subaru Forester is no exception, offering standard all-wheel drive, a roomier cabin, and new DriverFocus technology that uses facial recognition and monitoring to not only save your driver presets but alert you if it detects drowsy or distracted driving.
The 2019 Forester includes Subaru's STARLINK infotainment system with standard CarPlay support, with lower-level models coming with a 6.5-inch screen while higher-level trims are upgraded to an 8-inch screen.
I've had a chance to spend some time with a top-of-the-line 2019 Forester Touring in Horizon Blue Pearl, so read on for details about how all of the technology comes together for iPhone users.
STARLINK Infotainment
Subaru's STARLINK Infotainment systems offer all of the functionality you'd expect, starting with AM/FM radio with HD support, SiriusXM, USB and Bluetooth media device support, hands-free phone connectivity, and a CD player. All trims also include support for CarPlay, Android Auto, and app integration with Pandora and Aha. They also support cloud apps like Yelp, iHeartRadio, Magellan, TomTom, and more.
Subaru's STARLINK home screen
The base, Premium, and Sport trims all come with a 6.5-inch display, although the Sport trim can be upgraded to the larger 8-inch display. The Limited trim gets the 8-inch display standard with an optional upgrade to embedded navigation from TomTom, while the Touring trim gets the 8-inch screen and navigation standard.
Embedded TomTom navigation
Subaru has gone all-in on displays in the Forester, with my Touring model featuring three separate screens. Aside from the spacious 8-inch main screen on the center stack, there's also a 4.2-inch digital display as part of the instrument cluster directly in front of the driver, which is standard on all trims. This display is customizable and is capable of showing a wide array of information from a digital speedometer to speed limit signs to fuel level to audio information and more. These instrument cluster displays are becoming increasingly common, and it's nice to see it included standard on the Forester.
Instrument cluster
What sets the Forester further apart from many other cars is the third display, located in a housing protruding from the dashboard at the top of the center stack. This housing also includes an array of sensors for features like DriverFocus that I'll talk about a bit later, but the 6.3-inch display included here on higher trims is a fantastic addition.
Dual screens showing audio and navigation information
While the main infotainment display is taken over by CarPlay, built-in navigation, or other functions, the upper display can offer an always-on view of other systems with a dense array of information. By default it shows basic information like the time, outside temperature, and current climate control settings, but the main portion of the display can show one of several different screens based on user preference.
Vehicle safety systems status
This display can show an overview of what vehicle safety systems are active, the current weather forecast, navigation information, audio information, a larger version of your climate settings and more. It will also intelligently change what it's showing based on what else is going on, such as temporarily showing navigation information when a turn is coming up.
Fuel economy screen
The color 6.3-inch display is standard on Sport and higher trims and an option on the Premium trim, but not available on the base trim. The base trim and the standard configuration of the Premium trim include a smaller display that offers more basic information about the vehicle.
Subaru has kept a full set of hardware climate controls, although the only visual feedback on the controls themselves are status lights for some of the buttons. Other visual indicators like temperature settings and fan speed are shown on the other screens higher on the center stack.
CarPlay
CarPlay, which requires a wired connection as in most vehicles, is a great experience on the large 8-inch display. It takes over the whole screen, but the extra multifunction display above still gives you access to other data from the vehicle. The screen is bright and colors are vivid, and touch responsiveness is great with no lag.
CarPlay home screen
Subaru thankfully includes a variety of hardware controls below the screen, so you'll be able to make many adjustments largely by feel.
CarPlay "Now Playing" screen
Large volume and tune/scroll knobs let you easily make those adjustments, while dedicated hardware buttons for various infotainment functions like radio, built-in navigation and audio track skipping let you quickly jump between functions. A prominent home button gets you back to the main Subaru screen from wherever you are.
I really like the way the dual-screen setup gives you command of everything going on in the vehicle at a glance, minimizing the amount of time you need to take your eyes off the road. Apple Maps or Google Maps running in CarPlay can take over the large main display, while all of your other information including CarPlay audio track and album names can be seen simultaneously on the upper display.
Voice control button is at bottom left of left cluster
As usual, there is a voice control button on the steering wheel that lets you talk to the vehicle or Siri. When CarPlay is active, the steering wheel button can only activate Siri. But when you're out of CarPlay, you can activate Siri with a long press of the button or the Subaru system with a short press.
Ports and Connectivity
My Touring trim came with a number of USB-A ports for connectivity, including a pair up front adjacent to the smallish storage tray at the base of the center stack and two more on the rear of the center console for rear passengers. All four ports can deliver up to 2.1 amps, so they'll be able to charge even power-hungry devices like iPads fairly quickly.
Front USB ports and phone storage tray
All Forester trims include the front USB ports, but the base and second-level Premium trims require a $178 option to add the rear ones. The remaining trims include the rear ports as standard equipment.
USB ports on rear of center console
All but the base Forester trim offer in-car Wi-Fi hotspot support via LTE, which requires a separate plan through AT&T. Subaru does not offer a wireless phone charger as either standard or optional equipment on the Forester.
DriverFocus
For the past couple of years, Subaru has been pushing its EyeSight package of driver assistance technology features, which includes adaptive cruise control, pre-collision braking, lane departure and sway warnings, and lane-keeping assist. Those features are becoming increasingly popular across car manufacturers, and it's great that Subaru is now making its EyeSight package standard across all Forester trims.
Initial registration for DriverFocus
Subaru is also now taking things to the next level with DriverFocus, a feature currently available only on the highest-level Touring trim as a standard feature. DriverFocus uses facial recognition and monitoring to keep an eye on you while you're driving. If it detects drowsy or distracted driving, it will warn you with a chime and a pop-up message on the driver's display.
While some car manufacturers have focused on monitoring movements of the car to detect drowsy or distracted driving, whether it's drifting from your lane or making repeated sharp steering corrections, Subaru is trying to be even more proactive by actually watching to see if your eyes are open and on the road. It might sound a little Big Brother-ish, but your car isn't going to report you to the authorities or record your behavior, so it could prove to be a great safety feature and you can always turn it off.
Screen with green icon showing DriverFocus is active
Subaru acknowledges that the system isn't perfect and it can generate some false positives, which I did find in my testing. One time the car warned me to take a break when it apparently thought my eyes were starting to droop, but I think I was just squinting a bit into a bright sun. A couple of other times it warned me to keep my eyes on the road, once when I had a hand up to my face rubbing one eye and once when I was on a sharply curving highway exit ramp when it apparently thought I was looking away from the road when I was in fact looking ahead along the curve. Quick glances down or to the side won't trigger a warning, but if you have reason to look somewhere other than fairly straight ahead for more than a couple of seconds, you might get an alert.
Facial recognition lets the Forester greet you by name when you enter and remember your preferred settings
As a bonus, DriverFocus's facial tracking technology can also recognize you when you get in the car, greeting you by name onscreen and automatically setting your preferred seat and mirror positions and climate control options. Some cars make similar adjustments by associating preferences with a specific key fob being used, but Subaru is leveraging its DriverFocus technology to make automatic memory settings even more seamless.
Wrap-up
Subaru offers a solid infotainment system of its own, and the Forester really takes it to the next level with the dual-screen setup in the center stack. Layer the convenience of CarPlay on top of that and you've got some great options for entertainment, navigation, and more, all highly customizable.
I appreciated the abundance of high-powered USB ports in the front and rear, although the phone storage tray up front was rather small for my iPhone XS Max. Wireless charging would be a nice option to have as long as it works well and the price premium isn't too high, so hopefully that's something Subaru will add in the future. Other manufacturers have been hit-or-miss on this feature, but when done well it's a nice option to have.
The 2019 Subaru Forester starts at $24,295 plus destination, delivery, and other fees, with each successive trim level adding around $2,000 before the bigger jump to the top-of-the-line Touring model at $34,295. I do recommend bumping up to the 8-inch display if you can, as it's a great size for the main screen, but that'll push you up close to the $30,000 level on a Sport trim with option package.
The M1 Wireless Mouse, priced at $29.99, features an Apple-like aesthetic with an aluminum finish that's available in silver, space gray, gold, or rose gold to match your Apple devices. Satechi designed the mouse to have an ergonomic design that fits well in the palm of the hand and works well for both left and right-handed users.
It connects to a Mac using a Bluetooth 4.0 connection, and conveniently recharges through an included USB-C port, which is handy if you have a USB-C Mac because you can use your existing cable for charging purposes.
Optical sensors offer up precise tracking and speedy scrolling, and there are soft touch buttons on the top that's meant to make it comfortable to use. A matching aluminum scroll wheel at the top ties the whole design together.
Satechi's Slim Aluminum Wireless Keyboard, priced at $74.99, is a simple, wire-free keyboard that can connect to a Mac or an iOS device like an iPhone or iPad using Bluetooth.
Made from aluminum, it's available in silver with white keys or space gray with black keys to match Apple's silver and space gray devices. It features diamond cut chamfered edges for a sleek, modern look.
The Aluminum Slim Wireless Keyboard was created with the Mac in mind with function hot keys, a full numeric keyboard, and a USB-C port for convenient recharging. It connects via Bluetooth 3.0 and has a range of 33 feet.
Up to four devices at once can connect to the keyboard, and you can switch between them using one of the four available Bluetooth keys. Compatible devices include iMac Pro, iMac, MacBook Air, MacBook, MacBook Pro, iPad, iPad Air, iPad Pro, and iPhone.
We have five Aluminum Slim Wireless Keyboard and M1 Wireless Mouse combos to give away to MacRumors readers. To enter to win our giveaway, use the Gleam.io widget below and enter an email address. Email addresses will be used solely for contact purposes to reach the winners and send the prizes. You can earn additional entries by subscribing to our weekly newsletter, subscribing to our YouTube channel, following us on Twitter, following us on Instagram, or visiting the MacRumorsFacebook page.
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The contest will run from today (May 31) at 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time through 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time on June 7. The winners will be chosen randomly on June 7 and will be contacted by email. The winners will have 48 hours to respond and provide a shipping address before new winners are chosen.
In a report covering apps that are tracking kids and sending data to companies like Facebook and Google, The Wall Street Journal's Joanna Stern says that Apple is planning to limit third-party tracking in apps that are in the Kids section of the App Store.
The site says that a "person familiar with the matter" shared the info on the upcoming feature, though Apple declined to comment.
In fact, Apple will limit third-party tracking in apps in the Kids category of the App Store, according to a person familiar with the matter. Apple declined to comment on this, but a spokeswoman provided a statement:
"For privacy and security reasons, Apple does not see what data users choose to share with developers and we can't see what developers do on their servers."
In the piece, Stern mentions an iOS app for kids called Curious World that she found was tracking her son, collecting data that included age, name, and books he tapped on, with that data then sent to Facebook.
She went on to test over 80 apps, many promoted by Apple, and all of them except for one included third-party trackers for marketing, ads, or analytics purposes.
Apps tested (which weren't kids apps specifically) included an average of four third-party trackers, and some had many more. The app her son was using had a total of seven trackers in it.
There are no controls in iOS for limiting the tracking features that are used by apps for everything from ad targeting to analytics, though users can download VPN apps that block these services. Stern suggests that Apple and Google should cut down on the amount of data that third-party trackers are able to collect and require app developers to provide clearer disclosures.
